How can I stop my failing small biz from making me depressed all the time?

[buckeye_momof4]

@keldastar I can't give much advice without knowing what you sell or how you market it.

I do know this:

1. It's simple & inexpensive to take high quality photos
2. Marketing is how you make sales. Discounting 50% is not. If you discount 100% but your marketing sucks, you will sell nothing.
3. The original 3 P's of marketing: Product, Price, Placement are still important as are the new 3 P's: People, Personalization, Privacy.
4. The 3 C's of marketing:
   Customers, Competition, Company which are components of your marketing strategy.
   5.You need a marketing strategy.

 

[keldastar]

@buckeye_momof4 Yes I 100% agree. I very much need a marketing strategy. The issue with that is information overload. When I look into marketing I get so overwhelmed with where to start. I’m trying to do more social media, I’m trying to do more Pinterest, I got halfway through setting up a Google ad campaign. And yeh I suck or give up half way through and that is 100% on me I take ownership there.
And I know that there is no one right way of doing things but that makes it harder for me.
So if you could point me in the right direction like a blog post or a book that really helped you or something you focused on at the beginning, I would very much appreciate it.
I know marketing is my biggest weak spot by far and any time I try to tackle it I’m a total goober about it. So would love some tips there.

Also I disagree that it is simple and inexpensive to take good photos unless you have quality natural lighting, which I sadly don’t but I’m definitely trying my hardest and with the ai enhancement feature I’ve been able to save some of the blur. Coincidentally it makes my Lightroom run at half the speed

 

[buckeye_momof4]

@keldastar What is the product your selling? DM me if you'd like.

What type of camera are you using?

I've taken photos using both a Canon EOS 35MM (7Ti) and a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
They key is a mini tripod, decent lighting (doesn't have to be great) and an appropriate colored backdrop.

 

[keldastar]

@buckeye_momof4 I sell baby products mostly but some children’s items as well.
I’ll try and dm you and show you a couple of my photos. I have a full body dslr canon 5d mark ii I bought from a photog friend a few year ago. I have a couple spendy lenses as well.
Worked great for my outdoor stuff but not with this stuff. I’m not really able to use a tripod just with the angle I shoot at. I guess I haven’t tried tho tbh maybe I should try harder.

 

[buckeye_momof4]

@keldastar If you use the auto setting and adjust the shutter speed your indoor pictures should come out fine. A speed under 1,000 should make a big There's probably a back lite setting as well and an image stabilizer.

 

[jcon1150]

@keldastar Businesses fail often. People say it all the time but very few people listen.

The question you have to genuinely ask yourself is: How hard are you working at your business everyday? Are you putting in 4-6 hours a day to make it work? Or did you put in 4 hours one day and expect stuff to just magically happen? My typical work day is me working consistently 7 hours a day. Some days it's more. Some days it's less. Most days I work 7 hours consistently. 7 hours is not a lot for many business owners. Some are grinding 10-12 hours a day between various things.

So if you're not grinding at your business, consistently putting in 4-6 hours a day, then maybe you have to consider the reason things aren't working as you expected is simply because you had unrealistic expectations going into things.

There's nothing wrong with that either. I did that with an adjacent business I tried. It happens. But it doesn't mean you're a failure either. Just means you're unwilling to invest the time necessary to make the business successful. That's a choice, not a failure.

 

[keldastar]

@jcon1150 I do put in those hours pretty consistently. There are definitely weeks I put more into my family and home life but yeh I’m putting 20-30 hours into it minimum typically.
And yes I do/was getting frustrated when I realized everything I had to do and wanted to get it all done at once but after a few days I calmly told myself to chill the f out and nothing happens all at once and slow and steady wins the race.
I even said early November, ya know don’t worry about Christmas sales. If you make anything treat it as a bonus but just regroup and focus on the new year. And that was truly a great and productive week but the. I got behind with my slow and steady tasks during Thanksgiving and I saw all the deals and shopping going on and yeh just the past few days have been hard on me emotionally

 

[faithwillnotfail]

@keldastar What is the business?

 

[disabled45]

@keldastar Don't throw good money after bad. If it's not working, move on. Shut it down and maybe you'll feel relieved.

 

[bndx]

@keldastar I made $240 in the first year. I spent $46,000. It’s about persistence and passion. You’re never gonna be successful if you don’t start a business you at least have some interest in. For me I always found that even if it takes 5 years, if you’re passionate about starting a business do it. Although, I tell people to not start a project, start a business. Start a business off of a previous project. Off of something you’re obsessed with. For example, streamers. Most of those kids were obsessed with video games and because of their true love for it, the fame and money wasn’t a want when it wasn’t there. But when it was, it was great to see your passion paid off.

 

[keldastar]

@bndx Yes I keep telling myself if you can keep going when things are hurt, the economy is in a downturn think of how well that will pay off in the future. But I do mope a little that I didn’t have the entrepreneurial spirit during covid when everyone seemed to be a success story.
I passionate about it but also my original goal was slightly different and I’m wondering how I can build my current business of baby products without missing out on what I originally wanted to do which was unique gift boxes for all ages

 

[seeingeyes]

@keldastar I’m just like you. My small business starts gets slow then my anxiety and stress rises. Suddenly we get a little money in and I’m in a good mood. We have to base our emotions on reality and not what we “think” will happen. I hope the year finishes strong for you!

 

[keldastar]

@seeingeyes Thank you! I really just want to try and focus on Christmas with my family and regroup in the new year with my business. Hoping the year finishes strong too but I don’t want to continually stress about next steps right now

 

[pleaserespond]

@keldastar Running a small business comes with its challenges, and it's crucial to prioritize your mental well-being. Consider implementing tools like Connecteam software to streamline operations and alleviate some of the stress associated with managing a business. By improving efficiency and communication, you can create a healthier work environment, allowing you to focus on the positive aspects of your thriving small business.