Business Lifestyle

2016 Annual Income Report For My Handmade Business

Have you ever been curious about how much other people make from their jobs?

I know I have, and the first place I look at is GlassDoor.com where employees of specific companies share reviews for the businesses they work for.

But more interestingly, they also share their annual income.

This is great data for job seekers and college students picking a major.

Unfortunately, this kind of data for handmade businesses is not readily available for public viewing.

This is one of the few reasons why I do an annual income report for my handmade business every year.

Here's 2014's income report, and here's 2015's.

One, to educate other creatives who are interested in taking their business to a more serious level.

Two, I believe in transparency and that you should follow a mentor or teacher that not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.

Three, because this is a good excuse for me to do a year review and analyze what went wrong or right so I can make plans for the new year.

Are you ready to take a peek behind my business?

Here's a snapshot view of how the year went:

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Why Your Competitors Are Your Secret Weapon To Success

“Your enemy can be your best teacher”- Dali Lama

It’s natural that as an artist or maker, every single item you create has a little bit of you in it.

It was your creative vision that made it, and your nimble hands that painted the brush strokes, cut that pattern with a scalpel or turned that stone into a pendant.

It was your time you sacrificed away from your friends or family, or mostly in my case Netflix and gym visits, to make that beautiful piece of art.

So when we think about successful people in our niches, we can get a bit….well…..defensive and our self confidence takes a nosedive.

We start to do what we do best, beat ourselves up!

In my Facebook group recently I asked my creative friends what thoughts spring to mind when thinking about their online competition.

The people who are making a full time income from their creative talents and are further along the journey than them.

Here is what they said.

“Looking at online shops that are doing better than me makes me feel totally and utterly worthless”

“I’m not sure who my competition is, there are so many of us doing the same thing which feels pretty much like rubbish if I’m honest.”

“When I think about my competitors, especially those at the top of the tree, I just think ‘Gosh, they are untouchable' and then I wonder how the hell they got there and I’m still here.”

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7 Tips for Running a Home-Based Business with Little Ones at Home

I can see you now: you’re a mama who loves both her family and her work.

The twist is that you own your own business, work from home, and have little ones at home with you.

You feel torn in two, needing to work on your business but also needing and wanting to care for the family you love.

I see you because I’ve been you.

Hi! My name is Revka (long E), and I’m the proud mother of 5 darlings, currently ages 13, 12, 11, 8, and 5.

I’ve had my own business since I was 16 years old.

Being home with my children while running my own business was my childhood dream.

I just had no idea how hard the reality of that dream would be at times.

The worst period for me was when I had a newborn baby, was homeschooling my three girls (ages 6, 5, and 4), and was running my [now former] web design business.

I cannot tell you how many times I felt like an absolute failure as a wife, mother, and business owner.

It seemed I was pulled in all directions and couldn’t make anyone happy.

If I focused on my work, my family lacked the attention they needed.

Meals were late and nap times were inconsistent, causing my poor kids to become cranky from hunger and tiredness.

Instead of playing with my children, I kept telling them to be patient “just a little bit longer,” causing them to become frustrated and often leading to arguments and tears.

If I focused on my family, my clients lacked the attention they needed, resulting in slow communication on my end, missed deadlines, and sloppy work.

Finally, I’d had it.

I loathed myself for being unable to juggle my responsibilities and knew there had to be a better way.

I tried all kinds of ideas and changes, trying to find a way to balance owning a business with loving and caring for my family.

Some ideas worked well.

Others completely bombed.

(My husband thought I loved the computer more than him when I worked early and late instead of during the day. I don’t recommend anything that makes your spouse feel like someone or something is more important than him.)

Here are the 7 changes that netted me the best results.

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8 Easy Tips for How to Teach Your Craft Online!

Tutorials, videos, live streaming… these are all great ways to get yourself and your business out there.

If you want to make something people will share, knowing your stuff isn't enough, you have to know how to teach.

So is teaching some magic thing?

Well, for some people it is, they instinctively know what to do.

But for the rest of us, we need a bit of structure.

You'll be a natural.

Follow these steps, and you'll be a natural, too.

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How To Promote Your Crafty Biz With How-to Videos

When we hear the word “video”, we can’t help it, we tense up.

It’s a word that puts us on the spot, can make us immediately feel like an imposter and honestly, start running for the hills!

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Growing up on film sets, video was always a very natural way-of-life for me…but when I was fourteen, a very well-known actress at the time told me I was too overweight and unattractive to ever be in front of the camera.

The biggest bummer?

I listened to her.

I spent the next ten years as a stand in, instead of an actress.

That way, I was still in front of the camera, but not when it was rolling!

It was just a “little bit” off from what I really wanted to do, so it was okay, right?

WRONG.

And you are possibly making my same mistake.

Let me show you how to get out of it.

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