2 years of growing a small business... it's not what I expected (honest talk)

I've hit my two year anniversary of growing a business and it's not what I expected it to be...
Today I want to sit down and talk about the past year of having a handmade shop, compare it to my first year, and talk about some big changes ill be making to my brand in this next year.
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[@nojams732]

Water boils at 100C, but while it's rising in temperature, you won't see any visible change until it reaches that 100. Whenever I feel stagnant in my work, I always tell myself that I just put my kettle on the stove- I'm still making progress, even if it doesn't seem like it. Hang in there!

[@peaceout6359]

Love this analogy! I tell myself the same thing - Im prepping the things today for tbe success tomorrow, Ive noticed that things Ive done months ago are now showing me great results, so its important to see it as investing the time and energy now for a higher return down the line

[@traceybartlettart]

Yes that’s a great way off putting it. Water boils at 100C. I am nearing my second year in my small business and know exactly what you mean.

[@DaphneLageArt]

The fact that you can look inward and really assess what you think is not working and be willing to pivot is HUGE. I work with a lot of creatives, and you would be surprised how many people will go out of their way to put blame *everywhere else* but at their own feet where they can actually do something about it! Also, I'm sure seeing particular people online like Baylee Jay and Katnipp can give one a false sense of what to expect, while forgetting that these people took YEARS to develop their businessess to where they are now. To expect that level of success to happen for you in two years what it took these creators 10+ years to accomplish is just setting yourself up for frustration. As long as you're focusing on what you need to do, and actually do it (so many people forget this part!) then you're on the right track. Remember the game is long but it's worth it, especially if it's something you really want to do.

[@traceybartlettart]

So true ❤

[@Outfolded]

This video hits home for a lot of small business owners! You’ve got this, keep going! Thank you for posting this. I know I needed to hear it ❤

[@traceybartlettart]

Yes I agree, I love watching Abi and her truthfulness. She is the reason I did a truthful KZbin and I feel great.

[@cherylporteous]

A very honest and open vlog - well done for sharing it. Maybe you need to look at what you sell well (grim reaper cat sticker for example) and design "collections" around them rather than having lots of random stand alone things. I love your cat designs and it would be great to see a collection of items such as notepads, sticky notes, note books, washi, holo stickers, pencil cases, mouse mats etc with the cats on. Hope that helps. Wishing you lots of luck going into year 3!! x

[@JoseMorales-lw7ti]

Agree

[@traceybartlettart]

Another truthful vlog Abi. You convinced me to come out and discuss the truth of my business as well. It was such a great feeling. You are onwards and upwards now. Just remember everything you have learnt and achieved that you never knew before. Just do it girl.

[@martid]

Have you considered creating a character and world for the character? Like your AbiNova character/avatar could be the main focus and then you create collections of her and her cat on adventures or doing things that most people can relate to ex: reading a book/e-reader at a cozy cafe and then products for the collection that are cafe and coffee themed. You could also do a forest theme/collection as mushrooms are supposed to be a big trend right now. I think you are incredibly talented, it's just you need some cohesive theme to get noticed. Much like Disney has Mickey Mouse and friends, Marvel has Iron Man and all the Avengers etc.; if you create a character world, fans will find you. Good luck on year three.

[@alisong06]

I actually really needed to hear this today ! I'm trying to start my own business and honestly have too many ideas in my head and have been floundering hopping from 1 thing to another since June. Today has been 1 of those days where everything has gone wrong and I feel like there is just too much to learn. I feel much better for hearing your story and that it's just a glitch and maybe I just need to stand back for a minute to gain perspective ❤

[@mizuwariko]

I'm so glad you were able to step back for a bit from your business to rest your brain and to restore the clarity you needed to find motivation for going back into your creative work again. It sounds like you were burnt out from working so hard. Please don't forget to take care of yourself and I look forward to seeing your fresh ideas.

[@NordicNatureArt]

I love your raw honesty here

[@bedhead-studio]

I'm also coming up on my two year mark and it has been a challenge for me as well. I made profit my first year, but it was 89% sponsorships. In 2024, I put a lot of money in and focused on ecommerce, but it has not paid off. I'm very anxious that I will be in the negatives this year. I need to get a better grasp on my business finances, but it gets so confusing. Some steps that I've been taking recently is trying to track losses in terms of wasted product and unused tools/subscriptions. I've also been estimating how long it will take me to sell all of my inventory. Both of these things have been extremely eye opening. I could use some small business friends to talk to about these things with, so if you're ever interested I would love that.

[@julialynch558]

I sell on Etsy (over 3,500 sales) and I've just had a look at your shop. I would recommend trying to improve your product photography as some of your backgrounds are a bit cluttered. And no chipped nail polish please! I hope that helps. Love your videos!

[@TykitFleine]

Can you sublimate fridge magnets at all? I'd love a sassy cat fridge magnet 😭 I could imagine they take up little space, low cost to make and low postage so you'd get more revenue from them, could even make those magnet bookmarks that are floating around Your sassy cats are what helped me find you, they'd be cute on a tote bag or a tumblr, maybe using old successful designs on top of new designs could work for you?

[@shopwildvenus]

Great vlog and sounds like you have a good plan for year 3. Looking forward to seeing your new designs and character development xx

[@RoseMegill]

I also thought the tumblers would be a hot seller when I started and they were a total disappointment

[@ArtisticKatz]

Me too, even the glass libby jars. I am just not selling them.

[@cherylporteous]

Just another quick thing - you need to do an introduction on each video saying who you are and what you do. I think you just expect your viewers to know this but it doesn’t work for new people when they stumble across your videos so that may be preventing you from growing your channel

[@jclay5567]

I love your videos and listening to you talk about trying to make everything instead of concentrating on what you want, is exactly how I feel right now. Just a very small suggestion but you say “my small business, my business” a lot of times and can be a bit irritating and I tend to stop watching to the end because of it. Maybe have a look at that as I think you may be putting people off watching your videos, we know you run a small business!! I do love seeing what you do though.😊

[@jenamann3484]

You dont have any branding on your videos nor in tje dropdown info. There should be a link to your etsy shop. Also put your business name, art types etc! You didnt even mention in the beginning of this video WHAT you actually make...stickers, magnets, ceramics ie, WHAT????