Tag business plans

September Update

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How is everyone on this hotter than necessary Friday?

I’m in the process of updating the shop product selections. I have already added a few Desk Gremlins and a Zombie Cthulhu. I will be adding stress eggs, potion bottles, and keychain octojelly to the shop today and tomorrow.

I have removed a couple of nessies, gremlins and the dragons from the Desk Buddy section as they are now at The Village Knittery at Old Hilton Village in Newport News, Virginia. If you are local, you should absolutely check them out. They are open Wednesday through Saturday. Please check their Facebook page for the hours.

I have started working on larger one-off pieces, including a winged Cthulhu and a Phoenix.

I’ve also revived my big project of crocheting all the monsters in the 5E Monster Manuel for Dungeons and Dragons. I have at the time of this writing, 59 of the 313 patterns I will need to make all the monsters in the book that aren’t in the appendices. You can follow me on Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/octojellycrochetstudio) if you’re interested in following along with this project.

I will have my next live sales event in 40 days in Richmond, Va. I will be at the Pumpkin Witch Market at Diversity Richmond on October 15 from 12pm to 5pm. Come out and say hi if you’re in the area

I have been working on improving my presence on the various social media platforms now that I am not currently working a day job. This crochet business is currently my only source of income. I am working on finding a part-time day job, but I would really like to get this business to the point where I have a steady income.

I’ve been adding my Twitch stream to YouTube to build my presence there, I do plan on recording some actually YouTube how-to/Informative videos soon.

I’ve been doing some more up-to-date research on growing my Instagram/Facebook/TikTok presence and I hope to implement some things soon.

The tea blog series will continue on Monday and I will have some actual crochet and fiber related content soon.

Is there anything you would like to see me cover in the blog or on YouTube? Suggestions are always welcome.

June Update

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Greeting and Salutations,

Just a quickish update while I take a break from product prep for Cosplay World Richmond Aug 4-5 in Richmond, Virginia.

So I gave in and ordered business cards with a QR code of to my Linktr.ee since I have more than 4 social media links now.

I also had to make a new Instagram account as the old one is still linked to the original Facebook page. My 100+ messages to Facebook Customer Service have gone unanswered and I really needed to be able to edit the shop section. The old Instagram page will be permanently deleted as of July 11, the new one can be found by looking up OctojellyCrochetStudio.

I also started the paperwork to convert the business into an LLC. As the business’ is currently a sole prop, a lot of the basic paperwork , like a DBA and a License to sell for the Virginia Department of Taxation, is already completed.

As I need to make a few changes to the business, once the LLC process is finished, I will be doing regular social media updates starting late July/early August.

The goal is for this business to be the majority of my income withing the next 2-3 years.

Working a Market

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As a semi-professional crocheter, my life is filled with colorful yarn, endless patterns, and a
deep passion for the craft. I can create a wide range of handmade items, from stuffed animals and
clothing to home décor and accessories.

Like most crocheters who sell their craft, I have a niche that I crochet for, it happens to be Gaming/Fantasy. There are a lot of niches to pick from.


One of the biggest challenges of being a semi-professional crocheter is the time and
dedication required to create each piece. Crocheting is a labor of love that requires hours of
careful attention and a steady hand. Each stitch is meticulously crafted to create a beautiful
and high-quality finished product.


As a vendor at local markets and craft fairs, I have the opportunity to connect
with customers and share my passion with others. It’s a wonderful feeling to see someone fall
in love with one of my creations and know that it will be cherished for years to come.
Participating in markets is a wonderful way to showcase my handmade items to a
wider audience.


One of the unique benefits of selling crochet items at farmers markets is the ability to
showcase the handmade nature of each piece. Unlike mass-produced items, my creations are
one-of-a-kind, carefully crafted with love and attention to detail. At markets, customers
can see and feel the quality of my work firsthand, which helps to set my products apart from
the rest.


Another advantage of selling at markets is the sense of community that comes
with it. As vendors, we are all working towards a common goal: to share our handmade
creations with the world. By supporting each other and working together, we can create a
vibrant and thriving market that benefits everyone involved.


Of course, participating in markets also requires a lot of hard work and
dedication. Setting up a booth, transporting and displaying items, and interacting with
customers can all be time-consuming and challenging. However, the rewards are more than
worth it. By participating in markets, I am able to connect with customers and share
my passion for the craft in a way that is both rewarding and fulfilling.


Selling crochet items at markets is a unique and rewarding experience that
requires a lot of hard work and dedication. By showcasing my handmade creations at these
events, I am able to connect with customers and fellow vendors, and share my passion for the
craft with the world. Overall, being a semi-professional crocheter is a rewarding and fulfilling
experience. It’s a craft that requires patience, dedication, and a lot of hard work, but the end
result is always worth it. For those who love the craft as much as I do, there’s nothing quite like
the feeling of creating something beautiful with your own two hands.

Running a business is hard

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If someone ever tells you that running a business is easy, they either have a staff who does 99% of the work for them, or they have no idea what they are actually doing, especially if they don’t understand that not all business run into the same cookie cutter set up.

The three most important things that I have learned about running a business : it’s hard, burnout is most definitely a thing, and staying organized in a way that works for you, takes time to figure out.

I’ve had this blog for 4 years now, and it’s only been in the last 2 years that I’ve really done anything with it. Most of the changes took place in the last year. Despite me making multiple blog update schedules, over the last year, I still have yet to follow through with any of them.

My on-line business started on Etsy, before I moved it to this site. I only started doing in-person selling events in the last year. I’m still trying to find time to create YouTube tutorials. Add Facebook/Instagram/TikTok and Twitter to that social media list and I have my hands full.

Not to mention the full-time job I already have and my currently 5.5 year old son, and its a wonder I’m still trying to get this business off the ground.

I do have a plan to make this my main source if income in the next 2-3 years. I also plan on changing this business from a sole-proprietorship business to a LLC business before the end of this year. I need to do a little more research on that though, before I start that process.

So the blog did a thing.

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So I got a notification a few minutes ago.

This blog has officially hit 5,000 all-time views. It’s exciting, I had figured with my sporadic update schedule it would be the end of the year before that happened.

I’ll have another update this weekend. I’ll be announcing my first big crochet project ever and be going over what live shows I have on my calendar for 2023.

Update-ish

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So first off, apologies for not having a regular update schedule like I said I would. Things have been a little sideways lately, but I’m working on that,I just won’t happen until January 2023. More on those plans later.

I have a live show coming up in about 3 weeks in Chesapeake Virginia. It will be Nov 5 from 10-4 at the Chesapeake City Park. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi.

Ramblings

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So..it’s almost midnight, but I figured I’d get a quick update of sorts up.

If you’ve been on the site, looking around in the last 72 hours, you’ll have noticed some changes.

I updated the layout and color scheme to be a bit more professional looking. My goal for the business is for this to be my main income stream within the next 5 years and I’m hoping that this will help with that. I’ll probably be tweaking it here and there over the next couple of weeks.

The shop has also now been added to the site. At the moment, I only have dice bags in that shop, but I do plan on adding amigurumi animals, scarves, and blankets throughout the week.

I’ve almost finalized the new business cards. My plan is to get those finalized and ordered before the month is out, just having problems with the logo not looking right on the cards.

If you opt to take a look at the rest of the site, please let me know what you think, or anything you suggest that might make it better.

Quick update

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First off,

To my new readers, thank you for stopping by. I’m trying something a little different this year and so far it seems to be working out.

So this was supposed to be MarsCon 2022 weekend, but due to an increase in Covid cases, it has been pushed back to March 18-20,2022. Which is actually kind of awesome, since I still haven’t figured out a table layout yet.

I am hoping to start recording how-to videos for YouTube next month, might even have some vlogging videos up there too. I just need to figure out what order I want to record things in.

After MarsCon, the Etsy shop will be getting a face-lift so to speak, as I plan on re-photographing whatever doesn’t sell at MarsCon, and re-write/update their descriptions and tags. I’ve been doing alot of research into SEO and product descriptions that I plan to make use of to see what works for me.

Oh, while I am thinking about it, if there is anything you would like me to discuss or make a video on, please let me know. I can’t promise I’ll be able to do it, but I’ll at least give it some consideration.

Plans for 2022

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Greetings and welcome to 2022

Yes, I am aware it’s January 3, 2022 and not January 1, 2022 ( at least if you are reading this on the day it went live, it is)

I have some changes and plans for this new year.

First up: MarsCon 2022 in Williamsburg Virginia. That will take place in 11 days, January 14-16. My first serious attempt at live, in-person sales. My goal is to at least break even between costs and sales. I’ll get more into this in a later blog or two.

I am hoping to do some craft shows in Yorktown, VA in the fall, but I still have some inquiries to make on that.

Next: YouTube: I will be putting out some new videos after MarsCon. I will start with granny-squares and then go from there.

Possibility for 2022: A product Kickstarter. I still have some research do to on this and some inquires to make, but this could be a thing this year.

This blog will go back to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday publishing schedule. I’m still working on what topics I’m going to cover so if you have a suggestion, please let me know.

I am planning on being more regular with my social media posts as well, across all the platforms I use, not just Twitter.