Laughing Through the Trials and Errors

Posted on by chrish

You know, starting a small business is a lot like trying to cook soufflé for the first time. You whip up your batter with all the enthusiasm in the world, only to find that you forgot an ingredient—or worse, you miscalculated the oven temperature and ended up creating what can only be described as a pancake. Trust me; I speak from experience here.

Let me take you back to my first foray into entrepreneurship. Picture this: excited me, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (okay, lacking the hairy tail), ready to conquer the world with my handmade candles (I was turning 16 at the time). Why candles? Well, why not? They’re cute, they smell good, and everyone loves a flickering flame on a cozy evening. It seemed foolproof—at least until I discovered that not every wick is created equal.

On my very first attempt at pouring wax into molds, I was all about precision. In my mind’s eye, I was an artisan crafting exquisite pieces worthy of Instagram fame. Instead? I ended up creating what looked like melted crayon blobs tossed haphazardly onto a tablecloth (and don’t even get me started on the colors, a kid eating said crayons and then vomitting them up would have made better colors). Spoiler alert: no one wants to buy “Firework Fiasco” candles.

But here’s where life—and business—gets interesting. Instead of sulking over my candle catastrophe (though I did consider it for about five minutes), I decided to learn from it! And by learn, I mean frantically googling “how to make candles without looking like an art supply explosion.” P.S. Don’t google that. Thank goodness for YouTube tutorials; they were my saving grace. Sorta. What did people do before YT?

Fast forward to a few weeks later when I felt confident enough to try again—this time armed with knowledge and slightly more realistic expectations. Guess what? My second batch turned out beautifully! Well… almost beautifully (maybe you should read better). The smell was divine (albeit overpowering); however, they didn’t exactly look like something you’d want sitting on your coffee table next to your favorite mug—with their tops resembling something akin to crusty pancake batter instead of smooth candle wax. Hey! Don’t laugh!

If there’s anything I’ve learned on this rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship (besides how NOT to make pancakes), it’s that mistakes are part of the process. Like bad hairstyles in middle school or disastrous first dates—they happen—THAT’S LIFE! What matters is how you bounce back from them, or don’t and then you’re a failure. Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s the truth. Or as it was in my case, how many times you have your friends come over for “quality control” testing while pretending that each new batch is definitely the one. Hum, maybe that’s why it took so long now that I am thinking about it. So much for brutal honesty.

Sure enough—I made mistakes again! And again! Each time teaching me something new until finally—after countless trial-and-error evenings spent hunched over pans of melting wax much to my mother’s chagrin—I created a line of candles that people actually bought (which weren’t family members (thanks grandma))! Cue triumphant music!

Now here’s where it gets really interesting (or perhaps mildly embarrassing, though I would argue it was already pretty embarasing): just when I thought things couldn’t go wrong anymore… enter stage left: shipping disasters. One day after sending out orders filled with love and care—cue dramatic music—I received multiple emails from customers claiming their packages arrived looking as though they’d been through some sort of wrestling match with a bear, that was when Bearestling™ was born!

Imagine receiving a parcel that smells heavenly but looks like someone stomped on it ten times before throwing it at your doorstep! Then again once more when it was there for good measure. But again, instead of losing faith in humanity or giving up entirely (both tempting ideas), we had another learning opportunity on our hands! And not one on how to promote Bearestling™.

So there we were brainstorming ways to improve packaging—a bit more cushioning here and there—and experimenting with various materials until we finally found the right balance between eco-awareness (I was their before Greta, but I attended school) and durability because I peanutted the hell out of the boxes (who knew packing peanuts could be so controversial?).

What’s the moral here besides don’t wrestle with bears? Life—and running a business—is just one big experiment filled with hilarious hiccups along the way. It might seem daunting at times (most times)—but those moments (become fewest and fewer) when things go awry often lead us toward growth if we let them! Oh, and packing peanuts, even if you really don’t want them.

Embrace those little mess-ups because they are merely stepping stones toward success (at least that is what you’ll tell yourself even in retrospect you feel otherwise about them)—or at least toward making better candles next time around (especially when your friends say these are the one)! So grab your metaphorical whisk (or actual craft-making supplies) and get back in there—you never know what beautiful messes await you! Thanks mom! She always cleaned them up for me.

And hey, if nothing else—at least you’ll have some funny stories along the way… or maybe even an idea for your next small business venture: “Candle Catastrophes – A Collection!” Who could resist? Actually everyone, I tried and it didn’t work.

Diving Into the Deep End Where the Waters Cold

Posted on by chrish

I have been thinking a lot about what it means to start a small business. Do you feel familiar with the moment when you stand at the edge of the pool and look into the water? Some people are uncertain and may try cautiously at first. Are there any more people? They are very committed and ready to plunge into the new completely. Many of us are surprised by how cold the water is when we jump in.

Let’s tell the truth. I thought positively when I decided to start my own business. Bright lights and exciting days full of passion and creativity! Is this really true? Sometimes it was difficult to find money for bills, even as a self-employed person.

Before you jump in the water, you don’t know what the day will bring. Every day has new difficulties. It feels like you wake up every day on a difficult obstacle course that is unfairly designed. Sometimes you work on advertising plans, then you struggle with complicated accounting software that is difficult to understand.

We want to briefly discuss some of the ideas I wrote down at the beginning.

Learning is more difficult than I thought. It’s like climbing a very high mountain. One day you’re talking about search engine optimization, the next you’re talking about difficult customer service issues that confuse you.

It’s important to manage your time well. I thought I had enough time because I’m self-employed. Laughing. There may be more distractions when you work from home than you think.

Networking is a bit like speed dating. You attend events to make contacts. However, it often ends with awkward conversations in which people don’t understand what you do or even think they know, even though they’re wrong.

Sometimes we feel great, other days we doubt our decisions, even if they were good at the beginning. It’s sorta like aroller coaster of emotion.

Don’t worry, it’s not all sad and hopeless! Feels like it at times. But no. Sometimes something exciting happens: you feel inspired when things go well or a customer is really happy with your work. Cold showers aren’t so bad when you feel great afterwards.

Every jump feels different, depending on the situation and your attitude. Do you jump without help or with the help of others? Have you saved money or do you trust that everything will be fine? Various things affect how well you swim when you are underwater.

When we are on this adventure together, it’s okay not to be prepared all the time. It can also be positive. Sometimes you find opportunities unexpectedly when you are active and take risks, rather than staying passive.

Regarding preparation or lack thereof, I have a personal confession to make: I didn’t know how to make a budget. In the beginning, I tried a lot and made mistakes. I searched through spreadsheets aimlessly until I found my own way. This was an important experience that I learned during many late nights. I looked at numbers that made me sad.

And finally, have you ever started or considered starting your own small business? What was it like for you? Was it like jumping off the board or rather gently pushing off from the side?

Let’s share our experiences with each other! Together we can learn from each other as we plunge into the cold waters ahead of us. Sometimes the journey is daunting.

My Little Corner of the Universe!

Posted on by chrish

Hello! It has been a long time since I last wrote. Here is a brief summary of how I am doing right now. Have a cup of coffee or tea and let’s get ready for something new!

Lately, life has been pretty exciting and turbulent. Sometimes you wake up and feel like you’re in a movie. Right now, that’s exactly how I feel. From doing daily chores to achieving goals, everything has been very exciting. But enough of the blah blah, when last you saw me I said something like: “And guess what? I’ve decided to start my business! This makes me nervous and excited!”

The decision to start a business was not spontaneous, but well thought out, least I thought so. I didn’t make it while binge watching TV. That’s a badidea ! I’d been thinking long and hard about what it would be like to create something completely new. What’s my most important reason for doing something? Besides the excitement of being self-employed, it was important to discover my own path to success (and maybe make some extra income).

I’d already learned a lot. It almost felt overwhelming, but in a positive way! I learn quickly: first, boring tax regulations, then I feel like a creative genius at marketing strategies. It’s surprising how much fun it can be to work with spreadsheets. It was just a joke, kind of, I’m weird like that.

It is now even more important to keep my blog up to date, since I am on this path now for some time, I have made plenty of mistakes. Writing helps me to control myself and is like therapy for me. There will be more stories about my experiences as an entrepreneur, tips I have received, and useful resources. Because sharing is caring! I would like to know what you think about all of this. So share a comment!

But let’s not pretend that only fantastic things exist here. There have been times when I was unsure. Is it possible that anyone is interested in what I have to offer? What happens if sales don’t improve? Stuff like that. Some questions are like unwanted visitors at a party you didn’t plan to attend.

Nevertheless, you see every failure as an opportunity rather than something else, and anything but a failure. Every time something goes wrong, I learn to become stronger. This wasn’t so important to me before I plunged into this project.

This is my plan for the future: I want to document the journey as an entrepreneur with all of you! Ever up, every down, the underbelly with all its worts. That sorta stuff. There will be regular updates on progress and problems. Also thoughts about what success means to me. Sometimes I’ll get annoyed that business is difficult and overwhelming for me.

In the end, I would like to thank everyone who has accompanied me so far, oh wait, no not really since it never really went anywhere! We are almost there, I promise! If anyone has tips or experiences to share as a partner or shop owner, please let me know! Your insights might mean the world to someone as they navigate their uncharted waters.

I’m currently working hard on my dreams and trying to keep a clear head despite the life stress and lots of coffee. To be honest, I wish there were many more interesting improvements to be made. Opening my business was exactly what I wanted – and much more.

See you soon! There will be more news from me soon, from my little corner of the universe!