This week, I had a follower on instagram private message me and inquire about how I started "it all". She provided me with flattering feedback and went on to ask for suggestions about where she should even begin with following her passion. Well, Jessica Lunsford, you inspired me to write this post today--just a few days after we have launched our online shop!
Vivid Hue Home Online Shop |
To think it all started with this blog is pretty crazy. My first post was on February 2, 2012 and the topic was about Massimo Vitali (one of my favorite photographers). I discussed where to acquire budget friendly Massimo Vitali Impostors . That single post has since yielded over 20,000 impressions...periodically I have to remind myself to go back and check the post itself to make sure the original images are still showing up.
Read another Massimo Vitali post here |
In preparing this post, I'm reminded of the numerous hours I spent In the beginning creating daily blog posts, oftentimes staying up well past midnight to ensure I did not miss my self-imposed daily publishing goal. Now, only a handful of years later, I have opened a storefront and just launched our online shop. And somehow, I still find myself staying up past midnight many nights working on duties related to Vivid Hue Home.
Vivid Hue Home, 2nd shop. Photo Courtesy of Shelia Casey |
But let's back up...
From the get-go, my mantra has been:
stay true to yourself
do what works best for you
take baby steps
I'm not saying this path is tried and true or even conventional, but it has worked for me.
In 2007, I found myself having left my career working with a major digital advertising agency so that I could help my husband open his medical practice in Connecticut. I was a young new mom and loved the flexibility of putting so much attention into our own entrepreneurial endeavor. My skills from my "previous career" came in handy and I was able to manage the financial and staffing aspects of the new practice. However, after several years, I realized that I wasn't addressing my own drive and passion. I needed more to fulfill me personally.
On a whim, I decided to create the blog as an outlet to showcase my own home projects and also highlight designers and artists for whom I personally loved. I also liked to decorate using colorful patterns and colors. Thus, "vivid hue" and "home" decor seemed to go together.
Vivid Hue Home was born.
This was the original Vivid Hue Home blog design. I found a web designer through etsy that could customize the blogger.com template for me so it wouldn't look so cookie-cutter.
I was stringent at first about my need to publish a blog post every single day. After posting, I spent several more hours each day networking with other bloggers. This was before instagram and therefore comments on a blog feed were gold. I spent each night networking with other design bloggers, commenting on their posts, Hosting them on Vivid Hue, and being featured on their blogs. We were all relatively new and just starting out then. And now, it's fun to see how many of those friends have grown.
Maria Barros + The Pink Pagoda on Vivid Hue Home |
Broome Street Studios Photo Courtesy |
Since then we've each branched out into unique directions; either designing textiles, opening storefronts, or extending interior design businesses. The common denomenator:
This building a brand stuff takes dedication.
and Remember...baby steps. Do what you can, as you can manage it.
Better yet, the landlord was willing to negotiate an 18 month lease rather than a standard 60 month or longer. I decided that it was almost very little risk for me to take the leap.
Making the decision to turn a hobby into an actual business where there are now financial factors to consider is extremely scary. I was fortunate that my business background in managing financial budgets for clients and then also managing finances for our medical practice prepared me with skills and confidence to be able to do so In the shop business. There is a significant amount of structural ground work that must be laid out when beginning a business. To name a few:
- I had to declare Vivid Hue Home as a business with our local town.
- I had to establish a State Tax ID for the business which meant I would now be required to report quarterly taxes.
- I needed a financial book keeping system and selected the Quicken software because it was what we were already using for the medical practice.
- I decided that I would need support staff right from the start because I wanted to also continue to be available for my family.
- I decided to utilize the third-party payroll company and our accountant from the medical practice for Vivid Hue as well (so In that regard, it helped to have already set up a previous business).
- I had to research inventory tracking tools (I selected Clover Point of Sale- POS only because we were banking with Bank of America and that was their POS system).
- I also needed a Merchant Service account for processing credit card fees (and again, to keep it simple for myself, I selected Bank of America simply because we were already customers there).
- I opened a business bank account and ordered a business credit card and checks.
- I had to learn about opening wholesale accounts with vendors and meeting minimum order requirements. This involved researching unique vendor brands and products and finding out their contact information (this continues to be a continual part of the business).
- I needed to determine how I would market my business, would I pay for advertising and would it be print or online marketing?
One aspect that helped me significantly is that I'd grown my social media presence already through years of blogging. My facebook presence was large and my instagram following was growing.
I soon learned to have confidence In my own personal way for operating my own business. How I operate works best for me and will allow me to sustain this business well into the future.
do what works best for you
After 18 months In our charming cottage, we were literally busting at the seams and ready for a larger location. As luck (or fate) would have it, an available location opened up two doors away from the cottage. It was three times larger. It was also directly next door to a very popular bakery that draws a large lunch crowd daily. My mantra "baby steps" played through my head but this also seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Vivid Hue Home Bigger Location |
That is another thing about growing a brand and being an entrepreneur: sometimes it's not so much about luck as it is opportunity meeting preparedness. And when opportunity falls right into your lap, you have to be prepared to take a calculated risk if it means one more step towards growth.
Last fall, after an unusually slow sales day In the shop, I decided on a whim to post our adorable palm pajamas onto instagram. Only this time, I told our followers that I would sell and ship to anyone across the United States. Previously, we didn't ship and our products were limited to those that could physically visit our store front In Connecticut.
That evening from the comfort of my living room, I sold over thirty pajamas to be shipped to across the country. This was a game changer.
Selling on instagram quickly became a signifiant financial aspect of our Vivid Hue brand. And so, In the spring of 2018, we began planning and developing our online shop so that we could bring our products to you even more seamlessly.
I'm so thrilled with this latest step In our business. We still have other personal milestones to accomplish with building the Vivid Hue brand and we'll see how those unfold as opportunities come across our plate In the months and years to come.
It can be very scary to take that first step towards doing what will personally fulfill you. I would encourage you to force yourself to do it. Once you "jump" it becomes less scary and you'll find that you become more and more confident. Be willing to execute your plan the way that works best for you, not necessarily the way that others feel you should be doing it. Be willing to put In the time. Anything worth doing takes time and dedication. Be patient. Be willing to shift gears that will allow you to capitalize on the opportunities that cross your path.
And then, sit back and enjoy the happiness that comes your way from doing something you truly enjoy.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support.
xoxo
Heather