Concentrated effort + Time = Success

A while ago, my husband starting taking an interest in real estate investing. Being the reader he is, he read anything he could get his hands on that had to do with this new found love. Through his journey of educating himself on the topic he has come across many motivational books. Luckily for me, he filters out the good from the bad and recommends the ones he thinks I would enjoy or could benefit from in one way or another. The underlying theme in the authors of these books is that they either are, or have studied in depth, successful people.

All of the books have had great messages and sound advice, but the one thing important thing I’ve noticed to be a reoccurring theme is this:

Concentrated effort + Time=Success  

(Funny that I write that as a math problem when I despise the subject-but I digress.)

Seems so simple right? Only when I sat back and actually thought about myself critically, I couldn’t honestly say that I have concentrated on anything (relating to business), and I certainly haven’t done anything for an extended period of time. To put it simply, I am not focused. I have a creative mind that likes to wander from one thing to the next. You should see me clean house. I will start to clean the bathroom, then two minutes later I’m changing the litter in the cat box. Noooo, I know what you are thinking- I don’t have Attention Deficit Disorder. There is always a perfectly good explanation on how I get from point A to point B. For example, in the earlier mentioned situation, I most likely went to take the bathroom trash out to the garbage bin, passing the litter box on the way, and catching a whiff of unpleasant odor. And hey, guess what? The stinky litter goes to the very same garbage bin as the bathroom trash, so might as well just make one trip! You see what I mean? Same applies to business. Only it’s worse because I don’t really enjoy cleaning house. With The Farrier’s Daughter I am dealing with passion, and as we all know, when passion occurs it’s sometimes hard to know where to draw the line ;-)

Since 2006, I have been what I like to call “exploring” my creative side and the industries that support it. In one way, the timing has been perfect. Being a stay-at-home mom has given me the opportunity to try different things without the pressure of making a certain amount of money-or any money for that matter (Insert shout out to my husband-Thank you Nick). On the other hand, being a stay-at-home mom has changed the way I look at things.

For a while I tried to do shows. Gathering and refinishing or re purposing vintage goods was a blast for me! I absolutely loved staging my booth for the shows that I did. However, the cons soon outweighed the pros. As a vendor, I wanted to give my business everything I had. The problem was that I only had so much to give and it didn’t seem possible to give 100% to being a stay-at-home mom, a supportive wife, and a vendor all at the same time. Add to that my lack of storage, and an extra set of hands via business partner, and I quickly realized that that particular arena was not for me. I had the concentrated effort, but it couldn’t go on for long.

After many long talks with my husband, I decided to focus on handmade goods-Cowgirl Canteens specifically, that were easier to store, haul, and set up if I did decide to do a few shows every once in a while. It wasn’t long after this decision that I realized having just one product was going to be a challenge for this artistic brain. I put off going retail for the longest time, then finally pulled the trigger. With surprisingly great success right out of the gate, I should have been on a roll. Unfortunately, I am the world’s worst salesman. Remember when I said I despise math? Well, it’s safe to say I hate selling even more. Don’t get me wrong, I like to have things sell-I just don’t like the process of selling them. While creating a product takes me to my happy place…selling that same product could possibly be the equivalent of hell. Even in the most laid back of situations regarding repping my own product, my heart beats so hard that I swear people can see it trying to jump out of my chest. My hands shake, and my head spins. It is terrible! So, it’s safe to say that trying to drive my wholesale accounts was not something that was going to get my “concentrated effort”.

Meanwhile, some friends of mine asked me to start doing some visual merchandising for them in the form of a HUGE window display at their new salon. Another great way for me to use my creative juices, and while I love doing the job for them, I’m not certain I have the means to turn it into “my job” ... brings me back to that lack of storage issue again. As a result of the window display, lots of people get to see my style, which has opened even more doors. Interior design, business design-all design, but looking through my directional glasses, I have completely lost focus.

So what is the one thing that has stayed consistent through all of this? My desire to grow a business that allows me to use my creativity, my dream of creating a brand that is well-known, understood and successful, and my desire to be able to do those things while being one kick ass wife and mama! So moving forward, I have decided to focus on online sales and events where I get to mingle with people (because that, in my opinion is the only way to sell). I have decided to use social media and this blog as a tool to spread the word about The Farrier’s Daughter. I hope that people are able to get a little glimpse into what we stand for, the uniqueness and quality of the goods we offer….which means I have also decided to start expanding. Yes, finally expanding! For so long, I have heard people say, “I love your style, but I don’t drink.”, or “These [Cowgirl Canteens] are adorable, but I don’t carry a flask, I prefer beer.” I have been listening; your voices have been heard. I’ve been planning and dreaming and scheming about new items for so long, and the time has come to go for it! I hope you join us as The Farrier’s Daughter gives a concentrated effort, because this my friends, is going to last for a long time.

Here are a few ways to follow along:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Click the image above to be taken to
The Farrier's Daughter website.

FACEBOOK

Click on the "F" above to head on over 

and "like" The Farrier's Daughter on facebook.

PINTEREST

Click on the "P" to follow 

The Farrier's Daughter boards on pinterest.

INSTAGRAM

Click on the camera icon above to follow 

The Farrier's Daughter on Instagram.

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Kentucky Derby

Years ago, when I decided I wanted to start my own business, I reached out to a local gal who seemed successful in the arena of vintage home decor. Having a mentor is something that all of the websites, books and blog suggested. Unfortunately, my experience was a very negative one. 

 

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Fast forward to this past week, when I mustered up the courage to reach out once again. I sent an email to another woman-owned business who has had a lot of success with advertising lately. 

This business is run by a mother-daughter duo that makes some Wonderful jewelry...they go by the name of Horsefeathers.

Upon receiving my email, Chelsea quickly responded with a southern belle kindness, and a slew of helpful information!
One of Chelsea's suggestions was that I look into participating in the Kentucky Derby Celebrity Gift Bag.

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Thank You Chelsea!
I took your advice, and as a result,


Celebrities attending the Kentucky Derby will now be receiving Cowgirl Canteens™ in their bag of treats!

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Last year, Miss Miranda Lambert (who I adore) was in attendance with some of her best friends for her

Bachelorette Party! 

What a great idea!

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This year, in honor of my big news, the hubby and I will be hosting a Derby Party of our own!

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And one of these days, maybe I will be lucky enough to attend the Kentucky Derby myself.

I mean, it's really a perfect fit...

Horses & Fashion

Sign me Up!

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In honor of our Kentucky Derby Party,

I will be making my own Derby Hat, and asking guests to do the same.

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As for the race...

The Farrier's Daughter not so Expert Pick

for the race well known as 

The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports...

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I'll Have Another and his jockey, Mario Gutierrez

Small Business Experiences-The Early Days

Going from stay-at-home-mom to, "I want to start my own business" was a life changing event for me. I had earned a BS in Social Science, and Psychology, and worked as a counselor to kids with mental illness, and was, at the time, learning the ropes of motherhood with my first daughter along for the ride. I had always had a creative edge (I even started off as an Art major in college), but had never thought of turning my passion for design into a business. My other love has always been children, but I had never thought further than combining the two...teaching art, or art therapy!

Since my decision to become a momtrepreneur, I have realized that a lot of what you need to know can quickly be learned from experience. That said, if you can learn from others' experiences...even better! Which is why I have decided to begin posting some of my own experiences. I have also found that it is scary to start your own business, to put yourself out there. It is especially scary when you are going into a business that is a somewhat unique.

When I started out, I wanted to refinish sand, paint, and distress furniture. I saw the prices on pieces in the local vintage shops, and loved the idea that I could get a piece of furniture for cheap, work my wonders on it, and sell it for a profit....the best part-the buyer was getting a good deal too! The furniture at vintage shops are not only cheaper than buying new furniture, they are typically higher quality than a lot of the press-board stuff out there these days. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information out there on the shabby chic furniture business. If I wanted to do this, I was going to have to figure it out on my own.

I started by visiting the local library and some book stores. What I found was a lot of information on how most people start a business. The problem here, is that I am not like most people. I am lucky enough to have a family of entrepreneurs, that have taught me some very basic, but very valuable lessons. My grandparents owned a successful tole painting shop out of the first floor of their 3 story home for many years. Their business model was much more simple than anything proposed in the pages of any Business books out there these days, but believe it or not...it worked!

It went a little something like this...you save your money until you have enough to buy something. Once you have made a profit, you pay yourself back, put some into savings, and some gets reinvested in the company ie. another purchase for the business. You build slowly, with patience, and only borrow what you can pay back at the end of the month. By doing this, my grandparents grew their business to be a successful one. It employed and supported both of them, and at times, a few others as well. They stressed the importance of minimizing overhead, which I believe to be another key factor in their success. All of these are things that I have attempted to mimic in my own adventures.

My first realization: 

Just because the literature out there repetitively tells you that you need a formal business plan, and a hefty bank loan, does not mean it is the only way or the right way.