Taking The Plunge  

By Alexandria, Fashion Compassion

I've been addicted to crafting since I've been a small child. By the time I was 8 years old I was assisting my aunt at craft shows and even making and selling small items myself. Unfortunately, besides my Aunt I wasn't encouraged much when it came to creating. Most people around me thought of it as "just a hobby". So there were times in my life I put crafting on the backburner to pursue other things. These goals that I thought would make me feel complete, never really did. I realized then that I was unconsciously putting creating aside to do what others thought I should do. Also by this time, I had a small child myself and I was working as an assistant at the Admissions office at the college I attended. I had very little time to craft let alone do it for profit!      

So I started out slowly. I did some selling on Ebay to explore my grounds and see if people would really want to buy my items on a regular basis. Selling on Ebay also wasn't as much of a commitment as a website because I could make a few things whenever I had the time. I did very well and eventually I had many repeat customers who would purchase items regularly. Although you never make the same profit on Ebay as owning your own website, I feel it was a great stepping stone for me because it gave me the knowledge about customer relations online, but on a small scale level. Ebay felt like a small training course for what was to come next.      

My next step was to learn the basics of html. I recommend Lissa Explains and Html Goodies to start learning with. When I got the basics of html all figured out I decided to take it one step further. I also found out my current ISP had already allotted me some web space so I used it to start hosting my site to keep start-up costs low.      

Even then I still contemplated about opening my own website at this point. I worked at my current position for 5 years already and I was very afraid to resign and become self employed. But with all my worries aside, I finally started listening to what my heart felt and I knew this is what I had to do. I remember on my last day at work I walked out the door and noticed a picture on the wall I hadn't noticed before. It was a photo of a long road and under the picture it said "SUCCESS" in big letters. I felt that was a major sign for me, that I was closing one chapter in my life to take a whole different road of possibilities through owning my own online business. I remember leaving that day so proud of myself and at that moment all my fears vanished. I had no more time to be afraid. It was time to get to working!      

So if you are debating on opening an online shop it might help to take small baby steps and get your feet wet first. Try a few craft shows in your local area, or sell a few things on Ebay. Don't give up on your mission. If things don't work out right away, examine the situation and revise whatever need be. Being a small business owner means the sky is the limit to your creativity! As long as you keep focused and work hard on your dreams - you are for sure to succeed!  

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See more of Alexandria's work and compassion for fashion at her online consignment shop: Fashion Compassion.