One misconception about knowing one’s purpose is that if you know what it is, you must never falter, wonder, wander, or feel downright lost.

That is so not true. In fact, it happened to me this month.

Though I have a innate sense of my purpose: helping people live lives with intention, love, and purpose, I don’t always know what I am supposed to do in my career.

(You see, career and purpose are separate.)

Sure, I make sure that I help people in my personal life and here on MML, but what comes after that? What about making a living for myself? What about the rest of my career life? Where should I direct Jess LC? What do I want to spend my time doing?

Over the past two years I’ve had a vision in my mind of my ideal workday and I’ve devoted my actions to making it happen. But lately that vision isn’t striking home as much. It doesn’t fit anymore. It doesn’t excite me.

I was purpose-filled, but feeling direction-less.

I frankly had no real vision for what I wanted my days to look like, and that caused me to stay in a holding pattern which allowed fear to creep in. You see, when the vision isn’t very clear, the fears and doubts of the ego have the opportunity to pounce. You cannot have faith in nothing. The something you want to create and believe in will help you soothe the fears and worries. When you have a vision that feels true, your spirit can help you handle the ego’s crappy thoughts and anxiety.

So yesterday, I decided to reconfigure my vision for my career.

How did I do it?

I sat down away from my desk and thought about what I really wanted to spend my time doing Monday through Friday from nine to six. I didn’t think automatically about money, I thought about the things I wanted to do.

By thinking about what my ideal day would look like later this year, and then writing it down on paper, I was able to flesh out a general vision for what my weeks, months, and projects would become. I started to get a feeling of peace, happiness, and joy from the ideal day I planned in my head.

And of course it goes without saying that that ideal vision may take months or years to achieve. Heck, I may never actually achieve the vision to perfection. But that doesn’t stop me from striving for it in an intentional and meaningful way.

After I wrote out the vision for my career, I then backed up and looked at how I can make it a reality. The steps that I would need to take to make that vision come true are now my new short and long-term tasks. The ways I could monetize the actions I take came into play as well.

And now I know where I want to grow.

… Until I find myself uninspired by this career intention and it is time for me to craft a new vision.

We are meant to evolve as people, and our purpose and career are no different.

Recently Ryan Gosling has become somewhat of an internet meme. I thought I’d share his enthusiasm for all those MML readers working on their dream job after the day job ends.

We can all use a little encouragement, right?

original photo credit, current state via MML

Earlier this week I announced the three chosen to work with me one-on-one in Life with Intention consulting. Though I wasn’t able to work with everyone who reached out, below is a brief summary of one of the stories I heard and my response. I hope it is helpful for others in similar shoes as well.

I taught for three months before realizing that teaching wasn’t the career for me.  This was a devastating realization as being a teacher was a big part of my identity. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do for work since then.

My current big dream is to start my own life-coaching business that helps women go after their dreams.

I’m not sure how to get from here to there.  I think my biggest obstacle is lack of time.  I feel like I’m chained to a desk all day and can’t be on top of my personal things because my creativity is stifled when I’m sitting in a florescent box for 40 hours a week. I also have a little bit of anxiety related to this, wondering how hard it will be, how much courage it will take, how much failure there will be along the way. While I don’t think I lack creativity, passion, or drive in making this happen, I think I may lack financial resources and time necessary to get this off the ground.

I want to make a difference in people’s lives, I want to have an income. And I want to be really good at what I do.

That is the first step, and the one that progress can now stem from. So that’s great, give yourself a pat on the back.

Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Okay, and because you know what you’d like to do, it’s now time to get to doing it. You have a continuum of choice here: you can take this fast, slow, kinda slow, you name it. If you want to make this all happen “as soon as freaking possible,” that may require you to release the excuses about the day job stifling your energy (it may be true, but you can use your willpower to overcome the urge to relax after the workday is over, or devote Saturday or Sunday to coaching work). To get fired up about the “just go do it and be a midnight hustler” I’d suggest watching some of Gary Vaynerchuk’s keynote speeches. He is a fire starter when it comes to working on a business after work.

By starting to see progress on your coaching after hours, you might get a renewed energy and eventually get some revenue. Which over time, could allow you to take a part-time job to make ends meet as you navigate your way to full-time coaching. Michelle from When I Grow Up Coach is a great example of doing just this and talks about it in her archives in video form. She could be a great source of inspiration as she’s someone who has navigated what you are seeking to do yourself. (Plus, she’s awesome.) : )

Or, if you are looking to take a more gradual approach to the business, you could start by creating a blog and devoting your off time to putting content there and generating a community that could eventually become potential clients. This will still obviously require your time after work, but you could do it at whatever pace you’d like and eventually ramp up to the other steps mentioned above. And the good thing about this is it doesn’t require much investment. In the process of blogging you can keep working your day job and lower your lifestyle so that you can start stashing some of your paycheck to go towards business expenses when you are ready to invest there.

Whatever your choice, fast or slow, making sure you can create the habit of working on your business or blog after work will be the next stepping stone to get where you want to be.

I have watched friends go from jobs to full-time self-employment and I feel like there is some kind of crazy energy that takes them far beyond their normal abilities and helps them push through to get the business started. Perhaps it’s momentum that builds on excitement, but eventually they hit a point where they have just enough financial stability to take the leap and cut the cord to their day or part-time job. Some it took many months, others a few years. But each one did it and you can too, if you just keep going.

: ) So I hope this is helpful and has you fired up to start taking the first baby steps (start a blog, or look into creating a website for the business) to make this happen for you!

Last Wednesday Jess LC went from being a sole proprietor business to an S-Corporation. I mentioned this on Twitter and several people asked me about the decision and the process itself.

Though I by no means am going to tell anyone what is best for their company structure, I can share a bit of what it’s been like for me. And if you want more specifics, I suggest reading more about incorporating vs. sole proprietorships.

For as long as I’ve had Jess LC, it’s been a sole-proprietorship. It was simpler that way, I wasn’t insanely worried about getting sued (I didn’t have limited liability under my sole-prop), and it didn’t make too much difference on the taxes I owed.

But this year after speaking at length about the decision with my accountant, I decided to form the S-Corp. I will also say right away that many people in Gen Y and Gen X seem to lean toward Limited Liability Companies (LLC). Though my accountant, who is a bit more old school, advised me the S-Corp direction to save money on taxes. It seems that LLCs are helpful for those with partners in their businesses, those dealing with real estate, and businesses with high legal fees. All of which didn’t apply to me.

Before I get into anything too specific, I hope that my advice and content in this post is seen as generally helpful, but not a professional opinion. To be honest, I don’t know too much more than what I share below.

So after you read this and you consider incorporating or creating an LLC, I suggest you talk with your own accountant.

Phew, okay, now here’s what I’ve picked up from my accountant that may be helpful for other people as well:

• If your worried about getting sued, and you have assets you wouldn’t want to lose in a lawsuit, incorporating or forming an LLC will provide a wall between your personal wealth (home, car, etc.) and the business’ assets. For most people starting small businesses that don’t involve children, safety, chemicals, etc. this may not be a serious concern at first.
• Sole proprietorships just need a Doing Business As (DBA) in most cases. As well as filing a Schedule C tax return at the end of the year.
• If your profit (not revenue) is somewhere around $25k-$35k, then incorporating your business may save you money on your taxes. This is because you can create a “salary” for yourself that is below your total profit, and the profit above the “salary” is taxed at a lower rate. When you are a sole-prop all of the profit is taxed at the higher, salary rate.
• Incorporating for me also made it simpler to create a wall between my personal finances and my business’ cash flow. This means that down the line, when I merge accounts with my future husband, I will have a simpler view of my business vs. my joint accounts.

After I made the decision to incorporate, I then paid my accountant to file the necessary paperwork and walk me step by step through the process. I believe you can also do this online as well, but I don’t know which method is better.

I will say that paying someone else to do the filing is not cheap, but the peace of mind that it is processed properly and I didn’t need to bash my head against a wall trying to figure out how to do it on my own is priceless. Taxes have always thrown me for a loop and give me nightmares from when I filed on my own in college with the business. So now whenever I have a question about moving my sole-prop bank accounts over to the new incorporated bank accounts, I can just pick up the phone and ask him any questions I have.

And if you don’t have an accountant but want to find one, I suggest reaching out to a fellow self-employed friend and ask them who they use or would recommend. That’s how I found my accountant and it’s been a great fit.

For those in Chicago, I hope you can stop by for tonight’s Business in the City event! As I’ve mentioned:

• it is free
• it has great free food
• is the perfect place to ask business questions and get answers
• meet cool people with businesses or business ideas
• it is extremely low key

All in all, I think starting Business in the City is the best thing that I did in 2011.

So come on by, there is usually a few dozen people who attend and feel free to bring a friend!

Tonight

6:30-8:00

@ Next Door, 659 W. Diversey

While talking with my consulting clients about sales and most importantly, increasing them, I often find myself advising them to do one thing before all else:

Pick just two major income streams and stick to learning and growing those avenues first.

You see, there are thousands of ways to make money. And in most businesses, there are at least three to five ways to make sales. For product based businesses you can sell:

• to stores via wholesale (door to door, sales reps, trade shows)
• to customers in person (customer referrals, art shows, trunk shows, home parties)
• to customers online (online shop, Etsy, Ebay, etc.)

And of course, that is just a few of the options.

I find a lot of new business owners at the outset want to pursue and grow every single avenue for sales possible.

Why not make as many sales, in as many ways, as you can?

However, I don’t think that is the best way to approach a new business in most cases.

I advise my clients to consider their intention for their business (What do you want your business to look like? What do you want to spend most of your time doing?), and then pick the two sales avenues that fit their business intention the best.

By learning the ins and outs of just two business avenues, for example online sales and wholesale, I think it helps them narrow their focus, execute at a higher level, and learn more in a shorter time. It takes a lot of work to grow any arm of sales, and to approach every sales avenue with the same effort dillutes the overall effectiveness and prowess of the business owner.

And I also find that by getting really good at two sales avenues, the third sales method eventually comes quite naturally when the first two are being executed at a professional level. By creating a bustling online shop while doing art shows locally, a company could easily be approached by a wholesale customer interested in purchasing for their store.

Or, someone could be so stressed by trying to do everything all at once that they end up accomplishing very little or have less than solid results.

It also goes without saying that a business owner can change their course and intention for their business and decide after pursuing one avenue of sales that they’d like to shift and work toward another. I’ve done this myself with Jess LC. For the first eight years I sold via wholesale and directly to customers. Then in 2009, I shifted away from wholesale towards online selling and have been continuing to narrow, focus, and evolve my sales plan ever since.

At least that’s my two cents.

To follow up on my intention to create more positive focus points in my life, I have found two ways so far I’m making my work and money thoughts… lovelier.

My first step is to make a more defined line between work and life. Last year I was shocked to realize I was working 119 hours a week. Immediately after that revelation I instituted a new life intention for myself: no email on nights or weekends. From that point on I was really good about putting a ban on my inbox off hours.

Until the holiday season.

Because Jess LC is such a gift driven company, I decided to relax on my email ban to make sure I dealt with as much as possible before leaving for the holidays.

But I haven’t been back in the email restricted saddle as much as I’d like in 2012. Which has left me thinking dwelling on work most hours of the day. So I’m getting back on the horse and asking you to come with me.

If you would like to join the Email Intervention for January – please comment on this post and share it with friends or co-workers. I explain the pledge in more detail in this post. Those that comment here will get four little emails from me throughout the pledge period which is January 23rd – February 3rd. But of course, I’ll be beginning my ban on email on evenings and weekends starting today at 5pm (feel free to join me today!).

I am unspeakably affluent –
rich with ideas, with resources, with love.

There’s so little I need to consume —
and infinite ways to contribute.

These mantras stopped me in my blog-reading tracks this afternoon on Alexandra Franzen’s recent post (discovered via Michelle yesterday). They are great ways for me to refocus when the costs for incorporating Jess LC, paying my last two quarters of 2011 tax estimates, and ordering new materials weighs me down.

So here’s to a relaxing, email free, positively focused weekend!

We have our new dates lined up for the next three months of Business in the City! The next one is this Wednesday, January 18th from 6:30-8:00 and the next two events are as follows:

As I’ve mentioned in the past, Business in the City is a meet up group I run in Chicago at Next Door once a month. The event is totally free and catered by the folks at Next Door who also do a live tweet session of the event as well for non-Chicagoans.

The format is really simple and anyone one who has a business idea or has started a business is welcome to come. We first introduce ourselves and our businesses/concepts and then open things up to Q+A. Each month we continue to grow the group – right now we are sitting around two dozen people and we also have a Facebook group for people share and connect away from the meetings as well. Please feel free to bring friends as well!

Here’s a pic of the snazzy Next Door for those who haven’t seen it yet.

I hope I see you on the 18th!

photo via

One of my 2012 intentions is to start a Miracle Book (inspired by Joyce Meyer). When starting a business (or taking on any new risk), there is a ton of uncertainty and fear of the unknown. There are always doubts about what can be accomplished or if ends will meet. But in my four years of full-time business, I have not once found a time where things didn’t pull through – even if it was at the very last second. 

But no matter how many wins, twists of fate, or miracles happen in my business, I inevitably reach a new obstacle that seems insurmountable.

So my new intention is to write down each of the miracles that happen in my business (or life) that at one point seemed improbable. Then, when I have a new Goliath to face, I can pull out my trusty Miracle Book and remind myself that I have had many challenges in the past which ended in positive outcomes.

I look forward to re-reading this book years from now. I can’t wait to see all the impossible stuff that will come true.

This last two weeks has been a whirlwind! Like most people, I have been busier this holiday season than ever before. While wrapping up the holiday orders for Jess LC and celebrating the with friends and Mr. Lively, I have had the opportunity of a lifetime come my way.

Tomorrow I will be flying out to New York to shoot a segment with Mr. Nate Berkus on The Nate Show.

Totally insane, right? While I can’t get into details, I can say that the segment will come on sometime in February. And when it airs, I’ll be sure to let you all know the details.

But let’s just say that this 36 hour trip to NYC falling right on the last week four day week of holiday selling for the year more than hectic. There are a million things to wrap up here in the shop, we have our Jess LC holiday party this evening, I have to make a trip to our new manufacturer for the iPad cases, and I need to prepare for the holiday break as well as get all the last orders out the door by Thursday.

It’s enough to make my head spin.

And after noticing my thoughts turn from want to’s to have to’s quicker than the temperature is dropping, I am taking a stand.

For the rest of this week, I intend to use the words want to regarding everything that needs to get done between now and my flight to Philly to see my family on Friday.

Though my to-do list will not be shortened one iota with this line of thinking, I refuse to allow myself to go have an incredibly great experience in New York while grumbling about everything else. I don’t want to look back on this week and think about how I murmured my way through.

I want to reflect back and think about that wonderful time during the holidays that I got to go on TV while still getting all of my other intentions completed cheerfully.

I think that’s something we all can remember right now as things get a little out of hand before some much needed time off.

Though this is a few days late, I’d like to thank everyone who came out to the December Business in the City event! I believe that we had 24 people attend and I want to thank all of you for taking the time to meet up, share your questions and answers for everyone in the group. I am so thankful to see this group take shape and become such a fun thing to organize!

Thanks to Malcolm and Jordan at Next Door, we have a summary of what was shared at the event via the Twitter feed they created. Read /click below to see the highlights of what we covered.

Click here to see the transcript from Google Reader.

 Business in the City FB Group

And thanks to Nick‘s idea from this week’s Business in the City, we now have a Business in the City Facebook Group. Feel free to join if you’d like to share your projects, services, or want to post an freelance work you may need. The goal with this page is to help connect people across different businesses to one another so we can all grow.

No need to actually be at the Chicago events, you can join the group even if you’ve never participated!

Over the course of the last year you have seen Jess LC grow by leaps in bounds from a product standpoint. We went from just jewelry to an array of products to create the beginning of what I intend to be a lifestyle brand.

And during the year you’ve also seen what I believe is a more pensive side to my own perspective on life and business. Things have been hard.

So while the outside shell looks “better than ever,” I am always quick to point out that I myself don’t feel that changed or different because of the success.

More success has meant more stress.

It hit me so clearly how these two pictures are so different when Lauren commented on the announcement that we are pre-selling iPad cases and raising the price in 2012. She mentioned that it was like an early Christmas present for myself. My first thought after reading that statement was honestly, “Is she crazy? Didn’t she just read that we are going to have to spend more money than ever before and raise the price because of 37% increase in labor? That we ran out of product in the height of the holiday selling season? That’s not a gift, that’s just stress wrapped in a bow.”

Clearly, I have have had a warped way of looking at things.

But this morning I took a step back and really looked at what has happened and finally I’m starting to see a glimmer of what this whole learning experience might have to teach me.

You see, I have always taken the hard road with my career. I ditched the business school interviews for $60k-$80k jobs to make less than a McDonald’s employee the first few years while starting up Jess LC full-time. I flossed so I didn’t have to go to the dentist for three years because I didn’t have dental insurance. I have had anxiety attacks over cash flow.

In my experience, self-employment is not easy. But it is worth it when you do it with intention and just keep going.

So I think that as things progressed this year, I continued to look at the challenges I faced as the price I paid for the company growth. I looked at the whole experience as a happiness neutral exchange. Sure, I got what I wanted, but at the same time my responsibility and stress rose equally. I’m sure this can also apply for others with different careers, relationships, or life changes.

But the truth is, I want to change.

I want to bask in the success of the company and see it rise to even higher levels. I want to take on new opportunities and share them with you. I want to get excited and share the successes as they come. I want to let the successes I have inspire those who are just starting out (or debating about whether to do so at all). I want to show that it is possible to succeed at what you are meant to do (and not be poor).

At the same time, I also want it to be abundantly clear that it is never easy to ascend to the next level. It takes hard work, learning, growth, higher quality, and perseverance. It takes a crap load of faith, too.

But I think I’ve made it pretty clear this year that new levels mean new challenges. Now I want to lighten up on that in my head and on MML and share the blessings as they come.

Designing a life with intention isn’t meant to be a life of lack, frustration, and stress. It can be challenging, but deeply meaningful and wonderful.

So now I’m going to soak in the goodness I have. And let it be.

Come one, come all! Business in the City is happening tomorrow from 6:30-8:00 in Chicago at Next Door for free. Find out more about our meet up.

You can RSVP and food/drinks are provided.

For those of you out of towners you can now follow the discussion live on Twitter! The details are here.

Over the past two weeks my boyfriend and I have been reading The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida. Or, more accurately, he has been reading it and I have heard several chapters and a spattering of passages. The book definitely has a strong point of view and is intended for men. From my perspective, it seems to be a slightly humorous Maxim magazine translation of timeless wisdom.

Surprisingly, I have had a lot to think about based on the topics presented despite the focus on the male point of view.

You see, Deida talks a lot about the balance of masculine and feminine energy in relationships. Though these masculine and feminine energies can be found in all people, most people are an unbalanced mix of the two, which is a good thing. (A same sex couple, for example, could have one more masculine energy partner and one more feminine energy partner, he says.)

He claims that this complimentary contrast between the two energies in intimate relationships is very good and healthy. While the workplace has become more and more neutralized with these energies in both sexes, he insists that the polarity of the male and female energy at home keeps things balanced – and steamy.

Though I may not agree with 100% of what he lays out, I can say that I have found myself nodding in agreement many times.

And after an honest chat with my boyfriend, it became clear that though I do definitely have a more feminine energy as a whole, at times I also have a tendency to take the lead on things in our personal life, problem solve, and attempt to advise – all masculine attributes.

Though none of those things are really bad, when I am quick to do those things I take the opportunity away from him to do them himself.

Which is kind of stupid – I want him to do them for us, but sometimes I do it myself so quickly I don’t give him the chance.

As I reflected on why I might be doing these masculine aspects in our personal life despite the fact that it’s not what I truly want to be doing, I had a realization:

In order to run Jess LC, I need to make hundreds of masculine actions to make sure things run smoothly. It’s only me at the top of our very tiny company, and all customer service situations, contracts, purchases, finance, marketing, strategy, and design decisions fall to me. The buck stops with Jess. There is no one to look to besides my business coach whom I meet with once a month for counsel – and even then, I still need to make the decisions and actions myself.

What is even more interesting is that I often don’t like having to take all the really masculine initiatives, but I am forced to because I don’t have a company big enough to support another partner to take on those responsibilities.

So I am left alone to do all the masculine and feminine energy things in the small business. And surprisingly, as I have gotten better at some of the more analytical tasks, I have started to enjoy them.

But I think this approach to problem solving, directing, and leading has leaked a bit into my personal life by accident, out of habit.

I want to change this about myself.

I want to be able to contribute to our decision making, but in a more balanced way. And after thinking about it some more, I actually do personally want him to take the lead on most things. I want to be able to be my feminine self and not have to try to “fix” or “solve” any hiccups along the way. I want to be able to relax and not feel like I am in the drivers seat. So why do I tend to grab the wheel?

After making these connections, I am so thankful that I now have the awareness to evolve. I am now grateful that I have the chance to pursue my masculine side with Jess LC and grow the company with strategy, logic, and feminine intuition. And I am equally pleased that I don’t need to do the masculine aspects in my relationship.

I want to sit back and enjoy the ride at home as a contributing partner, but steer my business anywhere I please.

Though I will certainly won’t be a slouch as a girlfriend, I am way too intentional for that, it will be nice to relax a bit and trust him because I know he’ll do an amazing job.

Each year I find that though I accomplish a million mini goals, I tend to also face ONE large and formidable intention, problem, or opportunity as well.

I call this – regardless whether the change is good or bad – my “monster.”

It is something that seems larger than myself and something that can span several months or the majority of the year for me to understand and thrive with.

Some of my past personal life monsters have been:

Learning to fire my ego from controlling my weight.

Living with an ex-boyfriend while going through a five month break up.

Learning to focus on my “be’s” more than my “have’s” and “do’s.” 

And the business monsters were:

The 2007 monster was “Grow From Part-Time in College to Full-Time in Chicago.”

The 2008 monster was “Selling Jewelry Wholesale to Over 100 Boutiques Nationwide.”

The 2009 monster was “Transitioning from Wholesale to Become an Online Shop.”

The 2010 monster was “Re-Branding Jess LC.”

And the 2011 monster was “Create a Lifestyle Brand with Contractors.”

Each of these monsters were tough, scary, and unfamiliar. Yet each were also simultaneously integral in the evolution of my life and business. Without these struggles, I would not have the strengths I gained from slaying the beasts. And it is precisely those strengths which make me more capable of taking on bigger challenges in my life.

So I’m learning not only to accept these impending beasts as inevitable, but also as essential to my growth as a person and business owner.

And you know what? I’m starting to get pretty good at predicting which monsters are coming up around the corner.

Though I will undoubtedly be sideswiped by a monster here or there, I think I have a pretty good hunch as to which monsters are lurking behind the calender in 2012.

In my personal life, I think the monster will have to do with growth in my relationships. And in Jess LC, the monster is the much higher production volume.

Both of these beasts are a bit scary and I am not going to lie; part of me is afraid.

But that doesn’t mean that I can’t face them and realize that by working through them, I will ultimately be happier and more prepared for anything hiding behind door 2013.

Since this week is centered on things we are thankful for, I would like to say thank you to the behind the scenes businesses who have helped Jess LC. A business is rarely as successful all by itself, it usually takes a team of professionals to lay the pretty on.

Though this list is not exhaustive by any means, it is a thank you to the graphic designers, web designers, and photographers who have helped me take Jess LC to the next level.

My hope is that those who are in the market for any of these skills for their own business will consider these wonderful people on their short list.

Herdah Warner, Herdah Design

Stef, Sonic Stef Design

Claudia, Fig2Design Studio

Alaina Kaczmarksi, LCY Gaphics

Danielle Moss, Danielle Moss

Website

Meghan Radke, Meghan Radke

Blog

Brooke, Oh Brooke (WordPress.org)

Alaina Kaczmarksi, LCY Gaphics (Blogger)

Danielle Moss, Danielle Moss (Blogger)

David Tuman, David Tuman Photography, (CA)

Danielle Moss, Danielle Moss (IL)

Kelly Stonelake, Kelly Stonelake Photography  (CA)

Jon Hamblin, Jon Hamblin (IL)

Bryan and Kendi Skeen, Photographers Skeen (TX)

For those interested in the Business in the City events (which are happening monthly now), I have exciting news:

We are now going to be ONLINE and IN PERSON at our December 13th event!

The wonderful people at Next Door who are hosting these free events continue to support and improve this experience. Those in Chicago are welcome to attend in person on Tuesday, December 13th from 6:30-8:00PM. There will be snacks too – last time we had awesome Thai wraps and baked goods with free made-to-order coffee shop drinks.

And for those that don’t live in Chicago, Next Door has found a way to be a part of the action! Read on for details.

How it works in person

Over the course of the past two events we’ve seen the group take shape. In general there is a turnout of about 18-20 people. We talk in a large group about our businesses or business ideas (there is a 50/50 split between business owners and those who are thinking about starting one). We then open the group up to discuss anything and everything relating to  small business.

Accounting, company structure, work/life balance, “Spaghetti Numbers,” and product development have all been discussed at length in the past, but each meet up is completely unique and based on the people in the room and the discussion at hand.

All in all, it is a great way to stay motivated, get inspired, and keep growing a business dream.

How it works online

At 6:30 p.m. Central Time on December 13th, Next Door will be on the @NextDoorChicago Twitter account chatting about small business ideas we talk about. If you want to follow the discussion or have questions, include the hash tags #smbiz#AskND in your tweet and I will answer accordingly.

Feel free to comment if you plan on coming in person or online!

Since January of 2009, I have been writing here on MML, sharing my journey to design my life with intention. I realized quickly that many people wanted to learn more about how I designed my business with intention as well. So I have laid out much of what I’ve learned from growing Jess LC over the past twelve years.

Today I have compiled all the posts by category so you can easily search for topics that may be helpful for other desk job dreamers, midnight hustlers, or small-business owners.

Enjoy!

Overcoming obstacles – In the Past I Have

Motivation – Why Bags? (Or Any Other Dream?)

When you don’t feel like doing it any more – Confession

Crafting the mission – “Specialness”

Purpose vs. career – Removing My Career From My Purpose

Relaxing – Lively Says Relax

Excuses – Getting Off Your “But”

Failure – Success vs. Failure, My Perspective

Taking time to do other things – Turning Off Your Business Mind

Over-thinking – Don’t Trip Before the Start Line

Entrepreneurship – My Philosophy on Entrepreneurship

What to do – My Best Piece of Advice

Starting off – A Letter to Small Business Newbies

Starting a business – How I’d Use $100 to Start a Business

What to do – Why Business is Like High School

When you don’t know what to do – I Will Figure This Out

When things aren’t very good – Why Starting a Business is Like Having Sex

High expectations – Takeaways From the First Three Weeks of Re-Branding

Making connections – Pick Up the Phone

Common concerns starting out – The Biggest Leaps When Going Full-Time

The motivation – Lesson Learned: No “Plan B”

Inspiration from other industries – I’ve Knocked Off Another Company

Strategy – Produce Your Own Success Story

Strategy session – Strategy Session with Susan of Modcloth.com

How to grow your business – Designing a Business With Intention

Measuring success – Annual Review

Free business coaching – Your Very Own (Free) Small Business Consultant

Problem solving – Two Things Smart Business People Know

Launch now or wait? – When to Push and When to Wait

Product development – Focus on the Goods

Design inspiration – How to Steal Like an Artist

Web traffic – Understanding Google Analytics

Organizing online orders – Gmail Order Tracking

Getting into stores – Getting Into Stores

Trade shows – So You Wanna Know About Trade Shows

Everything Wholesale – Wholesaling Insider Interview with Jess LC

Marketing and selling online – How I Succeeded at Marketing and Selling Online

Marketing advice – Marketing Advice for Online Shops

Blogging and business – Blogging and Business Answers

Blogging TV interview – Blogging and Business TV Interview

PR – Designing a Business with Intention: PR

Customer Service – When There is a Wait, Be a Good Hostess

Tricks of the trade – Make it Happen: Realistic Business

Staying Productive – 12 Ways Successful Bloggers, Entrepreneurs, Stay Productive

Budgeting – Finance with Intention: Business Budgets

When things are tough – In the Middle

Email – Email is a Privilege

Email burn out – Why I Didn’t Like Going to Work

Credit cards at trunk shows – Processing Credit Cards at Trunk Shows

Burn out – If You Want to Love Your Job, Leave It

Distractions – Makeunder Your Workday

Extra free time – 16 Things to Do With Extra Free Time

Productivity – How I Get Things Done

Hiring people – When to Hire

Business culture – Creating a Business Culture

A must read – The E-Myth Revisited

Get some rest – Give Me a Break, Every Ninety Minutes

Personal saving – Saving While Self-Employed

Family and career – Be the Best You Are With What You Have

Perks – Field Trips

Health insurance – The Price of Good Health

Who are midnight hustlers – My Small Business Heroes

Boring day job -  Turning Shit Into Fertilizer

Meet the midnight hustlers – Meet the Midnight Hustlers

Hating your job – Why it’s Good if You Hate Your Job

Midnight Hustler – JoJo of Dancing Classrooms

Midnight Hustler – Piper of One Sydney Road

Midnight Hustler – Kendi of Kendi Everyday

Why I started Business in the City – Live (Free) Small Business Workshop

What it’s like – November Business in the City

All time high – A Pilgrim’s Progress

Where I used to be – Flashback to Jess LC Circa 2001

Why MML exists – Why I Started This Blog

Getting Into Macy’s – Jess LC is Now in Mayc’s Designers of Chicago Collection

How far Jess LC has come – The Progression of Jess LC

One of the intentions I have which has been hard to implement has been saving for retirement… or just about anything else. As I’ve grown Jess LC, I find that the larger investments into marketing, product development, and inventory can drain cash quickly. So the idea of saving while I still have no real idea as to what I’ll make each month, leaves me confused and full of excuses.

Though I have managed to save chunks of money in the past, I do want to have a more regular saving strategy. And I finally think I’ve found the method that will work for me.

I now intend to automatically deposit $25 a week into my savings from my personal checking account.

In the past I had wanted to put $100/month into savings, but thought that there was a chance I would need the money for bills, and so I never took the step.

But here’s the thing. By putting $25/week, I will deposit a total of $1300 each year, which is $100 more than the original $100/month goal (which would only result in $1200/year).

The main thing I needed to recognize clearly in order to take this step is that I will still be able to withdraw money from my savings account, if needed. But at least my actions and habits reflect my goal to keep the money in savings.

Over time, I hope to increase the weekly deposit to lead to more significant savings. But until then, at least I’m starting where I am and continuing to move forward.

I hope to see you tonight! 6:30-8:00 at Next Door Chicago.

PS – There will be treats!

Today I’d like to share a lesson that I’ve learned the past few weeks over at Jess LC. I usually wait a bit longer to share things that I learn there, but this one is at the top of my mind and I think it might be helpful for other business owners now or in the future.

Since the launch of our new iPad cases and coin purses we have had unprecedented success with them and have sold through our inventory much sooner than expected.

This is good (great, even) news, yet the newer, larger, orders we’ve placed are taking a while to create. We order in small batches yet when every item is practically sold out, that means small batches of lots of products = a large order.

The craftsman that we work with on our bags and cases are local, small, and make each item by hand. At this point in time, this is great for Jess LC because I can be in the workshop working with them directly on details and there is no shipping costs or lag time. They are also competitively priced for the small quantities we order, which means that we pass those low costs onto the customers in the overall price as well. If one day I decide to try manufacturing overseas in order to serve thousands of customers I have that option. But for now, I really like having great prices for high quality materials and local craftsmanship. It makes for a more personal product and much more of my own perspective in the design.

The issue that’s coming up is that our orders are pre-selling quickly and sometimes can take longer to make than anticipated.

For someone like me who is pretty Type-A (I decorate my closets just as much as my bookshelves), this is really upsetting. After all, I am the head of the company and even though I am doing everything in my power to get these orders completed on schedule, it still reflects on me if we are delayed.

For example, I was told our most recent order would be ready by Monday, October 24th. Then I found out that there was more work to be done and they would be ready by Thursday, the 27th. But in the meantime, a close family friend of a craftsman died and he flew out to New York go to the funeral. This left just one craftsman to work on the order over the weekend. By the time that the first craftsman got back from the funeral, there was still more to do and I’m now told that they will be completed by this Wednesday.

As you can imagine, this delay was completely unforeseen.

While I was processing this whole situation over the weekend, I had an epiphany when waiting for a table at the amazing burger joint, Kuma’s Corner. Kuma’s burgers are famous all over Chicago and with a tiny kitchen and small seating area, the lines here can be easily over two hours.

Right before we got seated my friend Alex made a comment that caught my attention. He mentioned that the hostess was one of the best he’d ever had at a restaurant. Knowing that I myself felt much like a hostess in the iPad case and coin purse situation, I asked him what made her so extraordinary. His response was simple, “She just seems like she really wants to get us a table as soon as she can. I know that there are a ton of people here waiting, and that she doesn’t need to keep us in mind that much, but she keeps coming up to us and letting us know how long it will be.”

And that’s when it clicked for me: the best thing to do when there is a wait is keep everyone as up to date on information as possible, in a personal way.

This course of action also validated why my customers waiting on cases were being so understanding and supportive over the past week. I, like the Kuma’s hostess, was doing my best to keep everyone updated. On the Monday that everyone expected to get their case, I emailed each person individually and let them know that their order would be ready to ship on Friday instead of Monday, just as the craftsman told me. Then, when I found out that the cases were not ready by that Friday, I again, let each person know in a personal email. I told them that once I had an update this week I would be in touch. I kept the emails short, honest, and apologetic, after all I have been so excited to get everyone their cases as soon as I possibly can!

Once I found out this morning about the funeral situation, I again, emailed everyone with an update. The honest and open communication with each customer has gone a long way. I am so thankful and blessed to have such understanding and supportive customers who are kindly and patiently waiting for their pre-orders to ship.

Once the packages do ship out, I have also arranged a little surprise; I have handwritten little notes to each customer, thanking them for being so “sweet” and patient – and I’ve included a little chocolate treat in the order to match my sentiment.

Overall, I think that what I’ve taken out of this whole order delay and hostess analogy is that honest, friendly, personal communication with customers is the best course of action. And in order to prepare for any future delays with these small batches, I’m now estimating the ship dates on the site for pre-orders right above the add to cart button, to keep people in the loop.

So while I am learning that I do not have complete control over production; I can do my very best, and be the most excellent hostess that I can be.

There have also been a few changes from the previous event including the fact that Next Door is now opening up this event to their entire community, so we will hopefully have an even broader range of people and business ideas to share and talk about. The last event we had 18 people, so this time we are expecting anywhere from 10-30 to show up. You can now also RSVP for the event on Next Door’s calender on the November 3rd date. Feel free to RSVP, but it’s not mandatory. Next Door just wants to know about how many people plan to come so they can prepare for enough chairs and treats for everyone. Which leads me to my next announcement…

Next Door is now going to sponsor our events and will provide treats for us so we no longer need to bring our own! Which I’m very excited about since I’ve never tried any of their delicious looking baked goods.

Business in the City Run Down

As far as what the event will be like, the very loose plan is to have everyone meet in the main space in the back of Next Door (not the conference room, but the bigger space right in front of it) at a group of small tables.

We’ll go around introducing ourselves and our company/business idea. Then we’ll open up the discussion so people can share their business questions with the group. Due to the wide array of people with different backgrounds, we get some great answers, advice, and ideas to help people move their business ideas forward.

Then, we’ll break up into smaller groups based on specific topics (like service businesses, product businesses, marketing, online sales, etc.). After that, we’ll just pretty much open it up to everyone to talk to whomever they want and hang out.

The goal is to have a fun and informal meet up for people who are entrepreneurs, Midnight Hustlers, or Desk Job Dreamers.

Planning on coming? Feel free to comment here and introduce yourself!

[In direct opposition (okay, not completely) to this morning's post, I'd like to share a really important aspect to business which is about when it's not good to look for inspiration outside of yourself and your company's unique DNA.]

Pardon me, but I’m a little fired up today. While standing in line at the CVS to pick up some contact solution yesterday afternoon, I glanced at the cover of one of the weekly magazines and saw a feature on how “Ali from the Bachelor lost 10 pounds as revenge”… or something like that. Regardless of why she was losing weight as revenge (which is a pretty strange notion to begin with) or what she actually did to achieve the weight loss, I found myself with ruffled feathers.

I know that on another day, in the not-so-distant past, I would have stood there and wondered what she did to lose the weight, wondered how she might be happier now (I mean look, she got a cover feature), and speculated about whether I should try her methods to lose weight myself. But something inside me has shifted (at least for the moment). Ever since the trip to NYC and realizing my intention to pursue PR for Jess LC, my paradigm has changed. Rather than look to others successes for guidance in my life, I’ve become much more interested in my own actions and using those to propel myself further. I’ve become more interested in how I want to become successful than how others have reached their own successes.

Though I think there is a lot to be said about bibliographies, success stories, advice, and research, I also feel many of us are getting too comfortable sitting on the sidelines reading and watching other people achieve their dreams — and then attempting to replicate their achievements in our own lives.

The problem with this copycat method, I believe, is that it leaves us with a second-rate version of what worked for someone else, which doesn’t take into complete consideration all of our own unique factors. And therefore, whatever plan we follow, is innately going to clash with our individual abilities, motivations, and values – which ultimately leads to dissatisfying results, unmaintainable goals, or a simple lack of follow through on our part. Our actions need to speak to us on all levels, spiritually, physically, and mentally, and it’s very hard to really grasp that in a cookie cutter plan or a shadowed routine.

The one major concession I make in the above paragraph is when a particular plan does meet your individual spiritual, physical, and mental values – then the plan could quite possibly work with flying colors. Take my brother, for example. He has been preparing to follow the P90X routine this summer for almost a full year. He researched, thought about it, planned his meals, and devoted the hours he needed in order to reach his goal. He became so intrinsically motivated by the plan and the outcome that he faithfully executed each exercise and nutrition requirement to it’s fullest. He also reaped the rewards he desired in the process. On the other hand, I tried the Weight Watchers program for several months but finally realized I wasn’t seeing results because I wasn’t dealing with the right spiritual issue.

I maintain that many most of our failed attempts come from the fact that we are trying to fit ourselves into a prescribed routine that isn’t capturing our real desires. Or, we are fearful of failure and rush to find comfort in something that has worked for someone else. This constant focus on the information itself keeps us so busy listening to others that we are unable to actually devote the full amount of energy and attention that it takes to reach our goals.

I think this is because we underestimate how much time and devotion it requires to take action, follow through, and maintain progress. We think that if we “know” everything, we will be able to “do” everything. But the real knowledge comes from personal experience, until then, it’s just information in our brains. To follow with the magazine story example, we don’t really know how to lose weight until we actually drop the pounds. Until then we “have the weight loss information” without any experience to back it up.

So, back to my ruffled feathers, I am finding that for the first time I feel bold, less fearful of failure, and more focused on what I’m going to do next. I’m writing my success story each day that I take new actions and try new things. Not all of the things I try will lead to the success I am looking for, but each step ahead is one further away from where I started. It is a constant process that takes into consideration my personal values and goals. My path will be one-of-a-kind and unrepeatable because I am following my gut and trusting things to fall into place. I am following my purpose which is unique to me. Everyone is capable of doing this exact same thing for themselves, they just need to start tapping into what they know and stop looking around at the people next to them.

My Challenge to You

I challenge those who find themselves easily caught in the research and advice trap to take a minute this afternoon and write your own success story. Write out a future magazine feature story detailing how you are successful in three months, six months, or two years from now at the thing you are working towards.

For example, if you want to create a full-time business but are in a desk job, write the story explaining how you made your business so profitable you were able to quit your job after nine months. Explain what actions you took, what marketing efforts you made, what hiring decisions you struggled with. Write it all out and then use that as your own road map to success. Because when you stop and think about it, the story you just wrote captures your spiritual, psychical, and mental abilities and values. Your plan understands you perfectly and you resonate with it 100%.

In summary, stop reading someone else’s success story and start writing your own.

- I wrote this on August 3rd, 2010

Fact #1: Over the summer I really, really, really wanted to buy an expensive pair of Tory Burch boots which were only available via Tory Burch stores. By the time that I made my decision to plunk down the $500 for the boots, they were all sold out. They had only had a limited quantity of the style and I had no idea they were that popular. I was incredibly bummed.

Fact #2: Our new Jess LC collections are made by a few local craftsman here in Chicago and often we order in small batches to keep things manageable for the craftsman. And we have also done small runs of products which are limited edition and can sell out quickly.

Fact #3: I knocked off another company.

These three facts give you a pretty clear picture of what I have to share. Given Fact #1, I have been aware that my lack of information on how rare those boots were caused me to miss out on owning them. Had I known that they were so limited, I could have hurried my decision to purchase them rather than get my hopes up and then be disappointed.

Likewise, this same situation is also happening over at Jess LC with our new collections. Since our jewelry is made in-house, we often can make items quickly and easily as long as we can re-order the supplies used to make the styles. But our new bag, scarf, stationery, and iPad cases are all made by local craftsman in small batches. And even the materials we use are sometimes not meant to be re-ordered, but are just available for one season.

What I love about this method is that it keeps things local, intimate, and special for our shop and our customers. It feels great to keep things small at this time to grow intentionally.

And in this process, I’ve decided to knock off another company…

Yep. It’s true. I’m getting my inspiration for production from non other than the amazing and incredible Three Floyds Brewery of Munster, Indiana.

I first got introduced to the company on a beer tour with my friends Cathy and John. Mr. Lively and I drove out with Cathy and her husband to go on a brewery tour and then eat some incredibly amazing bar food (like truffle fries). And believe it or not, the whole experience pushed me to improve Jess LC.

During our brewery tour, the guide mentioned that 3 Floyds does year-round, seasonal, and collaboration batches. This way of operating a small, local business was brilliant. And I set out to do the same with my own shop.

Collaboration Collections

While 3 Floyds collaborates with breweries like Dogfish Head, I did my recent collaboration with Claudia if Fig. 2 Design Studio which resulted in our Webster note card collection. These cards are available in small quantities. And I’ve also done a collaboration item over the summer with Elizabeth Dehn as well.

So far these partnerships have been incredibly fun and successful, so I’m excited to continue adding new collaborative collections in 2012.

Year-Round, Small Batch Collections

And when it comes to 3 Floyds year-round brews, like the insanely good Gumball Head (my favorite beer of all time), we over at Jess LC make our Quincy collection in small batches as well. Due to the high demand for this collection, we also allow people to pre-order from the next batch that is to come in once the previous batch sells out.

Seasonal Collections

Then of course there are the limited edition runs of styles which are not re-order-able. Once these styles sell out, they are gone for good. Our Belmont scarves and Lake Shore bags fall under these categories.

(Lake Shore however, will return in the spring.)

How I’m Getting the Info Out to Customers

To let customers know about these details we added small arrows below, to each product page that falls under these three categories.

And each of these buttons are linked to the Collection Definitions page, which explains everything in more detail.

Which of course kinda looks like the beer list over on 3 Floyds’ site.

So there you have it. I can finally come clean and shout it out far and wide, I love and admire 3 Floyds so much that I have knocked off their production cycle.

Of course the idea of knocking off 3 Floyds is all in jest, but the truth is that this was a great example of how looking outside your own industry can give you creative solutions to your own issues or even allow you to think about your company in a fresh and unique way.

 3 Floyds image credit

I have a confession to make: after four product launches (Ainslie, Belmont, Quincy, and Webster) this fall, I have one more collection to launch, the biggest one yet, and I don’t really feel like finishing it out.

Yep, I’m exhausted from learning how to make great products that are totally outside my realm of previous experience and dealing with all of the issues, delays, details, and inventory. I have stretched myself beyond doing my usual 3 launches a year and went for five in this fall season alone. I’ve been working on these collections since April and I don’t feel like sourcing more lining, finding the last few hardware pieces, and making sure this leather from Italy makes it to Chicago safely. I don’t feel like paying for the leather, and trying to turn this all around in time for the holiday season.

But you know what?

I’m going to do it anyways.

I’m going to finish what I started. All along the way the faith and vision I have for the bags remains incredible in my mind and I still know that these are my favorite products I’ve ever designed. And just because I am tired right now, doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of pushing through and completing them.

I just need to take a deep breath, focus, and just keep going.

Recently I’ve been thinking about what I’d do if I was starting out with a brand new business while at a corporate desk job. Don’t ask what exactly prompted this, I think it has something to do with the stories I hear from Business With Intention clients and from our recent Business In The City event.

Although I had an unusually early start with Jess LC as a 15-year-old, I think that a slow but steady Midnight Hustle is totally do-able for those with a yearning to express their creativity, make some extra cash, or even start the process up full-time (eventually).

The steps that I will outline will be based on my own experience from Jess LC over the past 12 years as well as what I know the most, product selling. For this example, I’m going to pretend that I have 40 hour a week day-job that isn’t capturing my interest and a burning desire to make and sell handmade soap. Oh, and I also have just $100 to “invest” in my business.

And of course it goes without saying that the process can take a long time, cost more, or vary from my case study. But this is loosely comparing what I’ve done when I started to what is possible today.

Ready? Let’s start.

Step One: Make Some Soap

The first thing that I would do is learn how to make great soap. Right now eco-friendly, handmade, all natural body products are incredibly popular, so I would start finding formulas online or in books that fit these attributes. I’d invest most of my $100 on the items necessary to make a few dozen bars (I admittedly don’t know the costs associated with soap, but let’s imagine that we can make 50 bars of soap for $50).

After I experiment with the formula itself, I’d find ways to create unique scents because for me, I think that moisture and scent are the most important attributes besides packaging that will sell these puppies. Since the holiday season is coming up, I might craft a two regular scents and a holiday one as well.

Step Two: Design Some Packaging

Okay, assuming that I’ve pretty much perfected my soap formula, I’d then focus on the packaging. At this point I don’t need the worlds best packaging, or branding. I just need elements that are “good enough” to get started.

Because while I can most likely come up with a pretty clever or unique name, most likely that I won’t have the best graphic design skills nor the money to invest in professional boxes. And there is no use delaying a business just because things aren’t perfect right off the bat — they never are. Right now, selling my first bars and getting feedback is all that really matters.

So I’d probably get business cards printed at Vista Print for about $10* with my initial name and logo (made by myself or the most talented person I knew at graphics who would do it for free or for homemade cookies). Because I’m on a budget, I would probably make the business cards pretty and simple enough to double as my labels with soap info on the back so that I could use them in the packaging as well.

Then, I’d probably pick up some simple clear plastic bags used for party favors or something like that at Michael’s or Jo’Ann Crafts. Choosing a spool of ribbon in my company color would allow me to tie the business card/label around the clear plastic bag with the soap inside. It may not be the most elaborate packaging, but it’s useful and keeps costs low.

(Obviously packaging can vary, but the point is to double up utility when you can like the business card / label combo and purchasing packaging that is pretty but in small quantities at big box stores keep things simple and easily changed later when there is money to buy in bulk from more professional packaging suppliers.)

Step Three: Make My First Sales

For pricing, I would take my costs of the soap ($1 in this example) and packaging ($.50) and multiply it by three. $1.50 x 3 = $4.50 per bar. I would also make a three pack of each of the flavors I made that could serve as a holiday gift for $12 – which is just slightly less than the cost of three individual bars.

After I have made my soaps and their prices, I would then start telling my friends, family, and close co-workers (assuming I don’t work for a soap manufacturer) about my new side business. I would share how much fun it was to create the soaps with all the eco-friendly, all natural ingredients and how much I’ve enjoyed using it myself (assuming that I do really like my product – I’d never lie and say it’s great if I personally didn’t like it). And I wouldn’t try to sell anyone the soaps outright, I’d just let my enthusiasm for the process and products sell itself. If you are excited about what you are doing, other people can sense that and may want to seek out the sale themselves.

Though some people may want to avoid this step, I think it can be very positive. The people that know and love you are also the most interested in the new venture you are starting. Especially given that this is a low price item (you aren’t making $600 handbags), a few or even several people are likely to want to buy and try them out.

With Jess LC, I found that in the very beginning and more recently my friends and family were most likely to buy. When I was in the middle, from years 2-10, I found people would support me emotionally, but purchased less often. So be sure to get that initial support via sales in the beginning to get some cash and feedback.

The goal is to have friends, family, and your first customers tell their friends about what you are doing. Word of mouth can be great, especially if your product is good. But also, don’t expect sales to be huge immediately either. You may need to tweak the formula, change the scents, or update the packaging before things pick up more steadily.

I’d also keep all the profits from the first sales in the business. My day-job will continue to fund my life as usual for right now.

Step Four: Figure Out How I Want to Sell to People I don’t Know

After you’ve mastered your first sales via your real life contacts, it’s time to decide which way you want to sell to people you don’t know. The three main ways are: wholesale to stores, direct to customers online, and arts or crafts shows. Below I’ll explain the first steps I’d take for each of those avenues:

Wholesale

For wholesale, I would re-examine my pricing. I would take my costs, $1.50 per bar, and make the wholesale price $3 (or $2.75). Most likely stores will then mark up the soap to $6 or $5.50, depending on your wholesale price.

Then, I’d make sure that my packaging was professional looking enough to sell in a store environment and also that the cards on the soaps did a great job explaining the benefits, ingredients, and scents of my soaps. I’d also probably start a simple blog as my first website and include that url on the card as well so customers could reach out directly to me.

Then, I’d walk into the local stores that sell high end bath products, locally made goods, or all natural products. From here, I recommend reading my advice for getting into stores.

Online

To sell online, I would open an Etsy shop to start. I would get the best possible pictures I could of my products (by asking the best photographer I knew who would do it for cookies or a trade). I’d also get the best header I could, keeping things simple and clean.

After it is live, I would make sure that business cards going forward had the site url on them as well as link them to my blog with soap info.

Then, I’d take the cash I had made from the soap sales so far and purchase a blog ad with a blogger I really liked that had a readership that would appreciate all natural products like mine. I’d also send her a three-pack of soap for herself and for a giveaway on the blog. This would help me get people to my shop. Because I know very well that just having a site or Esty shop is not enough, once it’s there, it is up to me to get the word out about the store.

I’d keep repeating the process above and selling directly to people like in step three.

Art Shows

To find art shows in my area, I’d google around and also ask anyone with their own small business who was local as well. I could imagine that a Farmers Market might also be a great place for me to try out selling my products since they match a lot of the same customers and values that my products have.

 Step Five: Keep Growing

As I got more experience under my belt, I might consider hiring a blog and graphic designer like Danielle, Alaina, or Claudia to make me a beautiful site and header which I could use on my labels and business cards. Branding is a very important part of separating my products from the rest, especially when you are not able to smell them online or test them out a store.

So there you have it! I hope that this has given you some insight into the first steps that I took that would also translate to those with day-jobs. The steps I outlined could easily be done after hours or on weekends. But you most importantly need to continue to improve the product and the appearance of the site and packaging, reach out to new people, have fun along the way, and just keep going!

* If you google the words “free business cards” Vista Print reliably comes up at the top of the search with a deal for 250 free business cards, you just pay for the shipping. I have used them since college and think the price is great for the very decent quality (if you aren’t a stationery designer, that is).

Earlier this week I did a pretty good job covering how I grew Jess LC‘s online shop for Anja over at A Heart and Soul Story. She kindly allowed me to re-post my response here as well because she thought it would help MML readers and Midnight Hustlers.

How I Succeeded at Marketing and Selling Online.

One of the most popular questions I am asked about my company, Jess LC, and my blog Makeunder My Life (MML) how I managed to grow the business’s online sales via social media and blogging. It is overall a great question to ask, and one that many entrepreneurs would like to replicate with their own businesses, if possible.

And for some reason whenever I’m asked to think about this and explain my “methods” or “tactics” I hesitate and feel a bit uneasy about it. It’s not that it’s some big secret that I hide, it’s that it was never a planned out, methodical strategy to begin with. So it feels like I should be telling them what my Game Plan was when I started this online venture, but the truth is that I didn’t have one.

I just started sharing my story online, started to spend my time online, and started to connect with people online.

I was being myself and doing my thing on the internet the same way that I would do so in real life. I wasn’t just trying to get sales, I was being myself and getting to know people and I tried to make a difference. I knew that I wanted to help people design lives with intention, I believe that that is my calling and purpose in life. I figured out through trial and error that blogging about this would be a way to help people in a large way without having a book deal, media agent, or huge following. I had a blank post to show up to each day and I shared what I had to offer on MML.

Because I found blogging as the best way to reach people with my purpose, I also started to advertise Jess LC, the company, on blogs as well. I was a huge blog reader myself at the time, and I thought it would be great to introduce people to my goods on the blogs that I loved the most. Advertising for Jess LC was very successful when I worked with large blogs with large audiences. Giveaways were great too.

I also became friends with many bloggers, some were just starting out along with me, some had big followings which I met through my Jess LC sponsorships, and some because I simply emailed and introduced myself. As we became better friends, it made sense to me to try to bring my brand to life by asking some of the fashion bloggers to be models for lookbooks for my new collections. And that also ended up spreading my business around the web more as well. And again, I continued to show up and help people design lives with intention day in and day out on MML.

In order to meet and connect with readers and customers I also started to get on Twitter and Facebook as well. It’s not that those sites “made me successful” but they gave me a channel to talk to people quickly and easily that wanted to reach me. Do I use the sites very often? Truthfully, no. I don’t go on as much as many business owners do, but I think they are overall helpful for me to say hi to people and share what we are doing in the studio. And of course the good old business email newsletter is still a great way to announce new launches and deals to my customers as well.

But more than any of those things individually, I succeeded because I spent the time being myself and sharing my purpose and business. I spend most of my day online interacting with readers, customers, writing posts, making graphics, and reading other blogs. I get tons of my inspiration for new products via blogs, and I love chatting with friends via Twitter and email. These are the things that I like to do naturally, so it is easy for me to do them consistently and with success.

So all in all, there isn’t a Right Way to succeed at selling and marketing online as much as it is about loving what you are doing, connecting with people in that space, and being yourself. No one can replicate what I’ve done specifically because what I’ve done is organic and completely my own, developed over three years of steady effort. But, on the flip side, what you are able to accomplish by being yourself and sharing your unique business and passions with the online world is equally unlimited. So just get started and see where it leads. The more “you” you are online, the more customers will trust and respect you and your business.

Thanks to the great response to the first Business in the City event we had in October (we had 18 wonderful people!), I am going to have it again in November. My hope is that this meet up group for people with business ideas and business questions can be a roughly once a month event at Next Door.

The November event will also be at 659 W. Diversey from 6:30-8:00 (feel free to come late or leave early if you need to)- only this time we are going to have it in the main space rather than the conference room to have more room to move around and chat with one another.

Friends are welcome and you can always pass this on to anyone you know who is a Midnight Hustler, small business owner, or someone who just has an idea they are daydreaming about at their desk job.

We’ll do a round of introductions, open it up to general questions, and then split into smaller groups based on specific topics.

Feel free to comment if you plan on coming!

I came across this video on Rockstar Diaries this morning and thought it was a pretty interesting (read: kinda extreme) way to makeunder distractions. For me, the idea of letting go of distractions is great, but I find that my email intervention is a great method to calm the distractions in my off hours. Any other distraction techniques out there working well?