I’ll admit it, I’ve always been afraid of failure. Or should I say obsessed with succeeding? Either way, I sometimes let that fear of failure hold me back from trying things I’ve always wanted to do. This past year and this year, I decided to take a chance and do something I have always wanted to do, open a shop on Etsy.

I opened my first shop on my birthday in November. I was so excited to start my journey to selling my homemade crafts. I knew that my sales would be slow since I had just opened, so I just sat back and relaxed. December came and still no sales. I figured I would be selling like crazy because Christmas was coming up, but I didn’t. As December came to a close, I decided to close up my shop. I was devastated.

For Christmas, I got a Cricut. For those who do not know what a Cricut is, it’s a machine that cuts vinyl. I had been wanting one for a while but I never found the motivation to buy one. That fear of failure kept me from buying it.

I started making decals and shirts for friends and family members. I knew that I wanted to create things for people all over the country but I could never push myself into opening another shop. As January flew by, I continued making things for myself and a few local people. It wasn’t until February when I decided it was time to take another chance.

After a lot of thought and planning, I decided to open my shop, Luxury Vinyl, on Etsy. Before opening my shop, I had made a game plan and made sure I had enough products in my shop. In the beginning, I only had decals listed. Once again, no sales. I started getting discouraged and had thought about closing my shop. Why was I not getting any business? I was promoting my shop all over Instagram. That was not enough.

To start off March, I decided to add shirts to my shop. Within a few days, I made my first sale. I was so excited about it that I called my mom. She was happy for me as well. A few days after my first sale, I got my second. Just a couple of weeks ago, I got my third. Now I’m in the process of working on sale number four. I finally felt a sense of accomplishment.

I can actually say that I have accomplished one of my goals for 2018, and it’s still the beginning of the year!

My advice to you is to not let anything hold you back from doing something you want to do. I’ve had people tell me my business would not go far, but look where I’m at. I’m starting to get my name out there to people in other states.

It is possible and you can do it. Before starting something, have a game plan. Be prepared. That has contributed to my growing success. If you feel like nobody has faith in you, just know that I do. You can accomplish anything you want as long as you just believe