My Business Journey

This is what my life looks like owning a small business, it's definitely not easy but I love what I do. If you’re thinking about starting your own business, this story is for you.

I started my first business around June 2020 during quarantine because it looked like a lot of fun, but it was much harder than I expected. I made my own fake nail business, I hand painted every single nail, did my own marketing, built my own website and I was on my own. It cost me a lot of money to get started, I had to buy nail tips, nail polish, packaging supplies, nail stands and a bunch of things to make cool nail designs like gems and foils. I also had to pay for an eCommerce website which can be very expensive and those are just some of the basic things I needed for this business. I wasn't making much money off of it and it was getting a bit frustrating, my goal was to at least make back all of the money I spent to get it started but it wasn't working very well and I didn't really want to do nails anymore because of how much time it took to make a set. I had to deal with a lot of people who didn't want to pay the amount I was charging; I was charging 15$ to 35$ CAD per set which isn't that much since I was doing custom nails. After getting extremely discouraged, I decided to stop the business, it was very hard for me to do so however it was better for me to stop.

Due to my eating disorder, I'm not able to go to school or work so working online is really my only option to support myself. I've tried applying for remote jobs but most companies require years of experience or a degree which I don't have, and I haven't found many work from home jobs in which I qualify. After hours upon hours of research in hopes of getting a job, I've decided to try my hand at another business with things I already own. I opened Witches Ground, a Witchcraft supply and accessory shop on Etsy. Not only is it more affordable to sell on Etsy rather than having my own website, it's also something that is my true passion, I absolutely love my practice and I have a lot of supplies at home which makes the cost a lot lower than when I started my first business. Even if this business doesn't work out, I can still use everything that I've purchased in my own practice.

Not only do I run my own business, but I also sell my art, I write stories like this on Vocal and I’m still on the lookout for an online job. I’m the type of person who wants to do it all even though I’m only on person, but I still try to do as much as I can during recovery so I can stay productive and gain experience the only way I can. I’m having a lot of fun with everything that I’m doing and it’s something that makes me very happy.

Starting a business doesn’t have to cost you a fortune to start if you do it right and it does take a lot of work and commitment, if you are committed and willing to put in the effort it takes it means you may be ready to start your own journey. Make sure you’re passionate about what you’re doing and it’ll be so much fun, even if it doesn’t work out and it’ll be a great learning experience for you and anyone who is involved.