Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Worst Mistake is Being Too Afraid to Make One

OK so now I'm going to spill some of the beans and let you guys in on a little secret of excitement I mentioned this morning on FB. 


As many of you know I recently took a webinar by the wonderful Michelle Ward - the When I Grow Up Coach about my Effective Escape (AKA effectively preparing to leave the lifestyle I have now to follow my real dreams of running Innov8ive Knits full time). Having a solid plan gave me some serious courage! The courage to do a lot of things I would have never imagined I could do!


One of the things I've recently gotten the juice to do is spread the Innov8ive Knits love BEYOND Etsy. I am officially starting to apply for local craft shows right here in southern Alabama!!! A goal of mine this year is to participate in at LEAST one craft/art fair although 2-3 would be even better. It all depends on how the cookie crumbles, and who accepts my applications. I've never done one before and am filled with enthusiasm (and a healthy helping of fear to be honest) about it!


Little Chunk of My Application
 To subdue the fears I will say that my Etsy community and close friends have been beyond words helpful and encouraging about it. More so than I ever expected and it has given me the much appreciated ammo that I needed to go through with it. No one likes being told "No" which is definitely a possibility, but "the worst mistake is being too afraid to make one" (That's not my quote BTW I found it floating around online so I'm officially not taking credit for it LOL) and I'm not going to let that hold me and my blossoming business back. 


I'm cramming for application deadlines as I type because the season is fast approaching. And if accepted (fingers mucho crossed) I'll have to start knitting in my sleep in addition of just before I go to work, when I get off, on my lunch break, and in my car before work starts haha! I'm not announcing which ones I'm applying for yet because I have a couple on the table but I will of course make a humongo announcement if/when I get accepted. I'd love the chance to really put my stuff out there here locally where people can see & touch my hard work; meet customers face to face; and get some real time feedback.


Well there she is- my special surprise. The possibility of great new things, a leap of faith, and hopes that I hear back from good prospects. Here's to sucking it up and going for the gold! Keep your prayers, hopes, wishes, and all other good juju flowing my way through this new adventure. There's so much to learn and so much work to be done if it's going to be a success! On that note I better get to it! ;-)



8 comments:

  1. Michelle FetterhoffMarch 27, 2012 at 6:57 AM

    Good luck to your new adventure.. You are a special person doing special things and your hard work shows..i wish you all the success..

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  3. Good luck! Your promo photos are fantastic. I think you'll be a shoe in.

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  4. Good for you! Your things are lovely, so I don't see you having much trouble getting accepted at craft fairs, especially if you get your applications in early before other knitters apply.

    I did a TON of smaller craft fairs last year. I got mixed success rates, and they ARE a lot of work physically (set up and tear down), and mentally (keeping alert to customers and being cheery and approachable all day), but I made some really good connections with other vendors and even had customers who remembered me from previous fairs come back by my booth. I definitely recommend giving it a try!

    Praying right now for success for you!
    Blessings,
    Malaika

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  5. Good luck on your branching out! Your items are great!



    Stopping by rom Blogging Buddies
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    http://christiecottage.blogspot.com

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  6. Oh man you guys are more than wonderful!!! Thank you for all the compliments. I hope I am able to make the same impression on the jury for the craft shows.

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  7. These are great! Your colors are awesome. Love the promo. You will do great. Best of luck!

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    1. Thank you! That really does mean a lot to me. I hope that I hear good news soon.

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