It's been a bit of a rough couple of months. In a recent blog post I talked about how social media has been very difficult and how I plan to adapt moving forwards. But then some personal stuff happened, which maybe one day I'll talk about, and it just ground everything to a halt.
"Unmotivated May" is the only way I can describe last month for me. The slump in sales along with feeling so tired and just not really myself, it all put me in a place where I couldn't really see the point anymore. I questioned what I was doing with my business, whether I should even continue, and in a panic I even agreed to working extra days at my job.
I just felt so stuck. This is a feeling that I am kind of used to, because I've experienced it before many times. That feeling where I know what I want but I just feel like I'm spinning my wheels trying to get there. No matter what I try, things just seem to stay the same.
I knew a big shift was needed, and I've always been open to making changes for myself, but struggle with letting go of things. I think a lot of that boils down to fear - what if I let go of this but it doesn't work out and then I regret it?
Sometimes it's a fear of what people think. I've done a lot of work on this, I am fully of the belief that if someone truly cares for you, if they are meant to be there, then they will stick around. The ones who don't like my authentic self are not meant for me, and that is their loss. And as much as I know this and I believe it, there is sometimes that scary little niggle, that fear of being judged.
In this case, a real shift in my business was needed, and I just didn't know where to turn or what to do. I've clung onto the same model of one of a kind jewellery for so long, but it was starting to become clear to me that this was probably not the most sustainable plan. Creating a piece is one thing, but the time to photograph it, list it on the website, advertise it, etc etc. It all adds up, and that dread of having to do all that admin every time was just wearing me down.
I knew I needed time to sit and contemplate what I really wanted and how I could get there.
Something you may not know about me is that I love to learn. I am always looking for courses and workshops and masterclasses on all things to do wtih business. And part of that for me is looking after myself, doing meditations, sound baths etc.
So I came across a training by the amazingly insightful Brittney Van Gestel, called the Prosperous Light Leader. I was excited for this one because, to very briefly sum it up, it was all to do with removing blockages and resetting your mindset.
So Brittney led us through an amazing meditation exercise, where I connected with the earth and with my higher self and my spirit guides. This was something I had done before, but I was surprised at how easily it came to me this time. I could clearly see them all sat there around a table, and they had some very clear messages for me.
I came out of this meditation like a switch had been turned on in my brain. I knew exactly what I needed to do, and I spent the rest of the night getting the wheels in motion.
Quite honestly, I've never felt clarity like it. I knew something was needed, but I had never consciously thought of the plan that had come to me during that meditation. And as soon as it came to me, I just knew in my soul it was the right plan. My guides also told me that I am capable of whatever I set my mind to and that I deserve it. That's a message I always need to hear.
Suddenly the fear was gone. I'd already let go of everything that was dragging me back and I felt a big weight off my shoulders thinking about those next steps. It's quite a big overhaul I'm planning and I don't feel any nerves, just confidence and excitement. This is very new territory for me and I am here for it.
So to put this into tangible terms, because I expect you many be reading this wondering what the hell I'm talking about, I am talking about completely clearing out all of the dead weight that has been holding me back, stripping everything back completely, and rebuilding from there.
This starts with stock. As I mentioned, one of a kind pieces of jewellery are not working for me, from an e-commerce point of view at least. I am no longer going to be listing one of a kind pieces of jewellery on my website, and I am clearing out all of the stock that has been sitting waiting for a home for months.
Right now there is 60% off all remaining one of a kind pieces, which you can find here. Once those are sold out, that will be it for those being stocked on my website.
BUT (big but), I am not stopping making them! I am still going to create one of a kind pieces of jewellery, but I will be making them for markets and events, and for retail spaces. I also plan to have some live sales and story sales for one of a kind pieces over on Instagram. If you're not already following, you can do that here, and make sure to turn on post notifications so that you don't miss anything.
I will also update those who are on my mailing list when it comes to those sales, so if you're not already subscribed, you can do that here. You'll also get a cheeky 10% off your first order (and yes you can use that on top of the 60% off sale!).
As for the stock that will be on my website moving forwards, I will focus more on the items that I am able to recreate. Still handmade, still the quality and standards that I set for myself, but this time in a much more efficient way. An example of this is the range of earrings I launched in March (such as these Rainbow Moonstone hoops). I've got some more designs in the pipeline and I couldn't be more excited about creating some new things.
The other stage of clear out that desperately needed to be done was on Instagram. During the pandemonium, everyone took to social media, a lot of people set up business pages, and it seems that bots and spam accounts are more apparent than ever. I had around 3600 followers (which hadn't changed in around a year, but that's a separate issue), and engagement was looooooooow. I'm not saying that this is all to do with the number of followers, but more to do with the quality of followers.
So I sat down and went through every single account, and I removed every follower that was either a dead business page, a spam/bot account, or was a crystal wholesaler (if you show an interest in crystals on instagram you'll know they are everywhere and only follow because they want you to buy from them).
I only want followers who are genuinely interested in my content, my business and/or my products, and if that means I'm left with 10 followers then so be it. It felt so counter-productive to be undoing all of the work I did building up my following, but it really needed to be done. I removed 1600 followers, and I am definitely moving into a quality over quantity approach.
I also cleared through all the accounts that I am following. I only want to follow accounts that interest me, where I find value in the content or I feel invested in the person behind the account. I unfollowed so many accounts that I had only followed in the hope that they'd follow me back - such an old, outdated strategy - with the mindset that if they then unfollow me, they weren't my people anyway.
Again, I feel a weight has been lifted. Since I've done this, I'm seeing accounts on my feed who haven't shown for a long time, and I've noticed my engagement has improved (especially on stories).
I mentioned this in a recent blog post, but when it comes to content creation, I am now only going to create what feels authentic. I'll batch create when I feel the desire to do it, but for the most part my attention will be on creating new products, markets and events, and updating my website to reflect my approach.
I want my blog to be a place where people can get to know me and get to understand what goes on behind the scenes. Sometimes they'll be quick updates, sometimes they'll be more like journal entries (kind of like this one), sometimes they will feature a product I am particularly into. I also have plans to feature some of my favourite business here too!
Oh, and in case you were wondering, I have dropped the extra days at my job that I picked up in a panic. It would be incredibly counter-intuitive of me to give away more of my time, when I already feel I have so little of it to spend growing my business.
I appreciate you for reading this far and I hope that if you take one thing away from this post that it's this - it's ok to change your mind.
Love,
Cara x