16 Lessons from 16 Years
On October 10, 2010, I made HandmadeBySaraKim official. It started as a hobby and now I’ve been doing this for 16 years. I’m so grateful. If you want the full story of how it all began, you can read the origin story here. This post is the fun lessons I’ve learned along the way to celebrate my 16 years in business.
First lesson, Just start
This is my biggest advice. I always say I wish I had started even earlier but I didn’t… so I’m glad I started when I did.
It wasn’t perfect and I had no idea what I was doing but I’m still glad I started because that’s where I learned everything. If you are thinking about starting a new business, a new hobby, or anything new, do it!
The money lessons
I learned these the hard way. Price your work properly. I used to sell things for a dollar. I didn’t account for shipping fees or shipping boxes so I literally broke even on my sales. Don’t ship fragile things unless you’re confident they’ll arrive safely. I shipped items that arrived broken. Now I only ship something if I know it will make it.
Build in time for deadlines. When I did weddings, due dates were crucial and one of my packages didn’t arrive on time. Now I always ask for the wedding date and ship a month early just in case.
Do the math before you hire. I once had a team and paid by the hour. I realized I could make so many more flowers and orders in an hour than someone I was newly training so I was only breaking even on the cost of an employee.
Take care of yourself before big events. I sold out a workshop but then I lost my voice a couple of days before. I had to cancel last minute which was embarrassing and I didn’t realize how much it would matter for ticket sales. I really had lost my voice and no amount of DayQuil or cough drops could fix it. Now when I have a workshop coming up, I take Airborne and take care of myself.
Learn to pivot
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that it’s okay to pivot. You actually need to know how to pivot at all times when you run a creative business. That means knowing when to stop and being willing to start something new. Pivoting has taken me places I never imagined. I have said I would never do that and then next thing I know I’m doing that thing and loving it.
For me, that was video editing. I didn’t know how to edit a video, let alone record one. I didn’t even know where the record button was on a camera because I had never recorded myself outside of my phone. I kept filming on my phone at first but I wanted to get better so I started learning on my camera and then editing in Adobe Premiere. I loved it so much that I’m still learning how to improve. I never thought I’d be a video editor as a crafty paper artist and that skill naturally helped me become a content creator.
My biggest pivot was going from bridal accessories to paper flowers. It was a hard one because it felt so random but it was also very me. I used to make both, then fully let go of my accessories line and built what I have now on paper flowers. Change has been so good to me. I used to be scared of it and now I look forward to the new directions it could take me.
Stay a student
To be a better artist, a better teacher, or a better creator, I need to keep learning as a student too. I’ve learned new crafts, hobbies, and mediums and I’ve taken workshops outside of my own art. What I learn may or may not be useful to my paper flowers but learning kept me motivated and it makes me a better teacher. Being a student is humbling but it pushes you to do something new and it can be uncomfortable. Sometimes my own art feels stuck or almost too easy. So picking up a new hobby helped me think outside the box and I end up using skills from random classes to solve problems in my own art. I also genuinely think it keeps you young too.
NetworkING
Even as an introvert, I need people. Networking helps me build confidence and I need someone to talk to about what I’m excited about and someone who can be excited with me. It goes deeper than that though. Art isn’t only what I want to express. It’s also what other people see in that expression and what it stirs in them. People are part of the art. Sometimes I just want to make what I want to make but a piece is only finished once someone sees it, uses it, and connects with it.
The people I’ve met along the way have been teachers, collaborators, and cheerleaders. They’ve caught me when I doubted myself and pushed me toward things I wouldn’t have tried alone. Nobody builds a creative life by themselves and the relationships are some of the best parts of the work. Reach out to the person whose work you admire, say yes to the coffee, and show up to the room even when you would rather stay home. The people you find there will become part of your story and the business can’t work without them.
CHEERS to 16 years
I’m so grateful I get to do what I love as my job and that I’ve had the craziest opportunities. There are slow days and busy days, highs and lows but overall I’m so thankful I’ve been able to do this for 16 years. I’m so glad I decided to make it official on October 10, 2010. Thank you so much for celebrating with me today and reading through this and for supporting me through the years. I want to keep growing as a better artist and I’m so excited for what’s next.
