Building a Business from Scratch is Very HARD

"THIS ISN'T GOING TO PAY YOUR BILLS!!!"

If you have ever attempted to start a non-conventional business that does NOT run in your ancestry, this blog is for you.

Your work might seem excellent to your friends BUT your grandparents or even parents advice you to not kid yourself. They ask you to get the "wrong" ideas out of your head and be more serious about life and take up a “good profession”. 

If only our generation knew what’s a “good profession” and how to get there!

Anyway, move aside the obvious emotionally weighed factors, and let's talk about more! 

The dependency on traditional businesses:

Despite being original, chances are that your business model requires a well-knit supply chain with THE traditional business owners. Most traditional businesses are headed by the head of the family. They believe they know everything about their respective field.

And it’s true, they do! Which explains how their offsprings inherit the same line of work generation after generation.

My side hustle requires me to communicate with traditional business owners. It’s a weakness for me.. communicating. A girl who has been an introvert since childhood.

For reasons that are borderline hilarious, atleast half a dozen people have advised me to not do what I’m doing and rather do things THEIR way. They do not even belong to the same line of work. These people are just an integral part of my supply chain. I cannot go further without their business.

Some of these business owners even act like bullies!

I feel so disrespected when a shop-owner refuses to even listen to my requirement. Some get pissed the moment I mention "online business".

I have walked out of such shops numerous times in a rage that only somebody who has been in my shoes would understand.

I can only hope that the coming generations of these businesses are more open to helping out people like me in setting up our work without causing us mental agony.

I mean it's one thing to not have all your friends and family onboard.

But to deal with something like this... it has to take the pedestal for being the #1 NUISANCE in our way!

In times like these, you might end up doubting your ideas. But let me assure you in case none of your small business friends have told you.. A lot of us has to deal with this absurdity. And it might not go away anytime soon. 

It takes a lot more work than I imagined it would!

Next, the sheer amount of work that goes into building something grand.

It’s exhausting to do everything by yourself. And then explain to your friends & family the reason you're mentally absent even in the time that's supposed to be for leisure!

Ofcourse, it’s exciting to see your dreams manifested as reality. But it’s strange I never realised how exhausting this could get! Even the best minds cannot escalate the workflow because EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT.

I'm going to conclude the post with a harsh truth

A lot of businesses fail because of reasons they already knew about. The internet is full of stories about this. But do not let this stop you if you REALLY want it. Have faith in yourself and do what you love doing.

If you're happy, you'll figure out how to pay those bills. You really will! (And always keep a plan B! Makes you less anxious.)

Having a good business partner really is a blessing. I wish I had one! (somebody who knows how to be an extrovert & hasn't spent her/his life AVOIDING human interactions)

❤️ Thanks for reading! Share this with your small business owner friends. Let's network and build a community that motivates each other!

The Reason I Opened An Etsy Shop for My Digital Illustrations As A Small Business Venture

It's going to be detailed, so grab a cup of coffee and sit comfortably.

Like all the other great (or bad) stories of 2020, my reason behind opening up my Etsy shop has a lot to do with the Pandemic. Just like the rest of the world.. I was initially very scared with the Covid Pandemic situation because it seemed like it would never end.

That is exactly what happened. I’m still stuck at home and even if I have a chance to go out, I’m too scared.

Technology, My Light In The Dark:

Unlike most people who have and are still suffering during this year because of their economic or medical concerns, I am comparatively privileged enough to own a laptop and an internet connection to be able to do this.

While I was always into reading and writing on my devices, I never realised that my laptop would become a boat for me to sail on during these mentally draining times. I am very inspired by the way technology has the potential to keep humans engaged with themselves, even if it has a bad side to it.

Also Read: "Does One Have To Be Good At Everything?" -The Lockdown Social Media Misery

It is also a matter of great relevance for me because I used to be a marketing professional. We all are aware about the perks of digital marketing in the current age, and I had chosen this as my career only a few months prior to when the pandemic hit.

But alas, when the pandemic hit, I lost my job as a marketer for a restaurant (since they thrive on social gatherings). I was scared for the loss of lives and economy more than I was about losing my job (yes, I belong to a well to do family).

Some time during the month of May, I started to get really bored of my schedule. It was getting extremely lethargic to do the same set of house chores.

Then on one fine day of May, I happened to pick up my laptop and started to draw a cartoon image of an animated series: “We Bare Bears” from Cartoon Network. It was very sudden and unplanned but the graphic turned out so cool!

It was just for the sake of doing something that my busy schedule could never allow me to do. Very soon, I began to think of ways to display it on my social media, since everyone was sharing something productive that they were doing.. (even if it was something as simple as making Dalgona Coffee!)

Meanwhile, I also decided to begin a music campaign to share my favourite indie music tracks from lesser known artists (something that I had wanted to do in last October but my job and inability to create good looking posts did not allow me to do).

Now when I say campaign, that is exactly what it was- a campaign implementing all over strategies that I had learnt as a digital marketing professional displayed to the virtual audience via a creative and unique execution (I was inspired by Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert that blessed us with an amazing track).

I posted on my Instagram regularly for 12 days. I named this campaign #12daysofindiemusic.

Here’s what the 12 posts comprised of-

• 12 digital illustrations (drawn by me, ofcourse), and

• 12 indie music tracks

Not only this, I also featured 2 of my singer friends within these 12 days as a part of the campaign.

See those 12 recreated images below-

(I started with recreating, now I make my own art. If you are recreating any pictures from other artists, always credit the original artist. In case they want you to take it down, respect their decision!)

I had learnt digital art as a beginner but it turned out to be so great that I couldn’t stop after those 12 days. So I continued creating illustrations for every single day even after that.

Very soon, I started receiving orders from people to draw custom artworks for them.

Months have passed by, I still draw and I absolutely love every minute of it. Today, I launched my Etsy shop as a small business venture and made 5 sales!

So essentially, I am writing my own product descriptions, doing the backend SEO and creating a mini brand for my creativity by generating revenue out of it!

Do you know why? Because I was bored? Nah! There’s more to it!

I used to do these same things for my clients as a marketer. But I was very undervalued, under-appreciated, not listened enough to AND underpaid!

(Check this link if you wish to read about one of my horrific experiences working for a company based in Indore)

I’m not sure if all of these efforts will pay me off in the future, but it’s worth a shot because I get to learn something new everyday. It’s definitely productive as well as related to my professional niche and there possibly is no harm to it.

I continue to focus on every aspect by myself. There's been so many learnings, so many fruitful failures.. I doubt if I could've learn all of this if I worked under someone else.

Check out my creative profile on Instagram to see how many experiments I continue to perform.

My bosses did not pay me good enough anyway. In case my venture succeeds, atleast these efforts & money would count as my own and not some rich ungrateful snob’s.

Check out my latest commissioned work-

"Does One Have To Be Good At Everything?" -The Lockdown Social Media Misery

A question that bugs me a lot. I know that enough has been said and written about this already, but why can’t this stop bothering me?

The Lockdown and Social Media Misery

"Help! I can't cook & I don't even want to!"

I’m not a good cook. I might become one, I just don’t try. Cooking isn’t something that fascinates me unless I have to cook to serve my appetite in the middle of the night.

And even in the middle of the night, if I’m not in my hometown under the watch of my parents (who just want their children to be self-dependent), I will only cook when I’m broke.

Also Read: The 7 Best and Most Affordable Eating Points in North Campus, DU

When the lockdown started, people were giving all sorts of cuisines a try because our generation has been spoilt by the likes of Zomato & Swiggy. It isn’t exciting to have the same old set of nutrients in a wholesome meal every single day, so we need exciting stuff in our lives.

And food does that for most of us.

Ron Swanson: everyone's spirit animal when it comes to foooooood

What was I doing during the lockdown? I was feeling sorry about my lazy ass for not helping my lockdown companions enough in the kitchen. I would compensate somehow by cleaning the utensils or doing some other (less culinary skills based) tasks, but the regret sure made me feel inferior to the rest of the humans across the planet (who made sure to let us know about their excellent cooking skills via social media).

"Do I even qualify as a girl if I'm not into fashion/makeup/photos?!?"

Same goes for the fact that I didn’t have any mesmerising throwback pictures to post on my social accounts. If anything, I started to look more like a hobo. Oh I still do look like a hobo.

Thanks to social media, I also couldn’t help but question my self worth as a girl more and more each day.

I didn’t paint my nails once during the lockdown. And why would I, when this was something I’d hardly do before all of this began? And I doubt if I even had about 15 days in this lockdown that would count as ‘self-care’, externally. If anything, I oiled my head even less than I would on normal days.

I still go days without actually looking at myself in the mirror (yeah, sad right?)

"Will I have something good to talk about by the time we walk out of this catastrophe?"

Everyone I know started doing something or the other as a hobby, timepass and productivity booster.

I believe that I did take some care of myself internally, but it wasn’t enough compared to what everyone else was doing. I couldn’t keep up with my yoga practice, and I failed miserably when it came to meditation or communicating with people (even with my own family).

I did learn some new skills. Check this out for instance: Music Playlist Curation

"I lost my job, what do I do?"

Before all of this had begun, I had a decent plan to shift from freelancing to working in a promising industry. Sadly, this industry was directly related to social gatherings. The plan not only failed, I also was so nervous that I couldn't muster enough courage to even talk to my potential employer about the situation.

I kept delaying 'the talk' for months (including the fact that I had to collect a payment from him). It was a major buzzkill for my mood and professional growth.

Social media was full of memes for people distressed because of WFH. I felt so, so bad that I didn't even have a job anymore.

Also Read: Was Television Really The Idiot Box?

How I planned to resolve this tricky situation:

All of this could've been avoided if I simply just left social media, right? Well, I didn't want to!

I needed it to interact with my friends and family. Man is a social animal afterall.

All of us wish that the pandemic gets over soon and we can move back to our old lives where social media wasn't the place where we interact with people the most. 

But sadly, even if the pandemic was somehow over, its impact is here to stay in our lives.

Like all people, I wish I could be confident enough to easily let go off of my disturbing thoughts. While I try to indulge in the hobbies that I love, I am also learning how to take care of my mental health while being on internet.

(Tap on the image to be redirected to the source:
6 ways to protect your mental health from social media’s dangers)

I made separate accounts for separate moods as one step towards self-care. Like, if I'm in a mood to feel creative and not be bothered by the amazing personal lives of people I know, I go to my creative account. If I'm in a mood to catch up with my closest friends, I go to my finsta. If I'm in a mood to rant, I go to Twitter.

If you've found yourself in the same boat as me- moody and depressed because of social media... you could give this thing a try too! It's all about sorting your social media platforms as per how they make you feel.

What you see affects what you feel. It works to separate yourself from what makes you feel bad.

How do you resolve this?

Let me know about your tips and tricks. It's always good to connect with like-minded people, provided it's over texts and comments (because of my social anxiety hahahahah).

Thanks for reading!