Adapt or die....otherwise known as evolution.

Starting a small business can be a bit intimidating. Being your own boss sounds like a dream come true. In truth, it is. However, the reality is, I am working 7 days a week, 65 plus hours per week, and I am working for free. It takes a whole lot of hard work and dedication to start your own business, but like anything else - the amount effort I put in, is directly related to the amount of reward I receive. Thus far, the rewards have been plentiful.

I spend a good amount of my time researching. I use my smartphone and my laptop to look up everything and anything. I follow current trends and pay attention to future projections. Monday is my day of reflection. I sit down and take a look at the weekend sales. I take notes about the interactions I had with customers. I read and respond to all feedback and inquiries on my website and my social media accounts. I tally up how many visitors I had to my shop, what day and time is the busiest, and how many repeat customers I have had. All of these things help me to decide what changes I should make to help my business thrive.

It is very important not to be reactionary. There are many outliers in any situation. Some days you have amazing sales and everyone you meet is very complimentary. On other days, maybe the very next day, no one seems interested in anything you have to offer. It's important to remember that it takes "the right buyer on the right day" and not to get discouraged. It is also very important to remember that there are days in which someone visits your shop and is not prepared to buy on that day. However, if their experience during that visit was a positive one, that visitor will become a buyer upon their next visit. And who knows, as your relationship develops, that same visitor may one day become a very loyal customer.

If you find yourself thinking about opening a pop up shop in a multi vendor shop, or starting your own business and opening your own space, and have questions, please contact me - I certainly don't have all the answers - however, sometimes you just want to reach out to someone who is "actually living the dream" - I will be happy to discuss the realities. No doubt - it's challenging, but I am doing well and I am enjoying every minute.

I can be reached through this blog, by leaving a comment. My email is: Justoffpine@yahoo.com

and I am on Facebook and Instagram as: Just Off Pine,LLC

To everyone who visited the Just Off Pine Boutique, my pop up shops in Hidden Memories and at the 3rd Rail Mercantile - thank you. I hope you had a great visit and you will come back again.

To my faithful blog readers - thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read about my journey as a small business owner. I hope you enjoyed the blog, please visit again, and if you did like it, hit that little heart and subscribe. It helps my website grow and it will help me to develop the courage to start a YouTube channel in the near future......adapt and evolve - it's the name of the game.