It can be scary to jump in the entrepreneurship world with your art. You don’t know if people are going to like it or laugh at you.

My name is Laser Lady and I’ve been designing and selling my own laser cut jewelry for a decade. I want to ease some of your tension with some of my very own life experiences. I truly believe that if you go into this with the right mindset, you will prevail and achieve your handmade business dreams!

Mindset Shift – You Aren’t Your Product

Once you start making products, you feel connected to them. It’s like when a little kid holds up their art to their parents and they go, “Oh wow. That is very good!”, and you feel great even though the chances are, they have no idea if that’s a drawing of a dog, or giraffe or even a house.

As humans, we crave validation. But, once you are selling products, you have to take yourself out of your art. Your story, background and process can all help to sell you products, but once it is bought, the customer will just see it as an object. They’re not our parents, being reminded of you and your weird art every time they open the fridge. They just now have a thing that you so happened to have made.

People are Crazy – Forget About Them

• I have been accused of breaking a pair of earrings on purpose and then shipping them to a customer.
• I have been told to my face that my jewelry is ugly at a convention.
• I have even gotten a review that I single-handedly ruined someone’s Christmas because their order didn’t get to them in time.

To me, that first person is obviously nuts. The second has a problem with keeping their thoughts in their head. And, the third ordered 3 days before Christmas, what did they expect?

I have worked customer service jobs for so long, I can’t help but laugh at this point in my life.

You know how in rated R movies they put on TV they dub over all the cuss words? I just say in my head, “Well, Forget You.” Get a 2 star rating because the customer thought the pendant was bigger? “Forget you.” Got someone frothing in the mouth over shipping costs or delivery issues? “Well, forget you, snot head.”

You have to Take a Leap of Faith – It will Surprise You

You know that some people will be negative towards your products. Heck, some people you know and are close to might be negative toward your ambition to even start this business of yours.

I’m going to get personal with you. Every time I started a business, I had pushback. I had people in my life that would audibly scoff at my ideas and sarcastically say, “Good luck.” Even after my success, I have people ask me where my money actually comes from.

The only way I can shut them out and shut them up is to turn that into my motivation. I have to prove them wrong because I know I have it in me, and I know you do, too.

Negative Energy is still Energy, so use it as Fuel.

Sometimes, your worst enemy is yourself. You need to take a leap of faith on yourself. There is a place and time to say, “I can’t.” Personally, I can’t lift 300 pounds, do a backflip or cook macarons. And yet, none of those things are impossible, even for me to do. Maybe not the 300 pounds lift, but I could train hard and figure out the other 2.

I am convinced the things you tell yourself you aren’t ready for or can’t do, is malarkey. Hogwash. Ridiculous.

You prove yourself right by your non-action. Stop standing in your way.

I remember my first eBay listing back in 2012. My New Years Resolution was to start another side hustle. My goal was to sell little things from around the house while I figured out where to source wholesale goods. I had listed a few and on New Years, at about 12:03 AM, my first sale came through. I think I cried, it was like a message from the heavens.

It never would have happened, though, if I never started making listings. To move forward, you have to start taking steps. Not talking about steps, not waiting for the right time to take a step, no more excuses.

I have started and failed at maybe 5 or 6 businesses before I landed where I am today. Give yourself time. Be kind to yourself, especially if no one else is. Once you find your perfect customers, you will be so glad you took that leap.

Trust me, over time and the natural collection of stories you will gain after years of diving into your dream, you will have plenty to look back on. Both good and bad.

Take the leap! You’ll be happy you did. 💘

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