I wanna talk about the many hats I wear

As a small business owner, I’ve heard many times, oh it must be nice to work for yourself. or oh nice I bet you get free time. I usually just nod and smile. Many people just don’t know how many hats we wear.

First and foremost

I am a mother and wife. I do have the privilege that my kids are very independent and grown-up. Which does give me time to pursue this business venture. My husband and my kids are very supportive and do help sometimes when things get a bit overwhelming. I am very privileged in that I am able to do that.

Let’s count the hats

Design and production

I design and produce all of my merchandise. I use Corel to design everything, like shirts, mugs, and laser-cut jewelry. Sewing is one of my passions, sadly other things have taken over, but I am working on some sewn items for the shop. That is how Sew-Geek Started.  I also am the one printing, heat setting, and putting together jewelry.

Office Manager /accountant

The next hats I wear are Office Manager and Accountant. These hats I am not a fan of, but it is one of those things.  I print all the invoices, keep them organized, and make sure I know where the money goes.

Webmistress

A friend of mine started my web-site for me 7 years ago, but last September I decided I wanted to learn how to do it from scratch and I did. I learned new software to make my own theme just the way I like it and I am so glad I did. The independence I gained is nice, but it’s also a bit more work. Thank goodness the platform I use is easy to maintain. Now my husband helps me with some of the technical aspects, but design and keeping the site updated is my job.

Photographer

Photographing all my merchandise and editing the photos. Taking pictures for Social media and editing those. It’s a job I don’t like, but someone has to do it.

Shipping and logistics

Making sure orders go out on time and that supplies are reordered in a timely manner, keeping an inventory of items that are used frequently. Packaging orders, writing thank you on invoices, and make sure that all the extras are in the package.

Social Media / Marketing

Now, this last one is the one that probably takes the most time. I use buffer to help me schedule my social media, which has helped a lot, but still coming up with pictures and captions that will entice you the customer to come to my website, is not always easy. Some weeks I feel like I repeat myself too often. I also research what changes in algorithms happened to keep up with everything.

In the end

It’s all worth it. Every hat I wear is part of what makes Sew-Geek special. I am so proud of the community I have built with you. I am looking forward to keeping you geeks happy for quite a while.

The reason for this blog is to share with you a little of what all is involved and a behind the scenes look into Sew-Geek.