How To Stop Being Scared Of Starting A Handmade Business
It is really scary starting your own handmade business and putting yourself out there online. One of the things that really held me back from achieving success with my Etsy shop in the beginning was FEAR. I was so scared of starting a handmade business and letting people know about it.
Here are some of the fears I had when starting my handmade business and how I stopped being scared:
What will people think of me?
I was worried that people would think it’s silly to be selling handmade things.
I felt like they would think that it’s not a good enough job because I’m just selling homemade crafts online.
I was afraid that they’d judge me and my handmade products.
I didn’t post any of my handmade items on social media because I was so worried my family and friends would judge me.
I’ve spent so much time in my life worrying about what other people think. I’ve literally missed out on things that I really wanted to do because I let my fear of what people would think hold me back.
How to stop being scared of what people think:
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that it’s my life and I have to live the way I want to and it doesn’t matter what other people think of it because they aren’t living my life.
I had to stop and think “Will I worry about what they think if I’m successful and making more money than they do?” No. I can tell you now that I am successful with my handmade business, that I absolutely don’t care what anyone thinks about it.
A huge part of this fear is actually not having confidence in your products and shop. Once you have confidence in what you’re doing in your handmade business, you’ll be able to overcome this fear.
You have to just get started and you’ll gain your confidence as you go. I promise.
I’m not good enough.
I think just about everyone feels not good enough at some point in their life. Some of us feel it quite often. Maybe you see other shops online and think how will you ever be that good.
How to stop worrying that you’re not good enough:
If you’re seeing a shop that looks like perfection, they have been doing this for a while and they didn’t start out perfect. It’s a learning process and everyone starts out messy in the beginning.
It can be overwhelming to think that you have to be perfect from the beginning. You don’t have to be perfect and no one is. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. Don’t be afraid to start messy.
You are good enough and smart enough to do this and you will learn as you go.
My handmade products aren’t good enough.
If you feel like maybe your crafts aren’t good enough to sell, you’ll never know until you try. And you’re going to learn to be able to make them better through getting started and selling a few things.
How to stop being scared that your handmade products aren’t good enough:
You’ll figure out how to make your products better as time goes on. My first set of placemats was much different from what I sell now. As I sold a few sets, I learned what products work better to make my items and how I can make them faster.
Your work is good enough to get started. Keep learning to make them even better. You don’t have to be the best to get started.
What’s the worst thing that could happen? Maybe you get a return with some feedback on why they don’t like them and you can take that and know what you need to do differently to make your handmade items even better.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
Maybe you’ve never owned your own business before. It’s scary starting something you’ve never done before. I get it! But think of how amazingly proud you’ll be when you start figuring it all out.
You can bypass this with my Simple Etsy Shop Setup Toolkit. It’s a step by step video tutorial and templates to help you set up a professional Etsy shop that customers will feel confident buying from so you can make more sales and earn more money for your family.
How to stop worrying that you don’t know what you’re doing:
You have to just start and step by step you will figure out what you’re doing. Everything may not always work out perfectly, but if it doesn’t, you learn from it and do better next time.
No one really knows what they’re doing when they’re new. We all just fumble our way through and eventually we master it.
The key here is to get started and keep going even when it feels frustrating and difficult. And know that it’s ok to get things wrong, everyone does. That’s how we learn and get better.
What if I fail?
Isn’t this the big thing we’re all afraid of?! The fear of failure is crippling. This right here feeds into all of the above fears.
If you fail, what will people think of you? You’ll feel like you and your work weren’t good enough. It will be proof that you didn’t know what you were doing.
How to overcome the fear of failure in your handmade business:
What is the worst thing that could happen if you fail? You can start a handmade business for under $100, so you don’t have to lose a ton of money. You wasted your time. People will see you fail and think you’re a failure. You’ll feel like a failure.
Or you can turn it all around and realize that failures are just lessons.
And what if you don’t fail? What if this is the best thing that ever happened to you? What if you feel more proud of yourself than you ever have? What if you realize how freaking awesome you are and gain a true love for yourself that you’ve never felt?
THE REAL KEY TO HOW TO STOP BEING SCARED OF STARTING A HANDMADE BUSINESS
You have to punch fear in the face and just do it. Decide right now that you’re going to do it. Write it in your journal or on a piece of paper. Write down all the details of what you’re going to do and how you’ll do it and make a commitment to yourself.
I know it sounds like a ridiculously simple answer, but facing your fear head on is the way to overcome it. By facing your fear, you’ll gain a sense of pride in yourself that you never knew was possible.
How can you grow if you don’t try anything new?
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