I won't be opening the shop tomorrow. In fact, I won't be opening this year.
I was jubilant, I was baking, melting, mixing, packaging and photographing like mad, and then slowly amidst this haze the reality began to hit. There was no way I was ready. I wanted it so, so badly, I've been clinging to the idea with all my strength as I am desperate to start my road to working from home and working for myself. But sometimes you need to stand back, and see things from a distance and admit to yourself that you were wrong, and now is not the time.
Last week threw up a chunk of extra work. Not entirely unexpected, but the amount of which has caught me a little off guard. Coupled with this I will be organising Christmas at home this year as a working lady for the first time. I no longer have hours in the house, pottering around getting everything just so, or browsing the markets for that perfect little gift. Instead I will be joining the hordes of shoppers battling with the besieged high street in the rain after work. So this weekend when the sudden realisation hit, that actually, diving headlong into a business venture, just three weeks before Christmas might not be the best idea I've ever had, for once I stood back and decided to say "no". I don't like it, but the reality is that when I do this, I want to do it right. I want to have lovely photographs of products I really and truly believe are worth (hopefully) shipping all over the world. I can't do this at a canter in the middle of trying to buy presents, bake/sew/knit gifts, and spend two weekends out of three on pre-Christmas parental visits.
So, it will be a little longer until I try and take over the world (ahem, my little corner of the web at least), but I promise you it is my goal of the new year, and it will be bigger and better than it could have been before. Plus, shipping might be a tad more reliable once this pesky Christmas malarkey is over!I hope you will bare with me, and I hope if you do it will be worth it.
Phew, now I've got that off my chest I feel a little better. I'm hoping a prune and port brownie will help me relax even more...photos and recipe tomorrow!
It's very brave of you to admit that now is not a good time. I wish you the best of luck with this project, but I agree, maybe next year will be better. And until then, good luck with the "hosting xmas even though you work" thing, I'm in the same boat and I know how organised you have to be and how precious any spare time is!
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing the right thing. I set up a little business before Christmas last year and unfortunately things didn't work out. If i'd listened to my instincts in the first place I would have realised that the timing wasn't right. Your time will come... and you have your first customer here! A x
ReplyDeletePetit Filoux - Thank you for the kind words. It did take a lot to have to back away from it, especially as I made such a public announcement. I'm amazed that working people manage Christmas at all! I tried Christmas shopping after work last night, eek!
ReplyDeletePink Room - It's so hard knowing about timing, especially when you're so determined to do something. I hope things have been picking up for you this Christmas, as I know you were concerned. Good to know I've got at least one customer in the wings!