A year ago I decided to make a radical change in my professional life and decided to start a litlle business creating with my hands. A year ago, I asked for an absence to my job in the CAIB to become entrepreneur of the textile world creation, patchwork and quilting. The life of a craftswoman seems very idyllic since one dedicates himself to what she most likes and initially it seems that doing what you like most is like not working. But you may well be aware that it’s just the opposite!
When one works for another, with a very specific job, he goes certain hours a day to do his job and when he leaves the door he forget it until he returns (and I know from experience, since I have worked in a few areas). But when one is self-employed, trying to flourish a company from nothing, without a great investment of money from the beginning, you must do it all by yourself, and in the end do more work for others areas than what you really want to do.
As you know, my business does not have a physical location, and for now I try to develop everything online through my web page. So this year I had to learn and resume many fields of knowledge. To start, read and review legislation (autonomous, tax, data protection …) and remember all the knowledge you had of accounting and business. I have had to learn to make web pages and keep it active and alive, that is what more work gives me. Online marketing has been a great discovery and challenge every day. Try to see marketplaces and so many other things. And all this, apart from one’s own work: thinking about where to run the business, search for suppliers, make product tests, take photos, edit photos, write texts, publish everything, and the hardest thing to try to let know what you do and create a community around that.
You see, if finally this adventure does not work, I will have learned some things! 🙂
But today I came to talk about something else and I was involved talking about my last year. And I wanted to share with you that I have recently joined the Spanish Association of Modern Quilt, an association integrated by patchwork enthusiasts in their most modern line and who want to promote it in Spain, and in the last magazine they have published an article about my work and I can not be more happier.
The article tells a little about my story, which you all know, and talks about my current work in the development of foundation paper piencing patterns and the challenge that I have in the hands of creating a pattern of an origami animal each pair of weeks. I hope that with these words, my work is a bit more well-known in this world in which I am beginning to enter and which is becoming increasingly exciting.
Apart from the article itself, joining this Association helps me to feel a little more accompanied in this adventure, because I had never commented on it, but I think that one of the worst things when undertaking such a business is loneliness. Working alone and from home, it is difficult after working in an office where I had some extraordinary colleagues who became almost family for me and although my work did not please me they made me feel like home every day to the office. I miss them! Maybe I should consider looking for someone who wants to work with me and share ventures and misadventures, we will see …
So if you read these words, first of all, thanks for doing so, thanks for dedicating some of your precious time, thanks for following my work and you know that if you want you can your comments, I love to know your impressions and talk a little!
And to finish I leave you an image, which I have seen recently for social networks and I think it is very right when it comes to giving tools to help small businesses that are beginning in this fierce world. We can all help! (Its in Spanish and says: How to help litlle bussines: Share, like and comment their posts in social media, and recommend it to the poeple you know).
I so enjoyed getting to know you a little more and I hope that you don’t give up yet. I know from experience how hard a self run business is. Keep up the great work and I look forward to growing with you.
Ohhh Fatima! Really thanks for your words. You are one of this person I’ve known in my bussines adventure and I am very happy to have you beside me. Your work as tester and especially your friendship and support help me to continue with this bussines. I hope to continue having you on my side for a long time!