Learning to Build a Sustainable Creative Business

This is something that is always on my mind - how to build a sustainable business without being "on" all the time. There was a time when my business truly consumed every thought of my day and I pretty much felt like that became my identity. While I tried very hard to start hobbies, everything always tied back to "maybe I can do this for my business too." There are some things that do complement it but trying to monetize them (even unintentionally) took so much joy out of learning anything new and felt more like a chore than learning just to learn. So I took sometime to really reflect on why

• Why am I building this business?
• What is the purpose of JJ Paperie & Co?
• What do I want my life to look like?
• What are my weekends and week days like?
• What is FILLING up my time? What do I want to fill up my time? 
• Where are areas I can explore more? What am I curious about?
• Where am I making the most $$? Does that still align? 
• What parts of my business drain me? Is this helping me move forward to in the live and business I want?

Designing pretty things wasn't a strong enough answer for me anymore, I felt like it had to be fulfilling in a different way - one that does good, brings more value and ESPECIALLY one that doesn't require me to be on social media ALLL the time. 

So for the last few weekends, I've been going instagram free and really just filling that time with other things or sometimes just nothingness. It gave my mind a break from all the online chatter, distractions and things I felt like I should be doing by now.  It helped me start the week more clearly without input from others. It has felt really nice.

I have nothing against Instagram, it has brought me lots of connections, community and ability to reach significantly more people than I could on my own. But, for me, it was becoming a hinderance on my creativity so with that I just had to readjust my relationship with it and be mindful of my consumption and really follow through with the boundaries I've set for myself. I have felt more energized creatively and actually feel like I am making time for other things (coffee with friends, workouts, making ACTUAL meals) 

So what does a sustainable business look like - especially for me?

• A business that does not drain me
• A business that allows me to be flexible, learn, fail and explore 
• A business that excites me and allows me to be curious
• A business that brings me money
• A business that benefits and brings value to others 
• A business that is inspirational 
• A business that allows me to breathe and enjoy my life
• A business that allows me to embrace various marketing channels 

Like many, I did not leave my 9-5, decent salaried job to repeat that cycle in working for myself. So these are some tips I'm implementing to build a sustainable business which I think you can definitely consider for yourself too! 

• Reflecting on Your Why - If you are going to be spending all your time on your business, make sure your reasons make sense to you. 
• Visualize Your Life - Honestly, this is a great exercise. I think many of us love to say we want grandiose things but once we realize all the steps to get there, we stop. Whenever I do this, I start with as if I have already achieved it. For example,  you can start with something like "I'm so proud of myself for this year, I've finally accomplished becoming a licensed artist, having my brand in 100+ shops and focusing on my health..." Fill in the areas with your own dreams and goals as IF you've already accomplished them. Read it often so you can stay focused on what you want and take note of how it makes you feel. 
• Visualize Your Day to Day - Break down the steps for each goal and do those throughout your week. My week is usually broken out this way - 
  • Monday | Admin & CEO
  • Tuesday | Wholesale + DTC
    
  • Wednesday | Licensing 
  • Thurs | Digital 
  • Friday | Experiment 

                 I absolutely do not follow this to a T btw as I also am on-site for events!

• Set Social Media Boundaries & Mindfully Consume - Whether that is social media or something else, setting boundaries with things that distract you the most will be beneficial. It will also help you stay focused on what you want vs. comparing or thinking that you should be doing something else or MORE because x person is. 
• Make Time for Play / Hobbies - I feel like as we get older, people frown upon making time to do things for yourself. It doesn't need to be endless hours, but it can be gardening, meditating, golfing, reading a book outside, etc. I think it can be literally anything - whatever makes you happy and yes, if you can. 
• Make it Financial Make Sense for You - We all have different money goals and needs and this is a personal process you will have to make. If you aspire to be a millionaire, your day to day will look different than mine. If you are looking to contribute to your family's income because you are now a full-time mom then your day to day will look different than the one who is trying to be a millionaire. This is why remembering what your goals are, what you want your life to look like will matter. Someone who wants to fly first class all the time vs. someone who wants financial freedom and free weekends instead. Your goals are yours and that is perfectly fine. You are allowed to change your mind :)

So with that all said, I hope you found this a little helpful and motivational! I'm still learning to build this for myself and for me taking the first step was recognizing what was demotivating me and that was spending too much time on instagram. I absolutely do plan to show up there of course BUT if you'd like to join the Cozy Corner Newsletter you can do so right here!