Everybody is stuck at home!

The people I feel the most for are servers and bartenders, because I used to work those jobs. 

Here in California, if you want to go anywhere you need to wear a mask, and wait in line to get into the store. 

I actually got really really sick in January with all the same symptoms, and I was still working, the whole time.

I mention this because the biggest things people talk about is how it affects peoples lives and the deaths,

This pandemic has really affected our business (in ways we never expected!)

We were freaking out, thinking that this was going to cripple the beauty industry and we were going to go down with it.

The CEO of Etsy sent out a huge email saying they needed masks, and to sell masks, so everyone did. We chose not to.

I thought it would be too big of a risk for us to make our own designed masks, so I didn’t want to.

There’s a lot of politicking in Etsy, and you have to just be in the middle, you don’t want to be on the fore-front, but you also don’t want to fall off and have to shut down. 

Since the pandemic more people have been giving us bad reviews, and I think it’s because people have more time to think.

When you are able to go out, you have kids school, your jobs, have to take your car to get cleaned and dog to get groomed, you don’t have time to deal with the Etsy girl, but now people have time while they are stuck at home, or waiting in like to get into the store, and they are in a bad mood.

We actually got more business during coronavirus, because we didn’t sink, we figured out the problem and we found a solution.

We pivot and turn things around, so it works out.

When the virus first started I was anxious about what to buy, finding masks, worrying about what if my kid gets it, so I didn’t focus on my business as much. 

I know a lot of people went through the same thing.

Something that helped up was putting on “headphones”, I stopped watching the news, stopped checking Facebook, and I focused on what I could do, and my business.

We put on a sale, and I think realizing the situation was so drastic, we were able to discount everything as much as possible. We really figured out what we could afford to lose.

Jesse doesn’t believe in always being on sale, so he fights me when I say I’m doing a sale because he thinks it devalues the business.

If you are going to have a storewide sale, don’t keep it on sale forever, make a plan.

If something is considered the best and not on sale much, then when they do go on sale, it’s a huge deal.

You take things like this in life, and use them for your best interest.

We are very lucky to be able to work online, because other people with on location jobs are really struggling.

This time would also be useful to lay on the couch and binge Netflix, but we didn’t want to be behind when all of this was over, so we made sure all our bills were paid on time, and kept working as hard as we could.

Graphic design is pandemic proof, because you help other businesses that are just starting to get set up online.

 

Stay-at-home parents and graphic design

I am a married mother of a kindergartner. Our daughter is in a private school, so we pay a fee for her to do school even though she’s at home and we are teaching her. 

We also have to manage zoom calls and it’s just been a huge crazy thing for us.

The rain cloud over everything is school; the restaurants and beaches being closed isn’t a big deal, but actually having to teach your child and work with them.

I feel for the schools and teachers, and the parents of young school age children.

Everyone is doing their best, and it’s important to take care of your family and make sure your bills are paid.

It is okay if your kid needs to repeat kindergarten, or does not finish all their homework, the most important thing is to make sure we have a place to live and the bills are paid.

There’s also the guilt of like, my kid can’t celebrate their birthday, and can’t hang out with their friends. It’s so hard, but you have to love yourself, and keep doing your best.

Sometimes it’s so crazy to think about the situation, and realize like am I going to be in history?

Focus on what’s important, focus on your family, your livelihood, your health, other things can be fixed later.

I feel so gifted that I get to work at home and I think it would be super smart to start your own side hustle or graphic design business. Lots of people need Marketing for all sorts of things right now.

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