I posted about this book on Tuesday. Its "Start your Business Week by Week" by Steve Parks. I have read the first week's chapter and pretty much nailed it down.
So I am hoping to share what I learn with you out there who wants to start from the ground up. The journey will be bumpy with many many pitfalls but you know what? You learn from your mistakes. So if you fall down, get up, brush yourself up and try and try again until you find something that works. I will try to incorporate Steve Park's ideas along with a few other books that I have i.e. Craft Inc. With posts like this I hope to learn from my mistakes and hopefully you can learn from mine.
Ok back to Steve Park's book. This week's task is to get a space for your business. Well I already have that space. My Studio. That is a room where I create and do all the admin work for the business. I already have all the supplies that I needed like pen, computer and etc. So I am pretty much set for the whole week. Steve recommends that we start the week on a Sunday and reflect on a Saturday, but I prefer to start my week on a Monday and end on a Sunday. Why? Not sure why. I work better that way.
I think it is important to have a space to work. It may be a spare room or a little corner or the entire house. I know not many people have the privilege of having a spare room but don't fret, with a small area and storage containers, it can work too. I remember when I was sharing my house with 3 other housemates, I had multiple storage containers in one corner and took it out only when I need to work.
You want to make sure that your work space is properly lit too. As a crafter or *ehem* designer, you need to look at what you are doing. You do not want to accidentally sew your fingers shut, believe me it hurts - YES... I have accidentally sewn my fingers shut. I love natural lighting and with my current studio I have a big window facing south and I get the late morning and afternoon sun, perfect for taking photos and working on fiddly things. My studio is also fitted with energy saving light globes that emits white light. White light is brilliant because in my opinion one, it saves energy - because its one of those energy saving globes- and two, it does not tire your eyes out and if you are working with beads this is good because you can see the bead's true colour - very very important.
Now next is having the right stationeries. Paper, pens, highlighters scissors and etc. are very important if you want to start up. I love stationeries so sometimes I go overboard but now with a tight budget, I manage to control myself and stick to a list. I had many left over stationeries from my Uni days so that is a big plus. Also, if you have a business registration number or an ABN, its good to check with your supplier if they are willing to set up a business account with you and you may be able to get your items at a cheaper rate. So don't be afraid to ask. I did. Since I order stationary at work, I have a good relationship with our firm's supplier and asked the manager if I could open an account with him and he said yes. So make a list of what you need and go to your stationary store and fill that basket.
Next, Computer or Laptop with a printer. I think this is also another important part of setting your own business. Now a days things are done via the Internet. You want to make sure that you have a good computer with reasonable speed and the proper software. Who wants a slow computer where you have to wait yonks for it to download or upload? Not me. I get really frustrated when I have to wait a long time for something to upload or download. Now this does not mean that you have to go out and buy the most expensive computer with the most expensive software out there. Just find something that is suited for the business that you are running. Make sure you do not forget to get a simple printer too. They are important for printing out receipts, invoices and all your paperwork that you have done.
As for the software bit, it depends on what you are doing. Since I am trying to set up a business where I mainly sell my work online, the most important software for my business is a Photo editing software. Now, Photoshop is very very expensive but a very useful tool for doing photo editing, but if you are like me and all you want to do is just do a little adjustments, here are two FREE software that you might want to use. GIMP and Paint.Net. I am using Paint.Net. I feel like its almost the same as Photoshop but you might want to give it a try first before you stick to one. I tried GIMP and it was too complicated for me.
Ok, so I have gone on and on about creating a space and stationeries. I am happy to hear about your tips and idea on the subject matter.
