Blogmas Day 12 | A Day In The Life Of A Small Shop Owner

Hello and welcome to today’s very different kind of post. It’s one that I would have loved to read a couple of years ago so thought it would be nice to share. For those who don’t know, I run my own small business where I sell all sorts of crafts including cards, labels, bunting and cake toppers all from the studio at the end of our garden. Not one day for me is the same so I’m constantly working on new designs or projects which I love. November and the start of December have been so busy for me so far so I thought it was a good time to have a little behind the scenes look at what I get up to! Enjoy x 

9am-10am

I tend to get the majority of my orders during the evening/night so I spend every morning going through these whilst drinking my morning tea. I love having this as the first job of the day as it enables me to prioritise what I’m going to be making. Once I’ve made my list of to-dos I take the time to go through my designs printing off anything that’s needed for the day. (I still don’t have a printer down in my studio so this job stops me having to go backwards and forwards all day!). Once the clock hits 10 I get out of bed, get dressed and head down to my office with a fresh cuppa ready to start. 

11am-1pm

Once I’m inside I spend the first half hour organising all the bits needed for each project of the day. At the moment my office (a converted shed) is freezing cold despite the cladding. So whilst waiting for the radiator to warm up I try and keep moving, whether that means a quick tidy up or packaging projects ready to post from the day before. I’ll spend the rest of the morning before lunch making orders, updating my social media or replying to enquiries. 

2-6pm

This time period is where the bulk of my work is done. During this time I’ll also pop to the post office if necessary, or I’ll have it open for customers to collect contact free from my doorstep. I’ll usually drink a couple of teas during this time period too! When the time gets to 5:30 I start to pack down with the aim to tidy up everything used that day in the hopes of starting fresh the next day. I like to refill anything that’s been emptied and have a quick stock check of cards, glue and anything that I use daily. I also write down how much stock I have of the more physical items I sell too so I don’t have to run down and check when orders come through. 

8-midnight

Once I’ve packed up my office and headed up to the house for the day, I’ll usually have my dinner with the family before working on designs in the evening. What a lot of people don’t know about running a small business is that you never really switch off. Personally I’m obsessed with everything creative and enjoy taking the time to draw or reply to enquiries with mocked up designs. I’m often designing late into the night as this is when I feel the most creative. I try to turn off for the night once the clock hits midnight but I’m often up well into the early hours. 

So there we have it, a day in the life of my small business. I hope you enjoyed this little look into the behind the scenes of my shop. It’s always been a passion project of mine and has been a thing in my life since 2016. I dreamed of making it my only job but never could have predicted 2020 and it’s cruel way of living would have made it possible.I’m very lucky to have such great friends and a supportive community who have invested in my business at a crucial time for me. 

Thanks so much for reading and until next time! X