After ten ‘Secrets to Success’ posts, it seems only right for you to spill a few secrets of your own. Only we’re not sharing success secrets today – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Tiffany will explain…
This contributor post was written by Tiffany Han.
There is a tendency on the internets to make everything glossy. Sometimes it seems like we’re all having a shouting contest to see whose “LOOK HOW AWESOME MY LIFE IS” can be the loudest.
While this tactic seems to be great for branding and marketing, it often results in the budding solo-preneur (me + you) feeling terrible, like we’ll never make it, like everything we are doing is doomed to failure.
So, for today, instead of seeing who can be the loudest in the bunch, what if we take a moment today to confess our deepest, darkest business secrets.
What could be possible if we all shared this out loud with each other?
I’ll start: I have zero money organizing systems set up for my business. I’ve tried mint.com. I’ve signed up for shoeboxed.com, but the bulk of my financial information is stored in my paypal account and in a drawer full of random receipts. I will be attempting to get my tax information together before heading down to Craftcation (say hi if you’ll be there!) and am panicked at the thought.
Panicked. (Which is why I’ve been putting it off for so long.)
While I know this is a problem (I’m going to be reaching out to bookkeepers when I get home), saying it in a public forum all of a sudden makes it seems less looming. It’s smaller and more manageable now. Just like that.
What is your little business secret, the thing you’re most afraid to say to the world? What dirty laundry do you have hiding in your shame closet?
(I suspect that none of us are alone here.)
Tiffany Han, CPCC is a life & business coach for highly-creative people who arent living the highly-creative lives they want. Just yet. With provocative questions & hard-edged encouragement, Tiffany helps skittish someday-ers become fiercely focused creators “” and proves that dreams do come true. But only when you demand it.
(image credit: Brittni Mehlhoff for Paper & Stitch)
21 comments | Click here to reply
Great tips and confessions all.
EdanaMy documents and accounts are all over the place. I have about 4 random notebooks with details of what I drop off for my consignments which I never look at. Honestly, she could be giving away half the stuff and I wouldn’t notice! ( not that she ever would of course)
My worst confession is, I have, at times, a paralysing jealously for others in the local crafting community who seem to do well with little effort or individuality. I say ‘seem’ because honestly, what do I know about the effort they put in. They could be up all night, marketing and organising. It’s my issue, not theirs. I can rationalise but I still end up feeling hard done by. Once when applying for a craft fair, one which I had really enjoyed previously and sold exceptionally well at, I was told that a local craft syndicate which I had at one time been a member of, had now taken an interest in this fair and block booked most of the tables – I actually cried, like a spoilt child, and I gave up on my business for about 3 months. I am always happy for crafters to do well of course, but sometimes when I feel like I’m not getting anywhere, I implode. Too much honesty?