Summer Launch

The Update

Summer is nearly over but I managed to squeeze in a launch before Fall and the fast approaching holiday season!

Truth be told, I fully intended this launch to happen back in June… clearly that didn’t happen! I would have even been pleased to make it happen by July… but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

For those of you who don’t know, allow me to tell you a little bit about me and why my life is a bit more chaotic than I’d like at the moment— Being a small business owner isn’t my full-time gig. I work 9 to 5 as a child and family therapist and I’m currently working to obtain my licensure. As part of this process, I’m required to obtain over 3,000 hours of experience before I can submit my application and take my licensing exam. It’s a process that has taken me just over 2 years to complete.

If you work in the mental health field, or know someone who does, you may know that this phase of my professional development is often lovingly referred to as “working in the trenches”. It’s the time in my career when I’m over-worked and underpaid. I could go on, but I won’t since that’s not why you’re here (we’re getting to the launch soon, I promise!).

Long story short, I’m nearly done with my 3,000 hours (less than 100 to go!!!), so my focus has been on finishing up my hours and preparing for my licensing exam. Additionally, working in the mental health field these days has been incredibly demanding and so my mental and physical energy hasn’t been at full charge lately.

All that aside, I still find my work as a small business owner to be incredibly fulfilling and rewarding and it has continued to give me the sense of control and the creative outlet that I desperately seek at this time in my life. Therefore, this launch was exactly what I needed to reinvigorate myself and get back to working towards my shop goals! 👊

This isn’t a “huge” launch— but I’m really excited about it nonetheless. I’m getting more comfortable with outsourcing my products to 3rd party manufacturers, which creates near-limitless possibilities for future launches!!! 👀

The Postcards

I had some reservations about bringing prints to the shop. I still have stock of prints that I never sold from back in 2014, which has continued to discourage me. I’ve built this narrative around it, telling myself “my prints just don’t sell”. Regardless of my own negative thinking, I’m deciding to do the thing again anyway! I’m taking what I’ve learned from previous failed attempts at business (and there have been several), and applying that knowledge here. I’m starting small! I’m offering 9 different postcard designs, each of which will only have a limited stock available (approximately 5 of each design will be available). This will allow me to see what sells well before restocking or creating more designs. If they do sell well—great! I’ll keep em’ coming. If not— great! I gathered more data and didn’t risk a big investment in the process.

I do have to say that I’m in love with the designs, though. I love the flexibility of being able to buy a postcard and frame it as a print, or send it to someone as a way to brighten their day!

The Keychain

If you recall my last launch, then you know that this isn’t the first keychain design that I’ve launched. However, my “Full Time Dreamer” design was so popular from my last launch, that I thought I’d bring it out as a keychain as well. I was a bit unsure about the design, debating whether or not the acrylic should be clear or white. If it sells well, I may bring it out in both options. I also can’t help but think it would look amazing in enamel 👀 (Don’t get ahead of yourself, Amanda).

The Pin

And last, but certainly not least, THE PIN! My very first pin design. I have wanted to launch a pin design since starting my shop back in January. Ive done tons of research into different materials and manufacturers. At this time, I feel the best option for me is to offer acrylic designs, because I can order a low quantity and experiment with what designs are going to sell well. While I love the idea of selling enamel pins, my lil’ old shop just isn’t quite there yet. I hope to offer them in the future, but I’m waiting for my shop to be a bit more established.

In the meantime, having my logo in pin form feels completely surreal. I adore this little pin and am resisting every urge to keep one for myself. There are only 10 available for this first launch. I’m already planning what designs I want to make next, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Everything else

I’ve also been frantically re-stocking stickers using my new method to make them more durable and water resistant. Some of the stickers available in my shop now are still done using the old method (plain glossy vinyl), whereas the new ones have a more satin finish. I’m working to phase out all of the plain glossy stickers in favor of this new method, so thank you for bearing with me while I try not to waste perfectly good stickers! I’m also continuing to phase out old designs, so any stickers that are on sale won’t be re-stocked once they’re gone. If you see something you like, snag it while you still can!

Conclusion

Aaaand, there’s the launch! It’s nothing crazy, (I think we’ve all had enough crazy for this year) but I think it’s the perfect launch to get us through till the holiday madness begins! Don’t worry… I’ve already been planning ahead for that too!

I’ve also been prepping for Creative & Caffeinated’s first in-person event in September. I’m going to be offering some items that will be exclusive to the event initially and will be bringing my leftover stock to the shop shortly after! If you’re going to be in the San Diego area on September 18th, I highly recommend you stop by the Sunshine Handmade Market and say hi to me and a bunch of other local makers! Hope to see you there!