Recently, I've been thinking a lot about influence. It is something that has been heavy on my mind as I work to grow my business while jumping head first into this venture. In the handmade business and blogging world, there are some that have more influence than others. As one of the smaller fish in a big ocean, I find that I often get passed over for promotional opportunities and shout outs because my influence isn't as great as some of the bigger fish.
In the past week, while chatting with a lot of smaller fish, I'm learning that I'm not alone in this. I started to get down on myself about this, but then thought that wasn't the right way to deal with the situation. Why feel bad about something that you can't control? Why not do something that will turn a negative into a positive instead?
Yesterday, I passed a new milestone in my shop. I passed 3,000 sales. It is absolutely overwhelming and humbling and exciting to think about all at the same time. Nearly three years ago, I never would have imagined that I would be where I am today. And to be honest, if it weren't for everyone around me in the handmade and blogging community, I would still be looking at another year of teaching ahead of me. So THANK YOU!!! Thank you to ALL of you!
After a very humbling day, I reflected back on the idea of influence. I wanted to think of a way in which I could pay if forward. I decided I want to help others around me because I know how frustrating it can be to feel excluded or pushed to the side. So here's the deal:
1. I'm opening all of my small ad spaces up to anyone who is interested for the time being. I haven't decided how long yet, but if you want some free ad space and the promo that comes with it, it's yours! I don't care the size of your business or blog-- big or small I'm offering it to you. And my large ad spaces are 50% off as well. Just go to my sponsor page, choose your ad space, and enter the code THANK YOU and you'll score the ad space you'd like. I'm leaving this open indefinitely for the time being. Finding advertising and promotion that is affordable has been one of my biggest frustrations, so I want to offer it to anyone that would like it for free.
2. If you'd like to be featured on my blog as a handmade artist, I would love to have you. For free! I'd like to do several handmade features through the month of August. If you're interested, email me at heidi {at} rowhouse14 {dot} com with the subject line Handmade Feature. I'll do this on a first come basis, so email quickly if you're interested!
3. If you'd like to do a guest post on my blog in September to get some extra exposure, you're more than welcome! Again, for free! Email me at heidi {at} rowhouse14 {dot} com with the subject line Guest Post.
And again, thank you to all of you! It's been amazing ride so far, and I can't wait for what is to come next! :)
This is so awesome of you! I saw some of your tweets about the issue yesterday, and I'd much rather work with a blogger who has EVERYBODY'S best interests in mind, not just their own.
ReplyDeleteAnd boo on those people who didn't want to work with you. Their loss!
It really is amazing that people who start off small like everyone else suddenly believe they are an expert on things. And I'm not saying don't offer advice, but maybe don't offer it in "that tone" that makes you seem like a know-it-all. This is such a great idea because it's awesome to work together and help each other.
ReplyDelete