10 Tips and Learnings Being a Full-Time Business Owner

When I resigned my job last 2019, I didn’t expect that I will still be a full-time business owner 1 year and 8 months after. Kung tatanungin mo ako last year kung anong plano, ang sagot ko ay “titignan ko lang ng 6 months kung okay ba”.

To do a full time business is happy and so rewarding, but there are also a lot of rough patches. A lot has happened sa aking small at handmade business. I wrote this blog to share my personal experiences and tips lalo na if you want to go full time! 👏🏻

1. Always show up for work, cause if you don’t move nothing will happen- I still work 8 hours every day and even more, kapag maraming orders, OT pa ako haha! Akala ng ibang tao, puro youtube or Netflix lang ang home-based, you can, but discipline! Nakaka-tempt talaga pag nasa bahay, talagang maluwag ang sched, I start work late and get afternoon naps, but important na you have a time in and out.

Always show up for your business. If you aren’t in a mood to be creative, you can always do research, learn, check-out competitors and the market, photoshoot muna, o maki-chika sa mga customers! 😉 Galaw galaw talaga dahil sa business, kapag walang benta, walang pera. 💸

2. Set a deadline! – Bawal ang mga linyang “nakakatamad” and it doesn’t mean na walang boss at walang magche-check pwedeng laging late! 😂 I make sure I set deadlines for myself.  Lalo na if I have a New Collection coming, being consistent is key and will make your customers know that they can depend on you.

3. Work around set-hours –  A common mistake (I’m guilty about this) is thinking you are free 24 hours because you have a home-based business. I used reply to messages even at odd hours and ship-out an order after just a few hours after payment. This burned me out, as in. May phase ako na I had a breakdown cause I felt I was too ‘available’,  pakiramdam ko wala na akong time for myself, matutulog na lang ako sa gabi at hindi pa ako nag-aagahan kumakausap na ako ng customers. 😭

I learned to set boundaries. Now, I only reply to inquiries or messages (lalo na if hindi urgent) during my acceptable hours and I ship products 2-3 days after payment has been made. I also make my customers understand that I can’t do ASAP, I don’t keep a big inventory of finished products right now kaya I only do it pag may nag-order na.

4. Running a business is lonely, but you don’t have to be alone– In all honesty, it can get lonely to have a business, biruin mo walang office chika habang merienda, weekly meetings, team building at group performance sa Christmas party.  🎄 Mga bagay na nami-miss ko sa opisina!

(What my everyday work looks like. Ang ka-opisina ko ngayon ay mga pliers 😂)

Ngayon, ikaw na ang mag-isang nag-brainstorm, ikaw na nagse-set ng tasks, ikaw din ang gumagawa at nagche-check. I have low points wherein I always feel na mag-isa ako but I’m always reminded on how I really don’t have to do every single thing alone. I got family and friends who support me all the way! 🙏 Even the little things of my dad cutting the earring cards is a big help already! (Daddy's girl hahaha) 

5. Create a work space for yourself -This helped me so much, everytime that I level up my work space , mas tumataas ang productivity rate ko! Recently I invested in this pink, office chair and mas chillax, I always want to hang-out and sit at my table.

(Naka-angat na po tayo, nakabili na ako my office chair! 💕 Syempre ang pinili ko pink, very Halina) 

Naalala ko during my 1^st business, wala pa akong work space, all I had was a small plastic table at chair na nabili ko nang P700/set. Nakapwesto pa ako sa gitna ng living room namin, sa gitna mismo! Ang laking abala ko bahay, lagi rin akong dinadaan-daanan, hindi ako masyadong maka-focus at hindi rin kumportable. Make sure to assign a work table where you can craft or mess freely!

6. Take a day off!– Importante po ito dahil hindi naman tayo parang carinderia na laging bukas! Haha! 😅 It’s so easy to get drowned by the business, when you are both the boss and the employee, doble ang pagod. Give ample time to recharge and separate yourself from the business.

Nahirapan ako before kasi I always felt guilty when I try to relax and parang “I should be doing something’. It’s not healthy and it can make you hate the business. But that was because I was mixing up my personal and business life.  Now I take Mondays or Tuesdays off, usually kasi mas busy ang Friday-Sunday as these are the days when orders come in.

7. Reach out, make friends and join groups – Last year I attended 16 bazaars, 3 jewelry workshops and I made so many good friends, na hanggang ngayon close ko pa rin! My BGC Art Mart bazaarmates are now my friends personally, pati sa fb! They are the ones who will cheer you on your success and won’t judge you for mistakes and down moments because they exactly know how it feels to be in your shoes.  

(Kamila Academy, we've grown and this is only 1/3 of the members!)

And during this pandemic time, I attended 4 different zoom webinars all in the name of business and learning! I also joined the Kamila Academy by @kamilas4amart. I met the owner of Kamila, Mimi when I signed up for her resin workshop last 2019, and until now we became good friends! Learned a lot in the past 2 months of their weekly Zoom discussions with her and her partner, Harry and it helps me improve Halina! Even though I have a professional background in marketing and advertising, it’s still good to be part of a group and to keep on learning! The Zoom classes is FREE and every Wednesday at7:45 pm, you can message Harry here in IG if you want to join or request to be a member in this FB group. 

8. It’s okay to quit or change the business if it’s not working– I know because I quit my 1^st before putting up Halina, nag-full time na ako sa naunang business na @halinaflowers (formerly @heysweetheartcrafts).

Was I selling? YES.

Was it enough? NO. 

Nababawi ko ba pag nagba-bazaar ako? NO. 

Can the business the sustainable in the long term? NO. 

And it took me 1 year to try really hard and push for the business.

(Handmade flowers made of felt cloth, napakatagal gawin at masakit sa kamay!) 

I got wonderful feedback from my handmade flowers, but the time and effort I put in the business didn’t return, masyado kasing mahirap gawin ang flowers at mura ang bentahan. Specific din ang target market, usually mga moms or planner girls for smaller ones, while the flower bouquets mabenta lang kapag Valentine's or Mother's Day. Mahal na mahal ko ang paggawa ng felt flowers but I knew it wasn't working as I expected. 😢 So I decided to get back to office work again and after 2 years, ventured to a different product.

Alam ko na we are intensely passionate with the arts and crafts that we do. Yes, we should be proud, but we should also be fluid and accepting, change what is not working. Don't be stagnant, have a plan B to revive the business or have the courage to quit it. 

9. It's a competition with yourself– Napakadaling mainggit sa mga other business, lalo na ang dami natin puro online lang. We rely and compare on the basis of their photos and posts. But you have to think, especially with handmade and art business na it’s a competition with yourself, and not others. Kahit pa pareho kayo ng product, your success will be based on you. Like ourselves and our bodies, business is an extension of our being - it is unique in effort put, product offerings, design, how you run it and goals. 🥰

10. And lastly, kailangan malakas ang loob! – Dapat palaban, hindi aatras o madaling sumuko, you'll easily be discouraged if you compare yourself with other business. Lalo na sa social media, pag nakikita mo mas madaming benta ang competitor kaysa sa’yo, o kaya puro artista na kliyenta niya. May mga down times talaga, may mga buwan na walang benta, darating ang panahon na magkakaproblema.

When you are alone in a business, wala kang team mates or boss na masasandalan, you really have to toughen up and solve problems on your own. Lagi ko tong nararanasan, usually sa business parehong kalaban at kasangga mo ang sarili mo! So keep your head up and learn how to condition positivity within, cause remember, your 1^st fan is yourself. 🙌

 _____________

To end, these are the important questions to ask yourself -  

• How much do I want to make in a month?
• Can it sustain my living and lifestyle?
• Am I happy to be doing this business every single day, kahit minsan di maka-benta? 
• Do I believe that I can do it? Kung mahirapan, kakayanin ba? Remember that starting a business and running it are 2 different things. 

Goodluck and I hope we all make it! If you got questions send me a message anytime 💖 Or if you are putting up a business, I'd love to support you on it!