Holiday Boot Camp

If you're a seller on Etsy...

then you probably know all about the Holiday Boot Camp. It started up two weeks ago, and I always look forward to it.

Original Watercolor Painting - "Lady of the Field

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I look forward to someone else telling me what I should do to get my business in shape. It's hard running a business by yourself. I do everything (except my taxes, my sister comes over and helps me with the paper work). It's motivating to have a "To Do" list given by people I trust my business with. Now the work is here, and I'm busy as a bee.

But there lies the problem. I am more social this year, I believe, than any other year in my life. I am truly so overwhelmed with blessings that I can't keep up! I have two amazing families...mine and Brian's, a church family that I have bonded to like glue, and even at work I'm really creating relationships with my students...and with the kids at the youth group.

Bookmark - "The Grumpy Troll"

Where does the business fit in all of this? Heh, and I don't even have kids yet! I have a few hours every day to work on it. The "To Do" list feels too big for me.

I took almost 200 photos last week, but every one needs to be tweaked and cropped. Creating inventory takes quite a bit of time! I've come up with some packaging, but folding and cutting takes time. I'm making excuses in a sense, but truly, how do you make time?

I have also been trying to keep myself healthier this year. Brian and I quit smoking around March/April and began walking/going to the gym, eating healthier (which means cooking), and just making smarter choices. One of those is being sure to get at least 6 full hours of sleep every night. I would like it to be 7, but wow...I don't know where that hour is going to come from.

ACEO - "Hollyhock Princess"

Did I mention that I have to paint somewhere in there too? Have you noticed not too many paintings are popping up? And I discovered in the last two weeks, I need to fit this in.

There is also a need within me. Although I've enjoyed what I've painted lately, I personally feel they could be more. It's like I'm in a phase where things need to stay in small scale, just so I can be sure it will get done. There is so much out there I want to do! Why can't the days be like 40 hours instead of 24? And we would just be used to that.

It may appear that I am complaining, and I'm not. I feel seriously blessed by all of the stuff I have to do. So much more productive and worth my time than ever before. I actually see my life growing! Managing it is a new deal for me, so...

How do you do it? I am anxious to hear how other sellers or artists make the time to create income off of their craft while still running a home/life.

By the way, here's a work in progress. The goal is to have her done next week. She's 6x4 inches. "November"....hopefully....will be done tomorrow.

DB, a New Member in the Family

Design by Butcher.com (DB) is a new addition to the business Dreamflier Studios.com, created and maintained by Sara M Butcher.

Starting today the site DB will be launched and advertised as a new service offering the design needs for small businesses and persons. Services include logo design, brochures and flyer layouts, business cards, web sites, and product design. The idea behind DB is to offer these services at affordable rates. It is well known that graphic designers, more often than not, have high price quotes or are just out of the budget range of a small business owner. DB helps to make it simple by keeping the budget a baseline for service and working with you from there. "No" is not an answer, but "Yes, lets work with that." is.

Your logo or business brand is your signature mark. A very important piece of the equation. Sara M Butcher, creator and founder of Dreamflier Studios, understands and knows the pressures of running a small business. The little things, like a business card, add up and nudge when there are bigger fish to fry first. She founded DB - Design by Butcher, to service others and take care of those little things so that they can deal with what really needs to be done.

"Behind DB you'll find a purpose driven soul aiming high towards being a servant to others. It is difficult, as I have found, to start a business and finding funds to rocket you out into the unknown world of corporate money. To be honest, it could be terrifying. I have never had to pay another artist for graphic or design services, but I'm not blind to the knowledge of how much it costs. What's behind DB? Easy access to design without paying an arm and a leg."

Sara M Butcher
designer | illustrator
sara@designbybutcher.com
http://www.designbybutcher.com