One year on...a reflective moment.

Photo overlay: Thanks to Pugly Pixel

It's been a little over a year since I closed the bricks and mortar side of my business, and I've been reflecting on it for a while, thinking about how my life has changed since then.
Looking back, and without realizing it, I was super stressed out, the pressure of trying to make a business succeed in tough economic times was really making me unhappy. I didn't realize that then of course, but I did know that resenting your child for taking up precious work time was not a healthy thing.

With hindsight it's easy to see that this was the right decision to make, but at the time I was really heartbroken. I kept all of my shop fittings because I thought I'd open another store down the track, but now I just laugh at how silly that all sounds.
When I sold off my hangers and used the shelving in Emma's room I felt lighter. I have a few mannequins and a POS/till in the garage that will go soon too, and then it will be final, I am a blogger and internet retailer now.

Yes, blogger first. It's now how I describe myself to people when they ask what I do. Since the b&m shop closed I have been posting about 5 times a week, that's at least 10-12 hours of work weekly, when you factor in photography, editing and actually writing the post, more if it's a tutorial. So it's like my part-time job.
The e-shop takes up all the rest of my spare time.
But why work doesn't feel like work anymore, (most of the time anyway), is because it fits in around my life. I can choose the time of the day I want to sit in front of my computer and upload stock or write a tutorial, I have that choice and it feels good.

Another choice that I feel has really empowered me, is the decision to take sponsors for my blog. What ever your feelings is topic may be, (I know there has been a little controversy out there in blogland of late) I like that I am now "officially" a professional blogger. My blog has always been a part of my business and now that I am spending so much of my energy working on it, it's logical that it should earn me an (extremely modest, haha) income too. Mr Man was 'very impressed' when my first sponsor came on board, it was the first time he'd said that about my blogging ever. It's funny how men think that nothing is worth doing unless you get paid - but that's a whole different blog post.

So who knows how things will be in another year or two down the track. I'm interested to do my taxes and compare this financial year to the last, I have a feeling that I'll be doing better than my (minus) -$890 profit for the previous tax year, hopefully my accountant will be 'adequately impressed' as well.