Descision : Day 22 March Meet The Maker
Every day is built on a myriad of decisions. Most subconscious, I would say. So I'll refer to the prompts and see what I can come up with for today's NoBooksBlog
have you had to make any big decisions recently? What were they? Kind of. I had to decide whether the time was right to get back on the road with NoBooksOnTour.com. Extended family illness has made me want to stay close to home for the past 18 months or so, and whilst part of me really wanted to be doing exhibitions, the bigger part of me didn't want the uncertaintly of being 100s of miles from home.
Or perhaps a decision you made turned out to be the best one you’ve ever made? The hardest decision I've ever made in my life, was to leave my secure job of 20+ years, to take the biggest risk of my life, with going full time with NoBooksWereHarmed.co.uk. Took months of soul searching, and fighting my head and heart, but it was the single best thing I've EVER done.
Did you buy some new equipment? I don't really use much in the way of equipment. I work with reclaimed hardbacks, and fold them by hand, using only a ruler and a teaspoon. You can read more about The Spoon here. The last bit of equipment I invested in was probably by shipping label printer. It was a learning curve (Printers hate me), but it saves me probably 3-5 hours a week!
Tried something new? Removed a process or something that wasn’t quite working for you? Again, my process is so simple (time hungry, but not complicated), that there's not much to remove haha I'm always streamlining things like how I record my stock levels, how I pack orders, especially during busy spells, but it's always an evolution rather than adding or removing, I would say.
Made a new product? Always! haha Well, in some ways, I only make ONE product - in infinite variations! But I'm ALWAYS working on new designs, and still have unexplored notes from as far back as 2014/15, which I dig in to inbetween orders, to bring new (old) ideas to booky life!
Stopped selling something that didn’t you bring you joy anymore? Not as such, but sometimes my old photos make me SO uncomfortable, that I'll remove that product from my website, until/unless I have a chance to fold the same thing again, for better pics. But no, all of my work brings me joy, and because I fold to order, I don't feel the need to stop offering anything - if you don't want it, I'm not folding it anyway!
Moved premises? Nope. Living my lifelong dream of working from home. I'm often asked if I'd like a shop one day - HARD NO - I come from a background of retail in my Mum's business, and to have a shop would be one of my worst nightmares! I can't tell you how much I ADORE working from home. My office used to be my spare room, and the rest of the house is lined with bookshelves, containing 4500+ books, ready to be folded. Function and beauty. I hope I never have to 'go' to work, I hope it's always right here in my home ♥
Got an accountant? Not yet. I'm very comfortable with numbers, and have always done my own accounts. For a small, simple business such as this, it's very simple to keep your own books, and the HMRC are very helpful, if you do need guidance on anything. This may be the year I have to get an accountant though, as the Making Tax Digital deadline is upon us, and I actually don't think I can be arsed trying to get my head round it.
Opened a real-life high street shop? See above haha
Or perhaps just starting your business altogether has been rewarding? More about of No Books came in to being HERE
I'm taking part in this year's March Meet The Maker. It's primarily an Instagram thing, with the focus being on telling your story via photos. You might have noticed, I take shite photos, but I can ramble on in type for ages haha So I'm going to mostly take part, right here, on NoBooksBlog.co.uk