5 Things I Learned in 2020 as a Business Owner

2020 was a whirlwind unfortunately. For myself, I started the year pretty sick and I lost a lot of weight. I had an ER trip at one point in that same time period. January is usually my second best month the whole year so I didn’t think I’d have a good year with my business. Boy, I was wrong on so many accounts, but I also went outside my comfort zone to make magic happen during a pandemic. The things I learned in 2020 for my small shop will make a big impact in 2021.

Here are 5 things I learned in 2020 as a business owner

1. Crochet Patterns

Selling crochet patterns can eventually give you a somewhat steady income. But it takes time to really make that happen and you really have to push that pattern. I released my Aspen Chroma Cowl pattern back in March and it was pretty popular from the start. Then I had a couple of Vloggers (The Crafty Toads) who picked my pattern for one of their challenges and things changed a little. My pattern went “soft” viral and I say soft viral because these wonderful ladies have quite the following and even now I’m still seeing purchases from that challenge that happened in August. I’ve loved seeing all of the yarns used to make my cowl pattern.

2. Social Media

I underestimated Facebook groups (I’ll link some of them at the bottom) and then was introduced to amazing communities. I help run an Etsy/handmade sellers group. I’ve helped with this group for a couple years now and we are pretty tight knit in the admin group. We discovered together the community of sellers that sell primarily through Facebook groups and it opened things up for me in a way I never thought possible. I’ve come to know other sellers and have made friendships. I’ve found products I absolutely love. These groups have really opened my eyes to what is possible for my shop of crochet items.

3. Organization

Organization is important as heck. In previous years I’ve stayed fairly organized, but this year I really had to when my business pretty much tripled overnight. I really worked to set up spreadsheets to keep track of everything. I started to get my supplies more organized (thank goodness for storage cubes) and I finally stopped buying yarn I didn’t need (as much as I could anyway) at that moment. Now I just need to find a better way to organize finished items.

4. Support System

Lean on your support system. I cannot say this enough. My support system is what kept my business open for the first 6 months of the year. I was struggling hard with wanting to stay open because I wasn’t doing very well, especially compared to previous years. My support system reminded me that it wouldn’t be easy but if I really wanted to make it work then I was going to. Working full time, during a pandemic, and then running a business on top of it is no easy feat. I take advantage of all my breaks when possible to make stock and write up new patterns.

5. Trying New Things

Try new things. I’ve branched out so much this year in terms of what I make. I thought crop tops and festival style clothing would be my thing. It wasn’t and now I have like seven half finished crop tops just sitting in a tote. That’s okay. I tried and it didn’t work out. This year I’ve branched out and now I do a mix of decor and accessories and quite frankly, it’s fun. I’m not making the same thing day in and day out. I can play with color and see what happens. It’s even pushed me to think about yarn dyeing and all the fun I could have with that.

At the end of the year…

I’ve started to find my niche and see that there are indeed people out there who support small business as much as they possibly can. I got all my Christmas gifts from small businesses this year. Those gifts were more unique than anything I could have bought in a department store. I’ve learned new things about myself and I’ve learned how to better manage stress in a lot of ways. I have found my people and I have a larger support system in December 2020 than I did in January 2020. 2020 has been wild in more ways than one and I couldn’t be more grateful for that because I’ve grown in more ways than one. After all, our twenties are supposed to be a time of growth and finding passions, right?

Let’s all hope 2021 is a better year in more ways than one! Stay healthy and keep pushing on. We got this.

Facebook groups: you will need to be logged in on Facebook to join these groups.

Meatless Monday: This group is made up of amazing people. There are charity events that happen every couple months and it’s a community where everyone supports everyone.

The Elysian Boutiques: This group is smaller, but also tight knit. Mostly children’s clothing and accessories, but they are starting some adult and home decor showcases.

The Creative Connection: Help & Support: This is the Etsy/small shop help group that I help with. It started out as just Etsy support but has changed a little. If you have a shop or want to open a shop, come join us. We love answering questions.