Why do you do what you do?

What’s your reason for having this handmade/creative business?

How big do you want to get?  Or if you want to stay small, what is the driving purpose behind all your late nights?

What do you ultimately want out of your handmade or creative small business?  Do you want it to grow?  Do you want to remain the sole “maker”?  There’s not a wrong answer, but it’s worth knowing your answer.

I want to help small business owners (along with myself) find the balance between creating products they love and finding freedom and time in their everyday life.

Jake and I were lucky enough to have a book recommended to us early on in our carpet cleaning business – The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.

The premise of the book is that you can either own a job, or own a business.  Owning a job means that if you went on vacation, the job stops.  Owning a business means you could be traveling the world for 12 months and it’s still running, producing income and it’s a well-oiled machine.

He used the example of a woman who starts a pie shop, because she loves to make pies.  It’s wonderful at first.  She gets to hand-craft each pie in the kitchen, smell them baking in the oven, and package and deliver them lovingly to her clients.  It’s so satisfying.

However, as the business begins to grow, she is overwhelmed by the finances, the marketing, managing her first employee and making sure the standards of this wonderful handmade pie shop aren’t dropping.

Her business is no longer fun and fulfilling.  She is a slave to the demand and growth of the company.

How many of you moms started your venture on the side because you just wanted a creative outlet and significance?  And now, you’ve achieved success and you have no. more. time.

That’s what I did with Free Babes.  After working with my husband in the service industry for 5 years, I desperately needed something fun and creative to do on the side.  So 1.5 years ago, I launched on instagram.  But then the orders started rolling in!  I was staying up multiple nights a week until 3 or 4 am, all in the name of “hustling” and just getting it done.  I started resenting sewing bows and thought I might lose it if I had to look at another piece of Liberty of London fabric.  (crazy, right! that stuff is so flippin’ beautiful…)

The cool part of all of this is that my 5 years of experience in the carpet cleaning industry is actually bringing life and freedom now to Free Babes.

I’m a process girl by heart.  I am a detail-oriented psycho.  no really.  If you know me, you are probably shaking your head yes.

I finally decided that if I was going to enjoy Free Babes and owning a creative business I needed to systematize the things I didn’t want to be doing, so I could spend less time away from my kiddos and family doing mundane things and only put in the time doing what I was really good at and loved.  

True story – I’m horrible at sewing and my machine has a bent something that snags and messes up bows randomly and used to keep me up hours later than I needed to be.

So I did a few things to help make the business more enjoyable.  I contracted with 2 seamstresses for piece work, created a detailed pattern and instructional binder with “how-to’s” to make each bow according to my standard, and I systematized shipping and became a ready to ship shop (so I wasn’t sewing on demand).

And it’s been SO rewarding.  I truly get to focus on the side of Free Babes that I love – the marketing, social media and design creation.

So, I decided to organize a group of handmade/creative entrepreneurs.

What is this mentor program?

It’s going to be a place for mentorship, collaboration, advice and input, so we can all create the business that is perfectly suited for our creative desires and lifestyles, can grow with ease, and create freedom in our lives where we want it most.

It’s based on a model of giving and collaboration, vs. scarcity and fear of competition.  A place where we can all succeed together.

Tomorrow, the first series of a weekly Sunday series begins, interviewing a handmade shop owner.  I think you’re going to love hearing about other people’s experiences and sharing in their journey.

Stay tuned as the mentor group takes shape.   This will be one of the main hubs where shop owners and entrepreneurs can connect.

Leave a comment below if you want more information or want to be involved.

Enjoy your Saturday! – Hillary