Motivation Monday

8 Must Read Posts For Motivation and Inspiration

Last week I shared my struggles with you about my business and how things are not going as well as I planned.

Well I made a little effort this week and worked on my social media sties, as well as starting a promotion featuring an item of the week.

The investment of my time has paid off a little. The views in my shop have really picked up (but no sales), and I also created and sent out my newsletter for August. You can check it out here. I am trying to make this a regular thing for my Etsy shop, and so far I am not doing so bad this year.

I am still lacking in motivation and feeling a little uninspired. I know once I get back in my groove, things will be a little easier.

In the Monday Motivation post JoJo from Tahoma Beadworks & Photography, Leann from Pasque Flower Ponderings, T from Poppy Place PDX, Reshma from Masala Mango Mantra, also expressed how they were feeling unmotivated and uninspired, so I thought I would share some of the posts I have been reading to help me get out of my funk.

Sometimes it helps to read a little something everyday to stay positive and motivated. 

Here are 8 blog posts to check out each day over the next week, for some inspiration to keep moving forward.

~ Ready, Set, Grow: 3 Tweaks to Get Out of the Rut

~ 20 Habits That Will Make You Highly Successful

~ 25 Ways to Wake up and Feel Positive for the Day

~ 3 Steps to Stop Procrastinating and Start Working on Your Dream Project

~ 22 Ways to Get You Out of Your Funk

~ 7 Ways to Clear Your Mind of Negative Thoughts

~ When Doubt Get in the Way of Productivity

~ 10 Things People with Passion do Differently

What are other ideas you use to stay motivated and inspired?

Motivation Monday

What you think, you become.

What you feel, you attract.

What you imagine, you create.

Are you feeling motivated today?

Want a Stress Free Weekend - Make a List

Want to have a stress 

free weekend? 

Make a list of everything you need to do for the next week. Include everything you can think of, even the little things. Once you have your list complete hang it up in your work area and then forget about the list till Monday.

Having all those pesky business issues off your mind and on your list, will make it easier to let go and have a stress free weekend. 

Knowing you have your list ready to review on Monday, you can enjoy all the fun activities you are going to do all weekend long.

When Monday rolls around, pull out your list and start creating your to-do list for the week.

Enjoy your Weekend!

My Struggles

I have spent the last few weeks thinking about a new plan for the fall and holiday season. 

After a great start this year things my business has really fizzled out, and things are slow. I have yet to have a good show this year, my Etsy shop sales have been far and few between, and I am struggling with what to do next.

Staying positive when things are down is challenging. I had a conversation with my husband last week about shutting down my business and getting a job. He is so great, he told me I would regret it and to just keep working hard. He knows me so well.

I am working on staying positive and motivated, when I do the Monday Motivation posts they are just as much for me as they are for you.

As I try to figure things out and what I want to do going forward I have been busy working on reevaluating my social media plan.  I only want to invest my time into a few good sites so I am not wasting what little time I have. Social media can be such a time sucker. 

This summer I have been investing some time into Insatagram, it's pretty easy to use and with latergram.me I can schedule my posts which makes it much easier to incorporate into my day. Other social media sites I plan to use regularly are Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can follow me on all these sites at @additionsstyle.

As I work through my struggles of what to do next, I am going to spend a lot of my time in August working on marketing my Etsy shop. Hopefully I can get back in the grove and bring in more sales.

My mantra for August is going to be  

"I will generate income everyday" 
&

I just posted this in my studio for inspiration

Click here to print out a copy for yourself

Now I just need a good plan.

I will share with you more about my struggles and my future plans in the coming weeks. Please feel free to share in the comments or you can email me at additionsstyleblog@gmail.com.

What are some strategies you do, when you are struggling with your business?

Motivation Monday

Market Locally

Summer is a great time to get out and market your business locally. 

With a variety of art / craft show, events, and networking opportunities there is always ways to market your business.

Looking for shows to participate in, in your area, check out Craftlister.com or festival net.com. 

I enjoy doing shows and participating in events to share my business with my community. Getting out and meeting my customers is one of my favorite things, and it has helped my business as well. I get to test out new products, determine my best sellers, and doing shows and events has helped me to narrow down my target market.

A few new pieces I will be showing at my upcoming show

I also leave my business cards in local coffee shops and post them on community boards, teach classes, and talk about my business whenever I have the opportunity. During the holidays I had a ton of sales from the ladies at my gym, just for mentioning my business after a class.

Marketing your business in your community is a great way to expand your business. This is also a great time of year to put yourself out there and start promoting what you have to offer!

How do you market your business locally?

Motivation Monday

Keep Trying

When things are not going our way,

  it's tempting to sit back and wait.

But then, more then ever, we must renew our efforts.

Believe in yourself.

Back your judgment.

Push through your protective boundaries.

Keep going.

Now Is the Time by Patrick Lindsay