This is part 2 of our series: 31 DAYS of Setting Up Shop! You can find the entire list of days, in order on our Setting Up Shop Index Page. I'll add each new entry to this list as it is published.
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{concept}
Every new business starts with a concept. The first "idea" of what your business will look like, what you'll sell, where you'll set it up...
Sometimes the concept comes to you slowly and gradually. And other times it hits you like lightning. The concept for my newest endeavor hit me so hard and fast, I could barely think straight. You could say I was assaulted by an idea. I tried to ignore it, but details kept falling into place in my mind, so that I had to grab a piece of paper and jot them all down to keep everything straight. Within an hour, I was contacting a friend to see if she wanted to jump into it with me. Yikes! Let me back up.
The idea for the shop is actually a couple years in the making. My friend Lori has always been a big supporter of my work, and she stopped by the house one day to pick out some Christmas gifts for her family.
I've always loved the experience of selling goods directly to a customer, in person, and I wished that I could keep my little "shop" set up in my living room for the rest of the season, so my friends could come by whenever they needed to.
With limited square footage and a growing young family, this idea was entirely impractical, but I kept it in the back of my mind nonetheless. I was also playing with the idea of inviting other friends that I knew with creative businesses to join me--like a mini craft market. The concept stewed for two years.
Then, on the night of the "attack", I was in my workspace cutting fabric for ROPE, when the idea of the mini-market surfaced again. Except this time, all those little problems had potential remedies. When I couldn't stand the buzzing of ideas in my head anymore, I hopped onto the internet and sent my friend Caroline the craziest, random, mania-filled message. I laid out the concept, what it would look like, how it would work, and asked if she'd be interested in joining me.
Actually, if I'm completely honest, I was subliminally begging her to tell me that I was crazy, that she was too busy, that it sounded like a nutty idea, that I should check my medication and go to bed and forget the whole thing...
But she didn't. She wrote back, I'm in. And things started rolling.
So, what's the concept? Here's the basic idea:
1. A 4-day event in November where we showcase our home and gift items for real-live people. In person.
2. A boutique-like atmosphere where folks who read our blogs or shop our etsy shops could meet us, maybe eat a cookie and have a cup of coffee, and stock up on Christmas presents.
3. Set it up like a store, instead of having separate booths, so our stuff melds together.
4. A way for a few creative moms to network, fellowship, and create something fun together.
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Concept. It's a step in the right direction. But concepts don't usually answer any big questions. Usually, a concept works to stir things up, get you excited, ask a bunch of questions, and get the ball rolling in the right direction.
Now that we had our concept, it was painfully obvious how much we didn't have. A name, a venue, a time, other vendors, and about 1000 other details. It's a good thing this is a 31-day series.
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Do you have a creative business? How did the concept first come to you? Share in the comments! I'll be here to answer any questions!
