My planned one week break from this linky party (while I was gone at Sewing Summit) turned into a one month break. Whoops. Well, I'm here to say it's BACK!! :)
For me it's be a bit of an adventurous last month. I had a great time at Sewing Summit, had a couple different boughts of being sick with one thing or another - but don't worry, besides this cold I'm doing MUCH better than I have for the previous 2 months. Wahoo! :) Neil hit a deer with his car and totaled it (not looking forward to buying a new car in no-mans-land). And anyway, my blank pages have taken a bit of an interesting turn in the last week or so.
For a few different reasons, WE decided - yes my hubby is very excited and supportive of this decision, which is also has included a bit of prodding from him to come to this - that I should take my hobby a little more seriously! I am in the process of developing a Business Plan. It sounds so serious. lol. But it's good. He helped me realize that I need to figure out more than just all the different tasks or projects that I can cross off my list, but to figure out WHY I want to do this = motivation. As well as WHERE I want to go = goals. I have a few, or maybe a lot, of different dreams when it comes to my "hobbies", and this has been good reflection to help me solidify them and figure out how to actually achieve them. Getting on the cover, or even in the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 6 magazine I feel was a bit of a lucky coincidence. No idea how that happened, but there is one dream come true. To make my other dreams a reality, it's going to take a bit more work though I'm afraid. Ok, not afraid, but I need to be better organized, have a plan, and have a goal. I even got out my old planner and ordered some refill pages for a few months to help me get started. See? I'm serious about this! lol.
So here is my beginning... and I have no idea what I'm doing. lol. But I do have a couple questions for you on a few different topics, if you are willing to give a little feedback:
I've had an Etsy shop for a while now. It's been up and down, and has definitely followed the trend of how much I put into it is what I get out of it = almost nothing in the last year. ;) I struggle with what to make. I do buy from others, but since I like to make, I feel like everyone else like's to make too. If I make pouches, will others buy them? or just make their own? I think there are a million shops that sell pouches. Anyway, my question is, is there something you've seen on my blog, or in my shop before that you think would be a good selling item(s)?
I've read lots of articles on blogs about getting sponsors, and how you need 25,000 hits a month, and this many followers, and crazy outrageous numbers. Which I'm sure all help. But then I see blogs that I
know assume aren't to those markers, but they have sponsors, so I know those stats aren't always the case.
As a reader, what do you think about sponsors on blogs? are they annoying? at what point to they get there? do you love them? how to do you feel about them? Personally I stop reading blogs when they become all about sponsors, so I don't want to get to that point at all. But I'm curious as to what other people think about blogs that just start getting sponsors.
As a sponsor, what do you look at when you choose to sponsor a blog? what makes you say yes to one blog and no to another? Do you prefer to pay money? or by product? Do you ever approach blogs? or do you always wait until someone approaches you?
My main idea with sponsors is for The One Stop Giveaway Shop (ok, I know this is usually a topic that I never see on blogs, but I don't mind talking about those forbidden topics. perhaps someone will be offended? idk. whatever) :) I love that blog, it's fun, and I always get excited when people fill out the form and want to use it as a resource, which is becoming more and more common! :) But it's also something I do on my complete free time (which the quantity of is becoming less, and I need to be a bit more choosy about what I'm spending my time doing = now I have a decision to make.) I would love to spend more time on that blog, do more to market it, get more people using it, which would help everyone that posts giveaways on there. As well as spend more time finding and posting giveaways. The one solution that I can think of that would solve my dilemma would be to get sponsors! I'm not thinking a lot, just 5 or 6, perhaps one free sponsor spot that is won through a giveaway every month (since it is a giveaway blog!). I don't want to ask a lot either, just enough to cover where I'm at with the blog. Anyway,
if you know someone that would be interested in sponsoring the blog, would you pass along their info, or send them my way? That would be awesome. Or if you just have advice in how to get in contact with sponsors. That would be great too!! I would love to see that blog grow and think it could be really great!
Ok, and secretly I would love to get sponsors for this blog too!!!! I am constantly in this pull of "should I post this as a tutorial? or sell it as a pattern?" One of my favorite things is sharing what I know and teaching others!! I would love to make more video tutorials, post more projects, etc. But it goes back to TIME, as well as other personal reasons that, as much as I'd love to give everything away for free, that doesn't feed the babies, sort of stuff.
What about patterns makes you buy them? Do you have to see lots of examples of it first? or only buy from people who are already super successful and well known? What is that final lure that lets you say, "ok. I'll pay for that pattern." Anyway, I'm just wondering. I get a LOT of downloads for my free patterns on Craftsy, but selling patterns on there is a different story. Maybe I just give all my best patterns away for free, and try to sell my lousy ones. lol. Just asking for any feedback. Might as well ask, right?! :)
Ok, I think that's all the questions I have. Thanks for any advice or feedback you might have! I am entering new territory here and figure I could use all the help I can get... and perhaps avoid a little more live-and-learn experiences. ;) But then that's what this from blank pages... linky is all about! Sharing new ideas and sometimes getting back feedback as to how to make sure it turns out it's best! :)
Here's a few things when linking up:
- PLEASE make sure to link back to this post in your blog post! Let others know where you're sharing your projects so they can come share theirs as well! :) Or Grab a button!
- Make sure you are talking about some kind of beginnings in your post. If I can't figure out how it ties into this theme, I'll have to delete your link. no offense.
- stop by others posts and leave some comment love! :)
Linky will be open until Saturday night! :)
