I wish I knew the importance of SEO early on, after doing hours of research and using tools like Alura I went from getting one sale a month to 10. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I'm happy with the growth since I just opened my shop in February. I also wish I had a clear idea of how I wanted my packaging to look before I got my first few orders! Baby steps
0:26 1 everything isn’t as it seems 3:10 2 how to ethically source inspiration 8:02 3 treat business and creative stuff equally 9:59 4 work smarter not harder 13:19 5 learn social media marketing sooner 18:28 6 customer service is important 20:31 7 there are more people who support instead of judge you 27:03 8 feeling fulfilled with the journey rather than the “goal”
I'm just beginning in my small business, as a ceramic artist. I feel like I've jumped in with both feet, and I'm floundering. Your video is great. Thank you. Good to remember that NO ONE knows what they're doing in the beginning! Also-- fun fact-- the whole phrase is, "The customer is always right in matters of taste." We drop the last four words, but that is integral to the meaning. The customer is always right about what they like-- not always right. But I agree with you that customer service is sooooo important, even when they're wrong. LOL.
When you shared vulnerably about customer service, dealing with people who are in a bad mood/down in the dumps and take it out on you, I really felt so bad and at the same time so good that I’m not the only one, but wish people could understand how hard dealing with hundreds and thousands of people can be and kindness goes a long way as your business grows and you deal with more people!
I randomly clicked on your video as something to have on in the background but this was sooo captivating, so informative & so reassuring to hear as a small business owner. Thank you. I can see you put soo much effort into producing quality videos and products and that’s appreciated
If it makes you feel any better the amount of teeth you have to pull to get ONE SALE online is only worth it if you're selling something at $2000+ a pop. DO NOT waste your time posting 24/7 if you're doing low ticket.
SO FRIKKIN HELPFUL. Even just watching this as a more relaxing/comfy business video while I work on my own stuff, it was so nice. Sometimes I watch so many intense "how to" business videos and it can be very overwhelming. This was informative, and so relaxing all at the same time.
17:17-17:23: Tell them your story if they don't already know what you do, and bring small gifts. For example, I've noticed our postal workers keep hand cream on their desks. I've also seen some postal workers with snacks (e.g., cookies, chips) on their desks😊
Love love loveee this video. I’m doing crazy research at literally 5 in the morning trying to figure out how im going to start up. Greatly appreciated advice!!! And also I love your yellow dress, I have the same skin tone and love that color on us brown girlies. Would love to know where you got it. Thank you for being a great human being🫶🏼
One thing I learned too late in the game is when you sign up for an Art Show or Craft Show make sure to verify that they do NOT permit MLMs. I was suckered into quite a good number of Pyramid Scheme Party events. Too many times I signed up for an "Art Show" thinking it was going to be other like minded artists and it ends up being events with low attendance "Hey Hun" cult gatherings. I no longer do events that allow them.
Such a fantastic video Monica! I love watching you make products, but I also love these videos where you speak from the heart about building your business. Thanks so much for sharing and caring! You’re the best!!! Tina 🩷🌷😘
Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been going through the journey of stepping away from old dreams and entering new ones. After an event packed summer I’ve decided to get going with selling my own products in order to phase out this season of life where I’ve been delivering other business’ products. You are so real about getting started and I appreciate it.
Loved these tips, they are so relatable 🥰 especially feeling like everyone else is doing better than you all the time! But at the end of the day, every challenge we face as business owners brings that feeling of accomplishment and pride at what we’ve done so far. And that is so worth all of the tedious/frustrating moments.
Hey Monica... long time supporter here. Just want to say I really resonated with you saying you didnt want to be unoriginal by "copying" others. Its truly is difficult i felt like ive been at a standstill with my own business because i dont want to "steal" color combinations or even scents lol Thank you for reminding me to continue to be inspired by other small businesses and that its okay if we use similar fragrance oils as long as we put our own twist on things haha.
Needed this, thank you 🙏🏾 I’m overthinking on how to create content for my first launch. I’m so new to this and being on apps like tiktok. appreciate your truth!
New subbie and I want to say you are very inspiring! I too am a small businesss and this resonated with me so much! I hope much more success comes your way!! Peace from GA!! ✌🏾💚
I follow u for a while now and I love this video as it helps to give me the motivation. I recently launch my online store and its been very slow and social media seems like running race. I have been feeling demotivated but watching this video gives me the motivation to carry on. Thank you ❤
Okay 1) Awesome name 2) Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors 3) Just recently found your labs and I am in the pre-beginning states of starting a small business and you have definitely inspired me. This is such a great video. Thanks for sharing! 😍
Thanks for sharing Monica. I love your style and you're inspiring for budding entrepreneurs. I resonate with you; bringing your dream alive. Determination, patience, resilience and believe in your dream. Thanks again for this natural "real" talk that resonates with other business owners.
I absolutely loved this video. (it was the second one I watched from your channel). I really resonated with the first few minutes of you talking about the negative impacts of comparing yourself to other successful business and the fine line of being inspired by other businesses and "copying" ideas. This is my 3rd year of markets and I feel like my business is only now getting the response I had hoped for in the beginning. ( I make handmade macrame pieces, mostly hat hangers and accessories) and slowly darling into other craft ideas like sticker making and punch needle. I really look forward to watching more of your videos and content
THANK YOU for sharing so much knowledge! You inspire me and I am so grateful. Thank you for the reminder that even tiny successes are still steps forward. Please keep inspiring. All my best to you and your continued success!
Thank you so much for all your videos I really enjoy all the positive that I have receive from you, I am a small business owner I will support you. Love all your beautiful cosmic bags. Keep up the outstanding work. You are a champ for not charging for shipping. Will order again especially your cosmic bags,
Wow! 1st time watching you and I am in love! 😂❤ The way you express your joy is beautiful! The last point was exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you!!
Just subscribed! Thank you for all the tips and great info! It feels super daunting looking at the big picture of getting everything started, but this video has helped put it all into perspective :)
Social media is the hardest one. I'm working on redoing all of my product photography and updating the photos on my website and getting better at posting. I'm thinking about hiring my niece to help me with the social media posts because she's a teenager and I feel like she might know a little more about that.
how do u stay hyper focused on your brand and motivated without feeling like your loser in the beginning of starting a business? I started a small business and then stopped it multiple times because i felt like i couldn’t do it and keep up as others were even though i want to have and pursue my own small business. also how do you keep posting content and having ideas to post to not look or feel the same? p.s. i love your videos and content and you give me hope to start again
I am an aspiring BO, I have so many ideas of what I could create, but I just don't know if what I create will or won't sell so I'm in a state of paralysis. I want to share my creativity with the world, but I'm scared of rejection and being stuck with spending dozens of hours creating products that no one will like. Any advice?
Honestly - you need to do it scared. Try thinking about what is the smallest you could possibly scale it and treat that as a test pilot. As an example focus on a singular product and get that out to people that would fall into the category of your prospective market. Tell yourself in advance that the purpose is to learn more about your consumer rather than placing this heavy expectation to be an overnight success. Expect some rejection but remind yourself that it's a part of learning/refining what you ultimately will end up doing. Confidence comes with taking small actions. You've got this.
biz owners - what's something YOU WISH you knew before starting your small biz??
aspiring biz owners - what questions do you have about the process??
Is it best to keep prices consistent with pops up and online?
I wish I knew that it's okay to have only a few sales. And that I shouldn't put pressure on myself to get orders.
I wish I knew the importance of SEO early on, after doing hours of research and using tools like Alura I went from getting one sale a month to 10. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I'm happy with the growth since I just opened my shop in February. I also wish I had a clear idea of how I wanted my packaging to look before I got my first few orders! Baby steps
I wish I knew that work life balance isn’t as easy as it might seem starting out 🫶🏼
I wished I knew that you need business equipments besides the inventory
imo small business friends are far more supportive than a lot of friends and family, they know exactly how you feel 🥰🥰
aw man true. My mom's perspective to my home made crafts (functional stickers) "thats silly I can just buy it cheaper on temu". 😆
0:26 1 everything isn’t as it seems
3:10 2 how to ethically source inspiration
8:02 3 treat business and creative stuff equally
9:59 4 work smarter not harder
13:19 5 learn social media marketing sooner
18:28 6 customer service is important
20:31 7 there are more people who support instead of judge you
27:03 8 feeling fulfilled with the journey rather than the “goal”
I'm just beginning in my small business, as a ceramic artist. I feel like I've jumped in with both feet, and I'm floundering. Your video is great. Thank you. Good to remember that NO ONE knows what they're doing in the beginning! Also-- fun fact-- the whole phrase is, "The customer is always right in matters of taste." We drop the last four words, but that is integral to the meaning. The customer is always right about what they like-- not always right. But I agree with you that customer service is sooooo important, even when they're wrong. LOL.
Kind of how they butchered "Blood is thicker than water.
"
When you shared vulnerably about customer service, dealing with people who are in a bad mood/down in the dumps and take it out on you, I really felt so bad and at the same time so good that I’m not the only one, but wish people could understand how hard dealing with hundreds and thousands of people can be and kindness goes a long way as your business grows and you deal with more people!
I randomly clicked on your video as something to have on in the background but this was sooo captivating, so informative & so reassuring to hear as a small business owner. Thank you. I can see you put soo much effort into producing quality videos and products and that’s appreciated
I think social media marketing is just my biggest challenge. I'm just not good at it lol. I just wanna make art all day D:
I feel this but honestly I just viewed it as just having fun. No need to overthink it most of the time just trying something can make a difference.
If it makes you feel any better the amount of teeth you have to pull to get ONE SALE online is only worth it if you're selling something at $2000+ a pop. DO NOT waste your time posting 24/7 if you're doing low ticket.
SO FRIKKIN HELPFUL. Even just watching this as a more relaxing/comfy business video while I work on my own stuff, it was so nice. Sometimes I watch so many intense "how to" business videos and it can be very overwhelming. This was informative, and so relaxing all at the same time.
17:17-17:23: Tell them your story if they don't already know what you do, and bring small gifts. For example, I've noticed our postal workers keep hand cream on their desks. I've also seen some postal workers with snacks (e.g., cookies, chips) on their desks😊
Love love loveee this video. I’m doing crazy research at literally 5 in the morning trying to figure out how im going to start up. Greatly appreciated advice!!! And also I love your yellow dress, I have the same skin tone and love that color on us brown girlies. Would love to know where you got it. Thank you for being a great human being🫶🏼
One thing I learned too late in the game is when you sign up for an Art Show or Craft Show make sure to verify that they do NOT permit MLMs. I was suckered into quite a good number of Pyramid Scheme Party events. Too many times I signed up for an "Art Show" thinking it was going to be other like minded artists and it ends up being events with low attendance "Hey Hun" cult gatherings. I no longer do events that allow them.
Such a fantastic video Monica! I love watching you make products, but I also love these videos where you speak from the heart about building your business. Thanks so much for sharing and caring! You’re the best!!! Tina 🩷🌷😘
thank you soooo much🥰🥰
Your content is what I’m looking for I think no one ever talks realistically about handmade small business like you ❤
Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been going through the journey of stepping away from old dreams and entering new ones. After an event packed summer I’ve decided to get going with selling my own products in order to phase out this season of life where I’ve been delivering other business’ products. You are so real about getting started and I appreciate it.
Loved these tips, they are so relatable 🥰 especially feeling like everyone else is doing better than you all the time!
But at the end of the day, every challenge we face as business owners brings that feeling of accomplishment and pride at what we’ve done so far. And that is so worth all of the tedious/frustrating moments.
SO TRUE🤍🤍
Hey Monica... long time supporter here. Just want to say I really resonated with you saying you didnt want to be unoriginal by "copying" others. Its truly is difficult i felt like ive been at a standstill with my own business because i dont want to "steal" color combinations or even scents lol
Thank you for reminding me to continue to be inspired by other small businesses and that its okay if we use similar fragrance oils as long as we put our own twist on things haha.
Needed this, thank you 🙏🏾 I’m overthinking on how to create content for my first launch. I’m so new to this and being on apps like tiktok. appreciate your truth!
New subbie and I want to say you are very inspiring! I too am a small businesss and this resonated with me so much! I hope much more success comes your way!! Peace from GA!! ✌🏾💚
thanks so much for following along🥰
I follow u for a while now and I love this video as it helps to give me the motivation. I recently launch my online store and its been very slow and social media seems like running race. I have been feeling demotivated but watching this video gives me the motivation to carry on. Thank you ❤
Okay
1) Awesome name
2) Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors
3) Just recently found your labs and I am in the pre-beginning states of starting a small business and you have definitely inspired me. This is such a great video. Thanks for sharing! 😍
Thanks for sharing Monica. I love your style and you're inspiring for budding entrepreneurs. I resonate with you; bringing your dream alive. Determination, patience, resilience and believe in your dream. Thanks again for this natural "real" talk that resonates with other business owners.
I absolutely loved this video. (it was the second one I watched from your channel). I really resonated with the first few minutes of you talking about the negative impacts of comparing yourself to other successful business and the fine line of being inspired by other businesses and "copying" ideas. This is my 3rd year of markets and I feel like my business is only now getting the response I had hoped for in the beginning. ( I make handmade macrame pieces, mostly hat hangers and accessories) and slowly darling into other craft ideas like sticker making and punch needle. I really look forward to watching more of your videos and content
Thanks so much for watching💕💕💕
THANK YOU for sharing so much knowledge! You inspire me and I am so grateful. Thank you for the reminder that even tiny successes are still steps forward. Please keep inspiring. All my best to you and your continued success!
What a great video filled with many thoughts we all have if involved in a small business. Kudos to you on sharing your thoughts and struggles.
This is your first video that I have watched and I immediately know I would want to follow your journey! YOU ARE INDEED INSPIRING. 💖 Followed you!!!
so happy you're here🥰
Thank you so much for all your videos I really enjoy all the positive that I have receive from you, I am a small business owner I will support you. Love all your beautiful cosmic bags. Keep up the outstanding work. You are a champ for not charging for shipping. Will order again especially your cosmic bags,
Thank you so much for your support!!!
Wow! 1st time watching you and I am in love! 😂❤ The way you express your joy is beautiful! The last point was exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you!!
so happy you're here! thanks for watching🤍
Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve gotten a bit slowed down due to funds but I’m still working towards my small business.
Just subscribed! Thank you for all the tips and great info! It feels super daunting looking at the big picture of getting everything started, but this video has helped put it all into perspective :)
Great advice ✨ Keep going with your dreams ✨🫶🏼
Social media is the hardest one. I'm working on redoing all of my product photography and updating the photos on my website and getting better at posting. I'm thinking about hiring my niece to help me with the social media posts because she's a teenager and I feel like she might know a little more about that.
How long did it take before you made your first sale? And how long did it take before you made sales consistently?
how do u stay hyper focused on your brand and motivated without feeling like your loser in the beginning of starting a business? I started a small business and then stopped it multiple times because i felt like i couldn’t do it and keep up as others were even though i want to have and pursue my own small business.
also how do you keep posting content and having ideas to post to not look or feel the same?
p.s. i love your videos and content and you give me hope to start again
Look on the bottom of your receipt and so the survey. I enjoy watching your videos and I will place an order soon. By the way you have great prices.
Thank you for this video! I found it so helpful
I'm inspired. Thanks, girl ❤
I have a question. ok. The person has an idea to start a business. What is the first thing they should do?
@oneprettyrose1848 thank you so much that makes sense
Thank you for this! What camera do you use?
the one I used to film this video is a Canon m50 but I upgraded to a Sony a6700 in my more recent videos and it's soooo much better!
i miss Jersey so much 😞the food i miss it sooo much
What was the app mentioned after notion for product planning and launching?
True !
Loved this, new sub! What camera did you film this with? ❤
Hey Monica.. I want to sign up but the last page says something wrong and wouldn't take the details?? Pls check..
I am an aspiring BO, I have so many ideas of what I could create, but I just don't know if what I create will or won't sell so I'm in a state of paralysis. I want to share my creativity with the world, but I'm scared of rejection and being stuck with spending dozens of hours creating products that no one will like. Any advice?
Honestly - you need to do it scared. Try thinking about what is the smallest you could possibly scale it and treat that as a test pilot. As an example focus on a singular product and get that out to people that would fall into the category of your prospective market. Tell yourself in advance that the purpose is to learn more about your consumer rather than placing this heavy expectation to be an overnight success. Expect some rejection but remind yourself that it's a part of learning/refining what you ultimately will end up doing. Confidence comes with taking small actions. You've got this.
7:59 forbidden syrup
Are you in jc 😮
I misspell my name on my order it is spell Catherine Adams.
I updated the details on your order:)
Paper bags, wood boxes, glass and metal containers are better for food storage, in my opinion. Plastics can be toxic and dangerous.
❤❤
You have beautiful skin, the jewelry and dress is looking great on you and it just came to my mind if I was a guy I would want to date you lol 😅
I drive to a different town for a nicer post office. 😂