9 honest lessons from my first month in business
One Month In: Real Lessons From Starting My Snail Mail ClubIt’s been just over a month since I announced my new creative business- a snail mail club! (If you missed it, you can read all about it here: Sparkles of Joy Club) One month in, I wanted to share some honest lessons, reflections, and tips that have helped me, in case you’re thinking about starting something of your own, or you’re right there in the messy beginning, too? 1. Expect to suck. A lot.You will second-guess everything – your idea, your pricing, your sanity, and why you even started this in the first place. That’s not a sign you’re failing. That’s just what the beginning feels like. Nobody starts out polished. You get good by being bad first, publicly, and continuing anyway. FEEL the cringe, and keep at it anyway. 2. It’s normal NOT to go viralSocial media loves to show us overnight success stories: “I posted one reel and got 500 orders!” Remember, that’s the exception, not the rule. Most businesses start quietly – a trickle of sales, slow follower growth, lots of crickets. If that’s where you are, you’re not behind. You’re exactly on schedule. Keep taking action! 3. The only guaranteed way to fail? Quitting.And the only thing that will actually help you succeed? Belief + consistent action. Not one or the other – both. Belief without action is just daydreaming, and action without belief burns you out fast. Show up, keep going, and trust that the results are building even when you can’t see them yet. What action do you take? Watch successful people in your niche, and copy them. or take a course or both. 4. Don’t be offended if friends and family don’t buyThis one stings, but hear me out: it is unrealistic to build a business on people buying into it out of support or obligation for you. That’s not what’s going to make you rich. You also don’t get useful data on what real customers want, customers who buy based on how good the product is and their trust in you and your brand. You need to impress strangers – because strangers buying from you means your product genuinely stands on its own. Strangers are the ones who will grow your business exponentially. 5. It’s okay to change your mindAbout pricing, about what you offer, about how you offer it. Nothing is set in stone. For example, I talked to the post office about reducing my international postage costs – and got the monthly international subscription down from $18 to $15. I’ve also just launched 3-month subscriptions, so people can get a taste of my snail mail without feeling locked in. Your business should evolve as you learn – that’s not flip-flopping, that’s listening.
By the way, these are GREAT gifts, imagine your loved one getting an envelope full of joy and fun for 3 months… for the price of a meal out 🙂 and much less than the price of a massage or clothes 6. Get proof. Lots of proof.Photos, testimonials, real feedback -the good AND the bad -and share it. People can’t buy what they don’t understand. They need to see your product and imagine how they’ll FEEL when they receive it. A photo of a happy customer unboxing their mail, a screenshot of a sweet message someone sent you, even honest feedback about what could be better -it all builds trust. Proof turns “hmm, interesting” into “okay, I need this.” Here are some examples of what I mean :
7. Things WILL go wrong – it’s how you handle it that countsMistakes and mishaps are part of every business. It’s not if things go wrong, it’s how you deal with them. Two of my subscribers missed their delivery, and their mail got sent back to me. I made sure to keep them in the loop the whole time and reassured them they’d get their sparkles of joy no matter what. And then there was the time I accidentally deleted my subscriptions and had about 10 hours of peak stress trying to fix it. (I survived. Barely. ☕) So basically: things WILL go wrong. Expect it, and don’t beat yourself up when it happens. Deal with it with kindness, compassion, and patience -toward your customers and toward yourself. 8. Read and watch inspiring things to keep your hope aliveAn amazing reader here shared two successful snail mail businesses with me, and it’s given me SO much motivation – especially during those moments when I wonder if I can actually grow this thing. Is it too quirky? Too hard to understand? No. I just haven’t had enough people and eyeballs on my product yet. One of those creators makes $50k a month from her snail mail business. The demand is out there – it’s proof that this can work. Surround yourself with stories like that when the doubt creeps in. 9. If it were easy, everyone would do itYou can’t desire the result if you’re not willing to do the work to get the result. I’m living this right now – I’m having to create videos, learn new video-editing skills, and put myself out there as I build this thing. It’s like building a house: the hard work is in the construction. It was exactly the same when I built outandbeyond.com and my other brands – I had to do the hard work first, before I could enjoy the profits. This is no different. Lay the bricks now, enjoy the house later. That’s it for now – one month down, and I’m still here, still learning, still sending sparkles of joy through the mail. If you’re starting something new too, I’d love to hear about it. Just hit reply! And if you’d like a little joy in your mailbox, come join the club: sparklesofjoyclub.com July’s theme is coastal, think mermaids, waves, sunshine and white sand! Chapter 2- The Tide of Change
Ready to get a little sparkle in your letterbox? ✨ Join the Sparkles of Joy Snail Mail Club ✨ Thanks for reading Aisha Preece from Outandbeyond.com PS: I share my bare minimum low-effort strategy to grow my blogs on my Instagram stories — if you want more behind-the-scenes like this, come hang out: @aishapreece PPS: Here are some pics of our recent trip to Krabi!
My Courses:
Some of the links in the email are affiliate links. You received this email because you signed up for my newsletter, for a freebie, or purchased one of my products or courses. To unsubscribe from all emails, including updates about courses & products you may have purchased, click here:
|
