Failed Launch Day

The work that goes into a launch is incredible. From making the pieces themselves to putting them on cards, entering them into the website for online purchases, taking pictures, and lots and lots of social media interactions. However, the work I put into yesterday's launch went unrewarded.

My first (and so far only) successful launch was back in January, when I launched my Valentine's Day collection. I made about 13 sales. It was such a good feeling. I decided from there I wanted to try to do a launch each month. The last couple has been utter disappointments, with no sales at all. So I wanted yesterday's to be better.

My goal was to make simple and special pieces that were one- or two-of-a-kind. I wanted my customers to know that they were getting truly special pieces when they shopped. I put in countless hours into making, finishing, and assembling pieces, taking product photos of each, creating online listings, and promoting them on social media. I felt that my customers were bound to find something for them.

My sales goal is always to make one sale. I successfully accomplished that yesterday with two sales. As a very small business, I appreciate every single order. I know that the customer service and products I provide are going to make my customers happy, and they make me happy too. But I can't help feeling disappointed with the few orders I received. I certainly wasn't expecting to sell out of my products, but I was hoping for more.

The purpose of this blog post is to get my thoughts into words to describe to myself how I am feeling. I am not looking for pity purchases or even responses to this post. I just want to be transparent about my business and what the reality of running a business part-time can look like. I also know that there are more people out there who run small businesses who may feel similarly to me when it comes to releasing new products. There is always this feeling of vulnerability when releasing new art - it's my work, it's success is a judgment on what people think about my work. Inevitably we learn to move past those feelings, but not without the initial gut reactions.

Thank you so much to Christy and Jessica for placing your orders with me yesterday. Your returning purchases make my day every time I see your name come up! 

If you feel so inclined to check out what launched yesterday, you can find all of my products at shopsphandmade.com.