Crafted By Colette

A couple of weeks ago Emily Harvey posted this reel on her Instagram feed.

I commented on it…

…and then thought that it might be a good blog topic.

The internet is flooded with social media posts and blogs proclaiming to tell you how the creator made seventy billion pounds overnight, or gained six trillion followers in a week. (Those numbers may be slightly exaggerated). And there’s support everywhere you look for people who want to become huge and successful.

But like Emily says: “success can look very different to people”.

While some people might have the goal of making seventy billion pounds overnight, some just want to make enough to live on.

So what do I consider success to be?

Well, right now I don’t make any money. At all. Any money that I get from my few sales on Etsy is immediately swallowed by craft supplies. And I get barely any views on this blog, let alone any money from it.

Crafted By Colette exists because I craft all the time and if I didn’t I’d be suffocating in a house full of crafts. It exists because I like to craft, and I like to share my crafts with other people. Because I like the joy that people express when they see and receive my products.

I’m getting less than 10 sales every month. I have less than 500 followers combined across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook – and I suspect a few of those are the same person following on multiple platforms. I get a handful of comments (ignoring the dozens of spam bots on Instagram), and a couple of handfuls of likes. I get a few reposts from friends.

I’m not complaining here – just stating what my situation is.

For me, success is not hundreds of sales a month. If I was getting that level, I wouldn’t be able to pack them all myself. I love packing orders.

For me, success is not an income of millions. I wouldn’t know what to do with it all, and it would mean too much work for me to do alone.

What I hope for Crafted By Colette is to get consistent orders – more than 5 a month. It’d be nice to consistently get at least 20 or more, or to make a bit of profit.

I want to continue to be able to do the art, and the production, and the packing. I love all those things. It’s the bits in the middle I’m no good at – product photography, making listings, marketing. I’d like to be able to afford someone to do that stuff for me.

I’d like to be able to justify getting some products manufactured – like washi tape. I REALLY want a washi tape. And maybe an enamel pin one day.

I’d like to have an audience large enough that I could do a Kickstarter and get more than family and friends backing me.

For me, that’s success. What’s your idea of success?