Heart Matters: Running a Business

September 14, 2015

This is a post for fellow business owners, or those who are thinking of opening up a small business. I get told a lot of different things as a business owner, most of them very positive.

"How do you do it with 2 littles and one on the way?"

"What's the secret to balancing your roles of mom/business owner?"

"It must keep you super busy!"

"What an accomplishment!"

I often smile and say thank you, and leave it at that... but the truth to it all is that there are a lot of things left unsaid. I don't have it all figured out, I'm still learning how to balance my work and being a mama. And some days, I cry a lot. Plus, there are often things that are unsaid about running a business that I feel I need to share from my heart.

Recently, I've seen a few posts on some local networking group from new, small businesses who feel defeated and discouraged because they feel like they don't have many sales, or don't have many followers on Instagram, or they feel like their followers and fans on social media are not engaging with them, or they aren't part of enough giveaways. I realized that I'm not the only one that has insecurities surrounding their small business. I want to encourage those who might feel the same way or have insecurities. The truth is, a lot of business owners feel this way, even if they are seen as a established small business. It is never easy to run a small business. I want to share a little bit about the vulnerabilities and sensitive heart matters on running a business on social media in this post.

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I'm just going to say it. There are a lot of things that make my heart feel vulnerable when running my business. For starters, it is easy for myself to compare myself to others, and I often have a tendency to compare my successes to those of other shops. Don't get me wrong. when I see that another shop has reached 10,000 sales, I am extremely happy for them, but there is a part of me that wonders how many sales I've made to date and how that compares to 10,000 sales. The next one is hard for me to admit. When I see a good giveaway being hosted on social media, I sometimes wish I was invited to participate in it and I sometimes wonder if I even would make a good fit for any of these giveaways. Or, sometimes my heart beats a little unsteadily when I see that someone that I "follow" on Instagram doesn't follow me back, or worse.... unfollows me! I'm even embarrassed to even say all of this out loud and I'm resisting the urge to hit backspace because it all sounds so neurotic. But the truth is, I could go on and on! I know I'm not the only one to have these thoughts because I see posts about them all the time in my networking groups.

In short: There are times I feel insecure as a business owner. I think the reason behind all of this is because running a business puts us in a very vulnerable position. We pour our hearts out into our businesses, invest our precious time and money into it, and it's only natural to feel that way. It's only natural to feel a bit vulnerable! But I think that it's important to remind ourselves this:

What success looks like to one person is not the same as what success looks like to another person.

As small business owners, we need to give ourselves room, grace and patience. The beauty of running a business from home is that each business has a unique backstory to it! Some open up a business because they need the additional income. Some open up businesses because they have found something they enjoy making and want an excuse to make more of. Some business owners are stay at home moms. Others are working moms. Some businesses will see an overnight growth and huge spikes in sales, but others will grow slowly but steadily. The story behind each business is different, and each business owner's life is different. Because of all these differences- each business is going to grow and thrive differently. I think that the road to success for small businesses begins with pacing our hearts and our work loads. I'll write another post on some of the practical things I do to balance my business with my mothering duties another day, but I wanted this post to be focused on these heart matters. What we can do is encourage each other, collaborate with each other, and lift each other up when insecurities hit. Collaboration, not competition! If you're a small business- whether you're seen as "big" or "small" keep doing your thing! Be encouraged, because what success looks like to one person is not the same as what success looks like to another person.

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See our font samples below! Please note that some fonts have been enlarged so you can see each letter easily. Also, please note that some letters only come in lowercase and will be stamped as such. All the font descriptions and dimensions can be found under the photo. Please note that letters with tails such as j, t, y, etc are much smaller than vowels or other smaller letters such as a, c, i, etc. If you need exact dimensions of each letter, please contact us. Letters are to scale within font sets. All script fonts will be connected for the most part as if someone did calligraphy on your necklace but please be aware that spacing and placement will vary to ensure fit on bar or triangle and also because each one is hand stamped! Also, please note that stamping is done by hand and not by a machine so placement, depth will vary ever so slightly.

Touch and drag the image below to view the whole alphabet and scroll past the chart to read the descriptions and measurements for each font.
Storybook: Simple, playful but elegant cursive font. Letters are about 2-3mm. This is a smaller font. This font and features beautiful loops. Lowercase only.

Calligraphy: Elegant font that resembles calligraphy! Letters vary in size, but is about 2-3 mm in size on average. Letters like the a, o are smaller while letters with the beautiful strokes (like the j, y) are a bit bigger. The r has a smaller foot as shown in sample photos. This is a scripted font. Only lowercase.

Wanderlust: This is a beautiful font that has a dancing baseline. It is flowy, fun yet elegant. Letters range in size from about 1.5-3.75mm. Please note this is a free/flowy/whimsical font. Because of the design and style of the font, letters such as the a, c, etc are much smaller than letters such as h. This font features smaller vowels and letters that don't have tails, and is a smaller font so if you're customizing a bar with more words, this would be an option to fit more words. The letter r does not have a foot. See photo for reference. Lowercase only.

Aurora: Calligraphy font resembling beautiful ribbons of the aurora borealis. This font font is similar to the calligraphy font, but also the wanderlust font. Letters vary about 3mm-5mm. Lowercase only.

Love Letters: Similar to calligraphy, but more slanted as if written with a quill on parchment paper with a love note for a loved one. Letters range in size but will be about 3mm. Lowercase only.

Heartstrings: Letters resembling string, and words will connect as if strung like string across a bar necklace. Who pulls at your heartstrings? Letters are about 3.5-4.15mm wide. Can fit about 7 characters on a standard bar, and about 10 on a longer bar. Lowercase only.

Madeline: Free writing font with flowing letters. About 2-3mm tall letters. Letters are a bit wider than other fonts, therefore character limit is a bit lower for bar necklaces as this is a wider font. This is a brush-like handwriting font. Available in upper and lowercase.

Cursive: A pretty font that resembles old-fashioned cursive writing. Simple, but pretty! Each letter is about 3mm on average. Upper and Lowercase.

Galaxy: A clean, minimalist stylish font with a modern vibe. Letters are about 2.5mm. Uppercase only.

MINIMALIST: A small, uppercase font that is classic and simple. It is a smaller font, about 1.5 mm in height. Available in uppercase and is the default font for numbers as well as roman numerals.

Tiny Sayings: This is a super small, dainty font. Each letter varies in size between 1-1.5mm! This is great if you would like a longer saying that you need to fit on a bar, or more names to fit on a bar. The font style resembles something printed out of a vintage newspaper. Lowercase AND numbers.

Boho Love: Printed letters. Letters are about 4mm tall. Uppercase only.

Newspaper: Resembles a type that you’d see out of a vintage newspaper. Letters are about 2-3mm tall. Skinnier font than Print. Upper and Lowercase, plus numbers to match.

Blossom: Round, cursive-like font with a hand scripted feel. This font is a bit wider, with letters being about 3mm wide. Lowercase only.

Ocean: Curvy, wavy like the ocean. This font has unique letters, with each letter having its on personality. Letters vary greatly in size, with some being 1.5mm and others being 2-3mm. Letters such as d and g may be larger, up to 4mm. Letters such as c, u, a are smaller. Lowercase only.

Lace: Delicate, graceful letters with clean and simple lines. Letters are about 2-3mm. Letters like the b, f, g are elegantly elongated. Lowercase only.

Sunset: Brush style font with a boho feel. Scripted freely and beautifully like brushed strokes. Letters will vary widely between 1.5 mm to 5mm. Letters such as the t, y, z, g are larger, with most vowels and other letters such as c, v, x being smaller. Please note that this font style may not suit every single word or name, as it is a brush style with letters varying a lot in sizes, particularly ones with smaller letters. Not every word will stamp the same way with this font. Please make sure you take a look at the font chart so that you are aware of what each letter looks like and so you can gauge what your preferences will be for this font. We do ensure that our stamp placements are as accurate as they can be, and this is a beautiful font, but can be tricky in that it will not suit every word due to the varying sizes of these letters. Please contact us PRIOR to ordering to ask a question specifically about your word with this font fit if you are interested in this font but have any questions about this font in your customization. It is also suggested that you contact us if you are looking for a customization for a word or name that is short or has several smaller characters. Lowercase only.

*Please note that by default, if numbers are requested, they will be plain as shown on the minimalist font. If numbers are requested in a font not available, minimalist is the default font for numbers.
*Please note that some fonts come in uppercase/lowercase while others come with only lowercase. If you type in "Mary," and the font is only available in lowercase, we will stamp "mary" on your bar. If it comes in both cases, it will be stamped as "Mary" on your bar. Please note that by default, if numbers are requested, they will be plain as shown on the minimalist font unless otherwise requested.
*Scripted fonts such as the storybook, wanderlust and calligraphy are a designer font, and are not a block font so please understand that it resembles free hand writing or brushed writing. Because they are designer fonts, they are handcrafted fonts. Please keep that in mind if you select any of our scripted or designer fonts in that every designer font has a style that is unique. Because of this, some letters in scripted fonts are different than others. For example the letter "r" may include a foot in some fonts but not other fonts. Some fonts may include letters that vary greatly in size. For example, in the wanderlust font, the some letters such as the a, e, r are much smaller than letters like l, h, j. Please contact us prior to purchasing if you need any help with picking a scripted font.
*Each necklace is handmade and handstamped, please allow for variations in position, depth and spacing of letters. This is not a printed necklace, so some variations will occur as a result of being handmade and handstamped, and to ensure that every letter fits on the bar. Please contact us directly here if you have any questions regarding font choices and we would love to assist you!
+ 16 inches: Falls just a little below the collarbone for a higher fit
+ 18 inches: Most average and versatile length. Falls a couple inches below collarbone.
+ 20 inches: Sits lower on the neckline.
+ 22 or more inches: Falls below the neckline.
+ Please note that the above guide is an estimate and will not be the same for every person.
+ For layering more than 1 necklace, we recommend about a 2 inch difference between necklaces. 16 and 18 inches are our most common layering lengths.
+ Please note that depending on your size and neck circumference, each length may sit differently.
+ If you are unsure, take a piece of non stretchy string and cut to where you would like your necklace. Measure the string and viola! You have your desired length.
+ Most necklaces come at about 18 inches, if you need to change length, please click on "change length" tab within listing.
Petite Bars- 1 inch long. We only stamp one date or word on these bars.
Standard Bars- We can fit 2-3 words on this bar, possibly more depending on the font you choose. If you have longer names/words, we recommend going with storybook, tiny sayings, sunset or wanderlust. Fonts such as calligraphy and madeline are better suited for bars with 2 words as they are wider fonts. If you have any questions about word fit on bars please contact us here.
Extra Long Bars- 1.8-2 inches long. These can fit a longer phrase, or 4-5 names depending on the font.
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Heart Matters: Running a Business

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