Progress

Hi everybody,

Just like with most things in my life I share things on my blog. There are several reasons for this. One is so that I can keep a record of things. It is so easy for me to get mixed up as I get older. I feel like my days start to run together and time passes so quickly.

Another reason that I share is because I want to be able to relate to people. I love people. I hate to be superficial in any way. I share so that everyone knows that I am real, I struggle, I have victories and I am learning things every day.

I have been working at the design part of my business for over a year. I released my first pattern in December of 2019.

Since then I have been picked up in 40+ national magazines. I have also published over 100 of my own patterns. That is no easy task.

In fact last year I sacrificed a lot of myself to spend the time to invest in that. IN full disclosure I have gained a lot of my weight. I am struggling with this. Every single day I tell myself to get back on the trails. I come up with excuses. But In reality the truth is that I have quit caring about myself because I became laser focused on building the pattern line up to get accepted.

This is the story of my life.

I made so may samples last year while keeping up my longarming schedule. Even more than I thought. I have sacrificed a lot to make that happen. In fact I just had 10 projects arrive at my house in one day last week. A few friends volunteered to help ( Thank You Jesus!). I am really Thankful because I even felt like….Ok I am going to do this but this is certainly going to stretch me further than I thought I could accomplish. I have more coming. I can accomplish a lot because I sacrifice a lot.

So thankfully, I am getting help because this happens to be a really busy time. I have been accepted to design for a few fabric companies. YAHOO!

I have also been picked up by every major distributor. There are a few popular catalogs and stores that I can try to get into. But last year at this time I had been denied by 2 major distributors. At first I felt a little defeated. But then I buckled down and decided that I would find a way in. I did. There is a few round about things that happened to get me in….but the bottom line is that …I DID IT!! Yahoo!

So one way to get out there is to get into Distributors. Shops order designs from them and it’s a way to get big orders.  This is good news. It’s not a guarantee….but its a great step.

So there are a few things that I have learned this last year that has really helped my business. Some of it is just common sense. Some of it is just my personality. Some of it has been learned.

1. Be kind. I think kindness gets you everywhere. I see and hear so many things from people. I am a business owner. I talk and mingle with lots of business owners. But not everyone is kind. I think kindness matters.
2. Do what you say. If I say I am going to get something done. I do it. If I am unsure. I say that. But I never miss a deadline. In fact I always try to be ahead of the game. I never want to procrastinate. I never wait until the last minute by my own hand. I try to always get everything accomplished as soon as it’s on my list. I have to do this for my own crazy tendencies. But I also believe it inspires trust in all of the people counting on me. Magazine editors, fabric companies ect.
3. Don’t listen to Nay Sayers. I have been rejected lots of times. I have been told so many times how to do certain things. I have been told that the route I am taking isn’t a good one. ect. I have been told not to do this or that. I have been told to hide my Christianity. I refuse to do any of that. I have to be me. I have to find my way. I believe, I am on the right path.
4. Prayer. I pray every day. I pray for my upsets. I pray for my blessings. I pray for strength. Focus, inspiration, my friends, my family, my business ect. I write down 3 things daily that I am thankful for.
5. Surround yourself with good people. This is so important. Not only do I have people in my corner cheering for me from all parts of the world. I have friends close by that are willing to give up a day and help me sew a queen sized quilt in a day to meet a crazy deadline. I have people far away willing to sew a quilt top for me to help keep me on track. I have people offering me wisdom, love and prayer. Who doesn’t need all of this>? I thank God for this everyday.
6. Never Give Up! I can’t stress this enough. So many times in my life I have wanted to give up. This passed year I have thought about giving up so many times. I am sinking so much time, money and effort into this that it has become all consuming. It’s become my focus and I am always trying to figure out a new plan of action. Like I just have to conquer the beast. No matter how many times I get rejected….I will maybe let myself have a minute. I might cry. Then I get back up and start working. This is pretty much the story of my life.
7.  Work hard. This seems simple. But nothing has ever come to me easily. So I can’t imagine anything falling into my lap. Hard work goes further than talent. I have been willing to sacrifice a lot to get to where I am. More than the average bear, probably.
8.  Focus on your assets and abilities. I know that I have strengths and weakness’. I am a worker bee straight up. I will work from sun up until sun down. However, I know that I am technology challenged. I also know that I am really right brained in a lot of areas. I am not always good at thinking ahead or putting myself in the shoes of someone else coming behind me to understand what I am trying to achieve. So I get help with that. I will work twice as hard to pay someone else to do the parts that I struggle to do. Why kill myself to work in an area that I am not good at? If I focus my energy in an area that I can excel..it helps many of us. I can provide work for people around me and I can get more accomplished in the long run. Win-win.
9. Rest. I need to follow my own advice more often. But I have learned when my breaking point is…and I don’t let myself get to that point. I have learned that when I get to exhausted it’s just best to drop what I am doing and rest. Or I make mistakes.
10.  Take Risks. Not every risk is huge. I have taken a big risk and failed. I have taken small risks and failed as well. But when you take any risk and you succeed…..it makes everything better. No risk, No reward. Plain and simple.

Those are just some simple things that I have learned along the way. For whatever it’s worth. I am not rich or famous. I am just a girl trying to find her way in almost every avenue of life. But I think what it all boils down to is believing in myself, my dreams, that God is leading me and that in the end I will be better ….no matter the outcome.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Charisma