Okay I think the 2 things that are really getting to me lately is that

  1. I have been running 50% off sales and I feel like if I can’t make sales during this time of the year, then I truly am a failure.
  2. I have a 0%apr credit card that goes back to having interest in January and I still have 6k to pay off (I recently put 6k on it that was not made by my business so really had 12k debt)

I am a very blessed person. I’m a sahm and our family is not balling by any means but we aren’t dependent on my business succeeding for bills or groceries.

Things have been going really well in my life outside of my business but I cannot move past how hopeless I feel because I’ve failed to even make 6k after nearly 9 months of putting in so much time and effort.

I try and dwell on the positive - like how my husband is supportive and how I really like having a project to work on anyway so doing this has kept my mind sharp and I’ve learned so much But i still feel like I’ve encountered SO much bad luck, like spending 2 days trying to take professional looking photos and they looked great on the camera screen but came out blurry in Lightroom - that’s just one example but it’s a LOT of stuff like that. Things that even though I try to have a positive mindset and tell myself - you’ll really only fail if you give up now. Anyway, I know it’s wild because there’s so much competition but in the most consumer driven, spendiest time of the year I still can’t get it right And now my only options are take money I didn’t earn to pay off my bills or transfer my balance to ANOTHER 0%apr credit card with a transfer fee. Either way all I see is the finish line ahead in the distance and knowing that I’m not going to get there. I guess I’m just looking for a sympathetic ear and anything I can do to be more positive! I hate being sad around the holidays!

  • hammong@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    I think you’re fighting against problem #1 when it comes to business – your niche is “too niche”. According to statistics, the birthrate in the USA (as a whole) is about 60 births per 1000 women of childbearing age. If you add in the grandmothers and aunts and friends, you -might- be targeting “a few %” of the population as potential customers. Then, you have the task of convincing those potential customers that your product is valuable and unique and a good gift idea.

    I would think first about expanding the footprint of who your gift box ideas are aimed at. I used to be a partner in a small business decades ago that did gift boxes, hand-delivered to college students at exam time and holidays at local colleges. Candy bars, stuffed animals, books, etc.

    • Wise_Salad@alien.topOPB
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      10 months ago

      Yes I niched myself much smaller than I wanted too. I wanted to do gift boxes for all ages but when I was doing inventory I just hyper focused on baby stuff and spent all the money I had allotted on baby items so I said eh I guess that’s what I’m doing now