Anxiety and insecurity are constant companions when it comes to running your own business. Taking the path less traveled means you'll be walking hand-in-hand with the fear of the unknown. Worrying about what everyone else is up to is a pretty normal part of the process. You worry about how your competitors are doing. You worry about your peers being more successful than you. You worry about how the market will respond to you.

What I have come to accept is the fact that absolutely none of these factors are under my control. It is easy (and dangerous) to fall into the trap of following your competitors too closely. You see a nice write-up they got and you start to feel like you're doing something wrong. They get a grant or come out with a great new product and it feels like you lost at something. You start trying to figure out what you can do to respond to these developments, which seems like a productive idea, but really it's a trap. If you spend all of your time responding to what everyone else is doing you are guaranteeing yourself a position that is always playing catch up.

When I find myself slipping into this mindset I remind myself, mind your own business. Work on developing your skills. Create better products. Refine your designs. Push yourself further down your own path because that is something they will never be able to beat you at.

When you start to focus on your own business you come up with your own novel solutions, seize the opportunities that are right for you, and force everyone else to respond to what you are doing. Except, you won't care about that because you will have already moved on to something else.

I've gotten a little design time in last month. So there are some new additions to the shop.  

First I've finally started to play around with some leathers other than the vegetable tanned leather I usually work with.

This is the Magellan Notebook reworked with some Oil Tanned Leather.

And I came up with a little pouch made from the same. If you are not familiar with oil tanned leather it was mainly used for chaps and motorcycle bags since it's pretty water resistant. It also has a pull-up which means the leather gets lighter where you bend and scratch it. It's also a lot softer than veg tan leather.

Finally I released a new version of the passport case. This is the first time I'm making them available online. This is version 3.0 for those playing along at home.

All of these new items and many others can be found in the store here.

My story has always be about taking an honest look at starting a business. So here is a little honesty. Okay, so I screwed up. As I get busier, and I make more and more things, I'm bound to make some mistakes every once and a while. Last week I screwed up. I'm going to tell you all about it because there is a really good lesson in it.

I decided to test out a new thread from a different supplier. I was making watch straps that day and decided to make myself one to see how it would break in. The following day I had a show and without realizing it I packed up the strap I had made for myself. While I was setting up for the show I grabbed this particular strap out of the straps I brought, put it on a watch, set it on the table, and thought nothing of it (because I thought my tester strap was still at home).

I have a nice show and I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. Then Monday rolls around and I can't find the strap I made for myself. Then I get an email. It basically says, "Hey I bought this watch off you yesterday (Editor's note YESTERDAY!!!). It looks really nice but it's kind of falling apart..."

And my heart sinks. I immediately start thinking worst case scenarios.  I mean the main point of everything I make is that they are very durable. This guy has had the thing for less the 24 hours. He must think I'm either trying to screw him over or I'm a total asshat.

Here is where a lesson I learned in my previous life comes into play. I wish I could remember who said this to me, but it was probably said in a moment of chaos. Every screw up is a chance to prove how good we are.  As a server in a restaurant you get to apologize a lot. Even when something happens in the kitchen and I had nothing to do with it, it is still my job to go apologize to the table.  So having to learn how to fix mistakes is an art that any good server has to master.

So I stopped freaking out and starting thinking about this as a challenge. The first thing you should always do is try to meet the customers expectations. In this case they wanted a nice looking strap that doesn't fall apart. First I apologized and took responsibility.  I asked him to give me a chance to fix it. Either mail it back to me or drop it off at a show (one of the benefits of having a busy show schedule if you don't have a storefront) and I'd fix it and get it right back to him. He decided to mail it because he wanted it back ASAP.

I received the strap in the mail two days later. The mail arrived at 10 am. Within the hour I had the strap restitched. I then gave it a nice cleaning with saddle soap and re waxed the entire thing. I let it dry and spent a good amount of time messing with the stitches to make sure they wouldn't come loose. I then sat down and made another strap. Why? If for some reason this one got lost or ruined in the mail I'd have a backup ready.

I then sat down and wrote out a nice email letting him know that I had received the strap, it was already fixed, and explained what I'd done wrong.  Once it was dry I packed it up, added a matching keyring to the package (because I was grateful for the chance to try again) and had it in the mail the following morning.

This morning I got an email from the customer. The strap and keyring had arrived successfully. Not only that, but he was looking forward to using them " proudly."

I think that is really the lesson here. Just like how you can see what a person is really like when they are down, you can see the same with a business. It's important to impress people when you are doing to good job. It is even more important to shine when you have really screwed up. Because that is what I am really selling.

You can buy a watchstrap online that was made in a factory halfway across the planet for a lot less. I'm not reinventing the wheel here either. When someone buys something from me they know that I've put my heart into it. They know that I actually give a crap about what I'm making.  They get the confidence that what I've made is up to my highest standards and if it comes up short then I really want to make it right. They know that I am proud of the work I am doing. I have invested myself in it, and they should be able to be proud knowing that they made a good choice in buying it.

As a business owner you are going to screw up. It is inevitable. What is important is that when you do; you screw up really well.

(As a side note, if the watchstrap belonged to you and you are reading this: thank you very much for your email. A happy email resulting from something I screwed up is invaluable.)

One continually evolving issue that I have to think about is whether or not to offer my items to wholesalers. It's a question that many makers will have to think about at some point and I've spent a fair amount of time making decisions (and then changing them) since starting Wright and Rede. I thought it might be helpful to write down some of my thoughts on the issue.

If you want your stuff to be carried in a brick and mortar store  (or online for that matter) that's not yours, you generally have two options; consignment or wholesale. Each has it's pros and cons and there is a correct and different way I handle each type of account.

I see a wholesale account as a owner-to-customer relationship. The wholesaler will order a larger quantity of your goods in exchange for a discount so that they can resell them at a profit. This can be a single transaction or a repeatable transaction. I say it is a customer relationship because people seem to forget that just because you landed a wholesale account does not mean that they'll ever order from you again. Like any customer, they expect quality customer service with their purchase. They are going to expect well made goods that are thoughtfully packaged, cross promotion of their store, and ready trouble-shooting if any problems arise.

The Pros:

The right wholesaler can add to your brand identity. Getting your things carried in a really cool store can make you cooler by association.

A good wholesale account can introduce you to new markets.  If you live in Cleveland trying to sell your goods in L.A. can be kind of difficult.  A good wholesale account (who is enthusiastic about your goods) can excite and educate potential customers in that area.

They can sell when and where you can't. If a customer wants to check out your goods, but you don't have a storefront, you can direct them to the wholesaler to see your goods in person. I found this to be very helpful during the holidays. Towards the end of a show I might run out of something. It's handy to be able to tell someone that you're all out of phone cases but they can check out so-and-so's store because they still have some in stock. This can be especially handy a few days before Christmas when people are a little panicky and you are running low on product.

A wholesaler has an investment in your product. They've already spent money on your goods which they need to see pay off. They have a fairly large incentive to make sure that your goods are being presented in the best possible way to sell. 

The Cons:

A discount of 50% is pretty standard for a wholesale account. Can you make a living selling your goods at 50% off? Is it worth it? Are you charging a price that will allow you to sell at that much of a discount?

Your pricing structure gets linked to your wholesale accounts. Let's say you try out a new product. You charge $50 for it. A wholesaler loves it and buys 20 of them. Turns out that new design wasn't the hot item you thought it would be and you want to keep producing it, but at a lower price point. How happy is your wholesale account going to be when they see on your website that you are selling the item that they have to charge $50 for at only $35?

How many will they be ordering? Let's say a really cool store wants to carry a new item that you are making. The new design is a pain-in-the-ass to make but you really want to be in this store. So you cut them a good deal. You bust your butt getting the order out and you don't make much money in return, but hey you can tell people that you are in that really cool store. Then they never order from you again.

The opposite side of that coin is even worse. They order a ton from you on a regular basis. You're so busy filling their orders that you can't make your own stuff. Now you are in the business of providing one pain-in-the-ass-item at less than you should be charging for it. Iif any of your own customers wants one you can direct them to this really cool store where you will be making less than 50% of what it is worth.

You'll need to invest a fair amount of time writing out a wholesale agreement (that clearly defines the relationship) and coming up with a price sheet (with pictures and descriptions).

Consignment is a different kind of relationship. I think of a consignment account as taking on a small business partner. The arrangement is basically that you will be the back-end (manufacturing) and they will be the front-end (distribution and sales) and then you'll split the sales 50-50. (Notice I said sale and not profit.)

The Pros:

Consignment agreements tend to be a little looser. Most stores will ask to carry your stuff and you can decide what specifically to bring them. This can be a great way to promote a new item. You can also tailor what you bring to the account. You can work with the consignor to figure out what will move the best at their location.

Many consignment agreements will allow you to adjust your prices and inventory as situations change. If you thought something would go over well, and instead they're just sitting on the shelves, you can frequently ask the shop owner if you can swing by and switch some stuff out.

Like a wholesale store, your items can be found in times and locations where you aren't present. If you have a bunch of accounts and decide to take the day off, your consignment accounts are still out there trying to sell your goods for you.

Consignment stores are always bringing in new vendors. As a result they tend to have very active social media campaigns. A supportive consignor can give your social media platforms a nice little boost.

Because the inventory is fairly flexible in a consignment shop, new products getting dropped off by the other vendors will help add to the interest for that location. If the shop owner is doing a good job curating the store then this means a steady supply of interested customers even though you aren't coming up with a new product every week.

The Cons:

The relationship with a consignment shop is very different from a wholesale account because they are looking for a different return on investment. A wholesale account is looking to get their money back. So it is in their best interest to move items that are selling poorly.  A consignment shop is looking to make the most profit on the space and energy they have allotted to you. If your items aren't selling, then they probably aren't going to get a prime spot in the store and not much enthusiasm from the staff. A bad consignment deal can turn into a graveyard for your goods.

You are going to get product back at some point. If you have a consignment deal that isn't working out, and you pull out of the shop, you are going to get back all of the product that they were holding for you. This can be a boon if you are low on stock. More likely you will be getting back a bunch of stuff that didn't sell. There is also a good chance that the stuff you get back has been sitting around for a little while and may no longer be up to your more developed standards as you improve your skill level.

You'll be signing a contract. Most run from 6 months to a year. If the consignment deal turns out to be a dud you're going to be dealing with them for the length of the contract.

Consignment shops tend to profit off of quantity of dealers not necessarily quality. This is not always the case. I can think of several consignment shops that carry really fantastic stuff. In general the shop is betting that enough of their dealers will be profitable to make their business successful. The more dealers the better chance they have of finding a winner. Sometimes this means that you get to have your stuff surrounded by a great mix of popular items. Lots of times it means that the shop needs to try out new dealers on a regular basis and some of these dealers don't have the same standards for their business as you do for yours.

Signing with a consignment shop really is like taking on a business partner. They will be getting 50% of the total value of everything you give them. Ideally you should be reviving 50% of that value in service back from your consignor.  This means promotion of your goods in the store and on social media, proper merchandizing (making your stuff look appealing in the store), educated and interested staff, theft-prevention and security, and reliability. If you sign a contract with a store that turns out to have pissed off lazy staff, they close the store randomly and at odd hours, the only people who know your stuff is there are the people who you send in there, and they display your stuff in a dusty stack in the corner, you are going to be dealing with them for the next 6-12 months.

In general I wouldn't recommend consigning with a store that I can't get to on an occasional basis. When I ship out a bunch of product to a new store I now have a significant investment in that store. The responsible thing to do is to occasionally make sure that your investment is well placed. You should stop in every now and then and make sure that your product is being looked after. Most consignment shop owners are friendly and want to see a client that is engaged in their store. If you live in Cleveland and the store is in Atlanta you are pretty much hoping that they are holding up their end of the deal.

Another issue from having distant consignment accounts is inventory related. Let's say I sell t-shirts and I get a check saying that I sold 12 shirts that month. Fantastic, were those Small, Medium, or Large? This is a pretty common issue. If you can't get to the store and figure out what sizes you need to restock and the store's owners or employees aren't cooperating, trying to restock that store is going to be a regular pain in the butt.

There is also the possibility that they sold 20 of my shirts and paid me for 12 of them. I'd have no way of knowing this if I couldn't stick my head in there every now and then. I've never had this happen to me. I know of many people who have had this happen to them. It sucks and it happens.

My Guidelines

So was that a lot of information to take in? Most of these issues will be relevant to your business in specific ways. If you are a graphic designer selling posters, and getting a bunch printed off isn't a huge deal, then consignment shops all over the country might be a great option for you. If you are a ceramicist and making really labor intensive products, consignment and wholesaling may be the wrong answer for you entirely.

For myself I stick by these rules (which will probably get changed as my business grows and changes).

• My goods are labor intensive so I limit the total number of accounts, of any sort, pretty heavily.
• Not every item I make is offered to my accounts.  Some things I just can't make at 50% off.
• I have almost zero consignment. I love the idea, but I have discovered that the proportion of investment between the two parties is rarely equitable.  The only consignment I do these days usually involves some sort of pop up shop, seasonal event, or a very specific goal or cause.
• I will not take on a consignment account that I can't comfortably drive to and from in a day.
• I try to walk though any store I'm going to have my goods sold in. If possible I do this anonymously. While there I will look at the other goods sold, their price point (I don't want to have the most expensive or cheapest goods in the store), and how they are displayed. I try to ask some casual questions of the staff to see how engaged they are. Finally I look to see if the store is getting managed properly. A little chaos is fine. My workshop is a mess sometimes, so I don't judge. There shouldn't be boxes piled up around the store, broken display pieces, or frazzled or clueless staff.
• Is the shop brand appropriate? This has been one of the hardest ones to deal with when starting up. At first it's really exciting to have someone want to carry your stuff. Especially if it's a wholesale account and they want to give you some money. I ask myself if I'd be happy telling people my stuff is there. A shop that sells local handmade things, a shop for guys, a shop for rugged outdoorsy things, a cool stationary store, might all be good matches. A shop that sells accessories for girls ages 4-12 and is called Silly Sally's Princess Palace (I just made that up, but if you're out there SSPP I love your store name)  is probably not the best image for my brand.
• I sell things personally all over Cleveland at all times of the year. I also sell on this website 24/7. Since what I produce is labor intensive, and I can only make so much, having a bunch of accounts (wholesale or consignment) all over Cleveland isn't the best option. If I'm selling everything I make then supplying a bunch of shops in my same area, instead of producing for myself, doesn't make much sense.
• The number of shops I'm willing to take on is also influenced by the amount of variation I can generate between my products. It's doesn't make any sense to have four stores selling the same thing in a 1 mile radius.

Like I said these are just some of the guidelines I've developed for making decisions on what accounts to accept or pursue.  As my business grows and changes so will these guidelines. I think the most import thing is to have a set of rules that help me figure out which opportunities are good ones. It also helps me feel more secure when I have to tell someone no.

If you are a maker or store owner I'd love to hear your input as I'm always evolving my opinion on this. You can comment below or email me at jordan@wrightandrede.com if you are worried about airing your dirty laundry on the internet.

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Interestingly enough, not the first W.L.E.r to discover this. Apparently 2x your wrist size is your neck size. This reminds me of the very first Flea I did where a nice lady picked up a bracelet an asked "Ummm, what part does this go on????"

I started off this morning watching this really intelligent presentation by Kathryn Minshew for 99U called "7 Classic Startup Founder Mistakes and How to Avoid Them".  The one mistake that really stood out for me was the one she calls "Perfect vs. Done". This is a trap I fall into all of the time, and since I'm writing this at the cusp of busy season, I think it is very relevant.

For me there is a constant tension between designing a product to completion and making a product to sell. I know a lot of people who have this same issue. I can't tell you how many people I've met that have failed to execute a really great idea because they never felt it was ready.

The thing I am starting to realize is that what I'm trying to make will never be ready. It will never be perfect. Worse, if I spend all of my time trying to make something that is perfect I'd never make anything at all. Even if I managed to put something out there that I thought was ready, in a year you could show it to me and I'd tell you all the things wrong with it.

This can be a trying struggle because I can't (no one can) make something that matches the ideal in my mind, but I'm also responsible for making something to sell.

I have come to realize that this is an issue of perspective. From my perspective I want to execute a flawless design. Like any good craftsman, I always want to produce my best work and any shortcomings in my execution are viewed as failures. From my customer's perspective, they want to buy a good that will provide value in their life.  Where I see a product that never quite lives up to the idea in my head, my customers see something that looks good and holds their business cards.

Will I produce something better next year? Will that card holder be more "ready" next year? I really hope so. Is it wrong of me to sell that card holder today even though I know it will be better tomorrow? Not if I'm producing it to the best of my ability. If I am doing my job right the person that buys my card holder today will enjoy having it enough to want to seek me out in the future. If I'm really doing my job right they'll be even happier with what I make down the road.

The trick seems to be to always reach for the ideal in your head for tomorrow, but produce something you can live with today.

I wasn't expecting too much to change last month. With the subzero arctic temperatures most of the bracelets are not getting much sunlight. It's like S.A.D.D. but with bracelets.  There is still quite a bit of variation considering that they all looked the same five months ago. 

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I was never a very good art student. I would not have made a very good Artist. The problem is that I've always been too practical.  I can't justify asking someone to spend money on my work when there is no practical benefit. You can't eat it.  It doesn't provide shelter.  It won't make you healthy. 

Some people might disagree with that last statement. They would say that art can provide meaning, clarity, or solace in an otherwise cold and confusing world. I agree with that. Art can be a very powerful thing. Just not the art that I was making.

My problem was always transitioning from craft to art. Craft is the study and use of the process. Art is the reason why. During class critiques I'd would hear things like, "This portrait represents mankind's struggle against alienation in a world where technology is ever present" or, "This is a still life of items left behind by my grandmother. She raised three children in a Japanese internment camp". I was just making things that I thought looked good.

I think that is why I've fallen so happily into the life of being a craftsman. You may not be able to seek shelter under something I've made, but at least you've got a place to keep your library card. The tricky part is that successful craftspeople don't just make things really well. They have a vision of why they are making what they make. 

Since starting my business and fully devoting myself to my craft I've discovered something really interesting. You don't start out with a vision. You end up with one. I'll be the first person to admit I didn't start out with a vision. I started because I was sick of waiting tables and working nights. It has been only recently that I have really been able to say what kind of work I make and why I make it. This is not a process that you can rush no matter how much energy you devote to it. It's kind of like growing up.  Below is my take on it.

The Steps of Creative Development:

Step One: The Baby Phase. When I started leather working (or anything really) everything was new and exciting. I knew very little about what I was looking at and it all seemed amazing. During this stage I collected everything into my mental database and stored it all away. There is no curating or direction. It's all great. Like shiny car keys.

 Step Two: The "I want to be just like older brother" or the Aping Phase. This is when I started to have a little bit of discernment. I had found a few people who's work I really liked. Makr, Will Leather Goods, and Bexar Goods Co. were chief among them.  I spent a lot of time making really bad knock-offs. This is a normal and healthy thing. Most classically trained artists and craftspeople spend their early days producing stuff that looks like other people's work. The important part is that I saw this for what it was and knew that I had to make work that is my own. Don't sell your knock-offs!

Step Three: The Terrible Twos (or the Everything I Make Is Crap) Stage. Turns out you can't look at a Picasso and then sit down and paint like Picasso. No matter how much time I spent staring at the Makr website I couldn't make anything that looked as good. Stage Three is filled with a lot of nos. I started to learn what works for me with my methods of production. A style that works really well for Will Leather looks really bad when it comes from my hands. So I started to cut back on what I was trying to make and started making what I could make.

Step Four: The Snotty Teenager. I knew what I could do and I was starting to make work that looked like my own. Here is where I almost got caught up. I found a narrow space that I could occupy and thought, "okay, this is the kind of work I do."  This was a comfortable place because for the first time I could tell what I didn't want to make. Designing got a little easier and I spent a lot of time dismissing other peoples work. "Ugh,  I don't like polyester thread", "look at how sloppy that stitching is", "that design really sucks."

 Step Five: Moving Out of Mom's House. This is the stage I spent most of my time in (I still do spend a lot of time at this stage). Here is where I stopped worrying about what everyone else is doing. I don't see how I could have gotten to this stage without quitting my day job. When I had to start making a living, I stopped focusing on the outside world and really began to focus on the work I was producing. Instead of trying to find a new clever wallet design I was more focused on making sure I had enough product on hand for the show I was doing that weekend.

This sounds like the most boring phase, but I found that by keeping my nose to the wheel I began to really develop my vision.  When I would dye ten or twenty wallets in a row I found that there were some I liked more than others. I began trying to replicate those features on the next round of wallets. It's not always a conscious action either. There are a lot of little tricks that my hands have picked up on that my brain is not aware of. As a result I'm a lot faster now than when I started.

I also learned that I like the funkier leather. Vegetable tanned leather will show off all the scratches and weird blotches when I dye it. I started trying to bring that out more in my process. I like things that are simple and clean. My design work reflects that. I like things that look old, so I try to make things that will age beautifully.

I wouldn't have learned any of this with out grinding out the work that I have to do on a daily basis. It's a type knowledge that is gained in increments.

  Stage Six: The World Traveler. This is the stage I'm just starting to get into. I don't think anyone really gets to spend all of their time here. It seems like most people jump back and forth between 5 & 6. I couldn't have gotten to this stage without the confidence that was built up in the previous step. This is the stage where I'm confident enough in my vision to draw intelligent inspiration from around me and use it to create work that speaks with my own voice.

I'm not all the way there yet. I'm not sure that this is something I can reach the end of anyway.  I have learned that they only way to get here is through consistent and thoughtful work. I first had to learn what I didn't want to make, how to make what I did, how to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, and then finally I could start to understand what I had to say.

I was never a very good art student. I would not have made a very good "A"rtist. The problem was that I was always far too practical.  I couldn't justify asking someone to spend money on my work when there was no practical benefit. You couldn't eat it.  It didn't provide shelter.  It wouldn't make you healthy. 

Some people might disagree with that last statement. They would say that art can provide meaning, clarity, or solace in an otherwise cold and confusing world. I agree with that. Art can be a very powerful thing. Just not the art that I was making.

My problem was always transitioning from craft to art. Craft is the study and use of the process. Art is the reason why. During class critiques I'd would hear things like, "This portrait represents mankind's struggle against alienation in a world where technology is ever present" or, "This is a still life of items left behind by my grandmother. She raised three children in a Japanese internment camp". I was just making things that I thought looked good.

I think that is why I've fallen so happily into the life of being a craftsman. You may not be able to seek shelter under something I've made, but at least you've got a place to keep your library card. The tricky part is that successful craftspeople don't just make things really well. They have a vision of why they are making what they make. 

Since starting my business and fully devoting myself to my craft I've discovered something really interesting. You don't start out with a vision. You end up with one. I'll be the first person to admit I didn't start out with a vision. I started because I was sick of waiting tables and working nights. It has been only recently that I have really been able to say what kind of work I make and why I make it. This is not a process that you can rush no matter how much energy you devote to it. It's kind of like growing up.  Below is my take on it.

The Steps of Creative Development:

Step One: The Baby Phase. When I started leather working (or anything really) everything was new and exciting. I knew very little about what I was looking at and it all seemed amazing. During this stage I kind of collected everything into my mental database and stored it all away. There is no curating or direction. It's all great. Like shiny car keys.

 Step Two: The "I want to be just like older brother" or the Aping Phase. This is when I started to have a little bit of discernment. I had found a few people who's work I really liked. Makr, Will Leather Goods, and Bexar Goods Co. were chief among them.  I spent a lot of time making really bad knock-offs. This is a normal and healthy thing. Most classically trained artists and craftspeople spend their early days producing stuff that looks like other people's work. The important part is that I saw this for what it was and knew that I had to make work that is my own. Don't sell your knock-offs!

Step Three: The Terrible Twos (or the Everything I Make Is Crap) Stage. Turns out you can't look at a Picasso and then sit down and paint like Picasso. No matter how much time I spent staring at the Makr website I couldn't make anything that looked as good. Stage Three is filled with a lot of nos. I started to learn what works for me with my methods of production. A style that works really well for Will Leather looks really bad when it comes from my hands. So I started to cut back on what I was trying to make and started making what I could make.

Step Four: The Snotty Teenager. So now I knew what I could do and I was starting to make work that looked like my own. Here is where I almost got caught up. I found a narrow space that I could occupy and thought,"okay, this is the kind of work I do."  This can be a really good place because for the first time I could tell what I didn't want to make. Designing got a little easier and I spent a lot of time dismissing other peoples work. "Ugh,  I don't like polyester thread", "look at how sloppy that stitching is", "that design really sucks." Now I'm not saying I'm above a little Schadenfreude from time to time, but at this point I didn't really have a right to talk. I was no longer producing work that sucked but I wasn't exactly Corter Leather either.

 Step Five: Moving Out of Mom's House. This is the stage I spent most of my time in (I still do spend a lot of time at this stage). Here is where I stopped worrying about what everyone else is doing. I don't see how I could have gotten to this stage without quitting my day job. When I had to start making a living, I stopped focusing on the outside world and really began to focus on the work I was producing. Instead of trying to find a new clever wallet design I was more focused on making sure I had enough product on hand for the show I was doing that weekend.

This sounds like the most boring phase, but I found that by keeping my nose to the wheel I began to really develop my vision.  When I would dye ten or twenty wallets in a row I found that there were some I liked more than others. I began trying to replicate those features on the next round of wallets. It's not always a conscious action either. There are a lot of little tricks that my hands have picked up on that my brain is not aware of. As a result I'm a lot faster now than when I started.

I also learned that I like the funkier leather. Vegetable tanned leather will show off all the scratches and weird blotches when I dye it. I started trying to bring that out more in my process. I like things that are unfussy and my design reflects that. I like things that look old, so I try to make things that will age beautifully.

I wouldn't have learned any of this with out grinding out the work that I have to do on a daily basis. It's a type knowledge that is gained in increments.

  Stage Six: The World Traveler. This is the stage I'm just starting to get into. I don't think anyone really gets to spend all of their time here. It seems like most people jump back and forth between 5 & 6. I couldn't have gotten to this stage without the confidence that was built up in the previous step. This is the stage where I'm confident enough in my vision to draw intelligent inspiration from around me and use it to create work that speaks with my own voice.

For example, here is an iPad case  I did over the holidays. The blue part was inspired by a Japanese textile pattern that represents waves. I include a journal with all of my cases in that hope that this will be something that you carry with you on the journey of your life. The waves speak of the journey. The contrasting color scheme inspiration came from a really old Louis Vuitton logo that was screened onto some of their bags. You can see how nonuniform the grain is which has been brought out by the dyeing process. I tried to create a contrast between the highlights and the darker areas of the leather. This reminds me of old photographs.

Why I'm doing what I'm doing not always a straight forward answer, but the spirit of my personal style is beginning to show. I'm very focused on gradient and tone on the leather's surface. I'm always referencing my love of personal history and my hope that someday my work will become part of it. I like things to be simple and unfussy. 

I'm not all the way there yet. I'm not really sure that this is something I can reach the end of anyway.  I have learned that they only way to get here is through consistent and thoughtful work. I first had to learn what I didn't want to make, how to make what I did, how to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, and then finally I could start to understand what I had to say.

If you would like to see where some of my inspiration comes from I've set up a Tumblr account where I keep a curated collection of things I find that visually inspire me. I also have a Pinterest account where I like to keep inspiration for projects I'm actively working on. If you are active on either platform please look me up as I'd like to see what inspires you.

"Well, you've got two choices. We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."

--Dr. Saunders, pediatrician, before giving me every shot I ever had as a child.

I don't remember Dr. Saunders very well. For some reason he looks kind of like Orville Redenbacher in my recollections of him. He also had a big, brusk nurse who must have modeled for Nurse Ratched at some point. He was an old man when he said these words to me. He was a young man when he said them to my mother for the first time. He was her pediatrician too. 

What I do remember about him was this saying. I think about it often.  I always chose the hard way, which involved a bear hug from Big Nurse, tears, and a lot of evasive squirming. I haven't really changed much as I've grown up. While I can now take a booster shot like a champ I still find myself choosing to do things the hard way.

I try not to judge. Some people are good at the easy way. I'd probably produce a lot more. I'd probably be less busy, work at a different job, and stress out a lot less. I don't think I would be very satisfied.

Somewhere in me there is a deep conviction that for every solution there is one right answer. I can't figure out what that right answer is until I've seen all the wrong answers. When I'm designing something new I have to spend an unconscionable amount of time creating God awful, over-designed messes before I get so tired of thinking about it that I just cut out all of the unnecessary crap.  Suddenly I'm left with the right answer, the bare bones of the idea, and I'm always surprised and annoyed by how simple of a solution it ended up being. 

This is why I hand stitch everything. It's stronger. It looks better. It's the right way. This is also why I hand dye everything instead of buying already dyed sides of leather. Because if I dye it myself I can control the color and make it look the way I think it should look. Make it look right. This is why I've spent months and months trying to formulate my own dye rather than sticking to the store bought stuff when store bought works just fine.  By making my own I can control it better. I can be sure that I'm not spreading harmful chemistry onto something that people touch everyday. I can make it from locally sourced ingredients. I can make it naturally. I can do it the right way.

I've never figured out if the hard way is the right way, or if I'm just taking the hard way to get to the right answer.  I know that when I find the right answer it comes with a feeling of conviction. I know that in all the time I've spent learning from the wrong ways I've built a foundation for something that may not be perfect (nothing ever is) but is on the right path.  I feel like it takes all the little right pieces from all the wrong answers to build something that is right.

So I might always be the Tortoise and not the Hare. I might miss out on some perceived opportunities because I'm being stubborn. I probably spend more hours being frustrated and less hours sleeping than I should. In the end I'll always choose the hard way with the right answer. That is good enough for me.

I've been told that almost all of the bracelets have recovered from the holiday season and are already starting to think about getting a nice tan in that warm summer breeze....

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#7 Has been adopted and is now in a new home. This one is out delivering mail everyday so I'm interested to see how it ages in it's new place.

#8

Sounds like #8 had quite the festive season. Not only did it attend numerous social gatherings, but #8 also "bounced from wrist to wrist at a few parties."  Hey, what happens at the Christmas party stays at the Christmas party...

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#10

"The bracelet seems to like shoveling snow." :)

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#12

#12 has reemerged and got a new coat of dubbin in between Polar Vortexes.

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#13 is just having some beans and reading the funnies.

Leather Care Tutorial

 The best thing about high quality, vegetable tanned leather is the way it ages. Instead of wearing out, a well treated piece of leather will age like a good Scotch. If you want your new leather item to look better in five years than it does today, you are going to have to take care of it. Below I have detailed the the complete process of restoring an old leather document case. Most of the time you will only need to oil or condition your leather (steps 4-7). If it has been a while you probably want to start with Step 1.

**All conditioners will change the way that leather looks to one degree or another. Always test on a small hidden spot first to make sure you are okay with the change.

This document case used to hold life insurance certificates. It is a little over fifty years old. Judging by the feel of the leather it hasn't been treated in a long time. How can you tell if your leather needs to be treated? Leather is tanned flesh and just like your flesh it will feel stiff and dry when it needs a little attention. When your leather looks dull and is not as supple, it is time to condition.

Step 1: Start with a clean, flat surface. This is actually important. The leather will be more susceptible to scratching and creasing when it is getting conditioned. If there is something sitting underneath your leather while you are buffing there will be scratches when you flip it over.

Step 2: Start by cleaning the leather with a good saddle soap. I always start by cleaning the leather. There is a good chance you've gotten some kind of junk (hand lotion, fry grease, motor oil) on the leather which will cause the oil in the next step to absorb unevenly. Blotchy only looks good on Rorschach tests.  Here I am using Fiebing's Natural Saddle Soap. Make sure you are using saddle soap and not "leather cleaner". Most cleaners have alcohol or solvents in them that will dry out the leather. Pour a little water into the lid of the container, lightly moisten a rag (old t shirts are great for this) and work up a good lather on the soap. Take the soapy rag and start gently working the lather into the leather in a circular motion.

Don't forget the edges. The oils in the soap will start to absorb into the leather. It will start to darken and get softer. As the soap dries the oils will sink deeper into the leather and help pull in the oil in the next steps.

Step 3: Let it dry completely. This can take as little as a few hours, if the air is very dry, up to over night. Usually, I would recommend over night. If there is any water left on the surface of the leather it will prevent the oil in the next step from soaking in properly. Again, Rorschach. 

Step 4: Pour a small amount of oil on to a clean soft rag. What kind of oil? Neatsfoot and mink oil are the traditional answers. Olive oil will also work, but this does tend to darken the leather quite a bit. Variations in different types of olive oil can also cause unexpected results. Work the oil around on the rag to distribute it evenly. If you put a big blob of oil right onto the leather your going to get a big dark splotch.

With a swift and light circular motion, begin to apply the oil. You don't need to grind it into the leather. Remember that the top grain on the leather will be delicate at this point. Try to not let the rag rest anywhere for too long or you'll get a darker patch there. You can tell how much oil the leather needs by how quickly it absorbs the oil. Keep adding light coats of oil until it absorbs at a less dramatic rate. 2-3 coats should be enough.

Here you can really see how much the leather darkens. As the oil works it's way deeper and the surface begins to dry it will lighten up a bit. Well conditioned leather is always a little darker after being treated though.

Step 5: Once you have a nice even coat of oil on take a moment and really work it in using your fingers. The heat from your hands will help the oil penetrate deeper and you won't have to condition as often.

Step 6: After letting the oiled leather sit for 24 hours it is time to apply a little waxed based protection. Oil will soften the leather and keep it supple. It will also dry to a sad looking matte finish. Wax will bring back that just oiled glow and will also provide a little water resistance. Here I am using Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP. Huberd's works well too.  A good leather protectant will smell like bees wax (from bee propolis, a resin bees produce to make the hive waterproof) or a campfire (from pine resin which pine trees produce to make pine trees waterproof...). Do not use anything labeled as a leather sealer. Most of these are acrylic based and will eventually fail and peel off or crack; taking the top layer of leather with them.  If it smells like chemistry find something else.

Apply a light coat of wax to the surface of the leather. If you apply too much you'll only have to spend more time buffing it all off at the end. You aren't really worried about feeding the leather at this point. Just get a nice thin layer on and work it into all the creases and ridges with your fingers.

Make sure you get the areas along the the stitching and any creases or folds really well. This is where the leather is most vulnerable and you want a little extra protection there.

Step 7: Let the wax dry over night. In the morning the surface will feel a little tacky and have lost it's luster again. This is the fun part. Take a large clean rag (I like old bandannas for this) and start buffing. Light and fast is best. You can tell if you are doing it right because the color of the leather will deepen and it will start to shine. The more you buff the more it will glow so spend some time doing this properly.

Here you can start to see the difference. The bottom section has been buffed. It has a richer color, a satiny luster, and is no longer tacky. If you went a little nuts with the wax you might be buffing for a little while. Just keep going until there are no dull spots and the surface looses its tackiness. 

I like to let the wax cure again over night at this point. This step might be unnecessary but why accidentally screw up your hard work after all that.   You're all set for the next 6-12 months.

Have trouble remembering when to recondition?  I'll remind you! Sign up for the Leather Maintenance Mailer and I will send you a reminder once every six months.

After a whirlwind of a holiday season I've just stumbled out into the light of day and turns out a new year is upon us. Today is my first official day back at work. I'm recharged and filled with exciting new ideas. The workshop's siren song has been whispering in my ear for two weeks and my fingers itch.

There is still one very important thing I have to do before I get back into it and it is the main reason why I have deliberately been unproductive for the last two weeks. All this week I'll spend my time not in the workshop, but hunched over a notebook planning out what I want to do this year.

Now I know I've said I'm not one for planning, and I still say it's more important to take action than to get bogged down worrying about minutiae, but this week will be one of the most important of the year. The trick is to not try to figure out everything at once but spend some time figuring out what direction to go. It's like finding your way out of the woods with a map and a compass. You don't stop and mark out every tree you need to pass. You get a reading and say, "Okay, I'm here right now and I want to go to here. So lets head in that direction." Spending a little time figuring out what direction I'd like to travel this year can save me a lot of wasted energy.

"Okay, I'm here right now and I want to go to here. So lets head in that direction."

My method is pretty simple. I sit down and think about what I'd like my life to look like by this time next year. I write this down on the first page. I then write down the general steps I need to take to get there on the opposite page. That's all that gets written down to begin with.

I'll then take each general step and break it down into actionable steps. This is really important. The general steps are the only part of this process where I can be vague. The actionable steps are actual tasks to be completed.  So my list might look like this:

Sell More Stuff Online: (general step)

 -Take more product photos

    -Shoot Notebooks
    -Reshoot Wallets
    -Build a better background

 -Blog More

    -Write out a list of potential topics
    -Write out 3 drafts for posting later
    -Look for inspiration on other blogs

 -Develop wider reach on the internet

        -Research other online store opportunities
        -Make a list of markets I would like to develop
        -Do some guest blogging
        -Create some buying guides
        -Look for some online collaborations
        -Upload new photos
        -Check and update store policies

It is important that each one of these items is something that can be checked off as done.  Having an item on your list that says something like "Find more ways to sell stuff" will never get done.  Worse yet, you'll feel bad about not getting it done.

The nice thing about this process is that it can get done in chunks. Once I have my direction (or my list of general steps) I can sit down and work on turning that general step into a list of actionable steps when I feel like it. Sell More Stuff Online might get a lot of attention this week because now is a good time for that. I might have a general step that says Update Pop Up Shop Setup that I won't even start on for months.

Once I have my list of general steps and a good idea of the direction I'd like to go, I stop and take a break. Here I give myself a little chance to get inspired. I'll reread some good books (I like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The $100 Start Up by Chris Guillebeau ). TED Talks can be a good source of inspiration. Cleveland's own Weapons of Mass Creation has a great archive of their guest speakers that can be found here.

Once I'm feeling a little more enlightened I'll go over everything I've written down from page one on. Does page one still represent an accurate description of where I want to be by this time next year?  Have I left out any general steps? While I'm feeling all brainy I usually try to write down a little philosophy about why and how I do what I do. These notes end up in the margins and on the backs of pages. This might sound silly but I'll reread these a lot when I'm having to make decisions about things like shop policies, return policies, describe your business to us questionnaires, and the rare pre-interview thought organizing. 

When I feel like I'm done with all of my general steps I will sit down and prioritize them into what I need to deal with first. I do this by using a method I call Make Money Today/ Make Money Tomorrow which I covered here. Once I know which general step I need to take first I'll flesh out the actionable steps I need to take to work on that step.

I know this might all sound a little precious but what I'm doing here is setting a foundation for the year. It might seem all theoretical and the list will probably get changed around quite a bit as things come up. I can't tell you how valuable it has been in the past to be able to go back and reread these things when I'm in the thick of a busy season. It is the work I'm doing today that I'll look to for answers when I'm debating pursuing a new business opportunity, updating my product line, or buying more materials.

So just do it. Do it on your iPhone. Do it on a bar napkin. Do it in a fancy journal you bought just for this reason. I've tried them all. It really doesn't matter so long as you save it and reread it. First you have to write it down.

Well, I'm not sure what to say. I blame the holidays.  Here is the Weathered Leather Experiment bracelets three months in (The It's in the Mail Edition).

**Editor's Note** #4 & #9 were photographed by me at the Last Minute Market. Thanks for stopping by folks!!!

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 Hopefully #12 isn't still sitting out in the vineyard?!?!?

#Bonus Round

I have never been a huge fan of motivational memes. Especially since they are typically presented in either a barrage of positive thinking or completely lacking in context. Let's face it, twenty separate quotes from Herodotus, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Maya Angelou, won't make you get out of bed and face the day, no matter what font they are in.  A few days ago I stumbled onto this little nugget. For those of you who don't feel like clicking over it says,

"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged people who kept on working."

Wise words indeed. This quote happens to be paraphrased from a Douglas MacArthur quote (the above being more gender neutral).  It got me thinking about a little story I think about on a daily basis and how it relates to running a business in general.

This one comes from the good folks at Mason's Creamery. Like me, they are also experiencing the trials and tribulations of their first year in business. About midsummer they were handed a string a bad luck. First the lid blew off their freezer en route to an event. Then the trailer for the freezer broke. When they finally made it to the outdoor event it was raining and cold. Tired and discouraged they unpacked their sodden tent and began to set up for a long day. It was during set up that another, more veteran, vendor looked over at them and said something along the lines of,

"Welcome to owning your own business. The ones that make it are the ones that keep showing up."

-Attribution Unknown (help me out here Helen)

There are a lot of different things people claim that you must have in order to be an entrepreneur. Determination, charisma, good financial skills, chutzpa , gumption, or just dumb luck. In reality none of these qualities are worth a damn if you don't show up to use them.

Owning your own business is just like starting your own business. It is a decision that you must make. The day you decide to give up on your business is the day that your business fails.

I have really taken this message to heart. Right now I'm in the deep end of the holiday season. In true indie business style I've just found out that the hardware I use for my best selling item is no longer stocked on this planet. (Those of you hoping for a new watch band this Christmas should rethink your list. You have no idea how sorry I am about this.) One third of the leather I ordered for the season arrived way too thick. I'm really struggling with balancing making money versus making promises of Christmas delivery dates. I've had to tell more people "no" in the last month than I have all year. Finally, looming just around the corner, is the dreaded slow season. Which I'm really hoping to make it through with my credit score intact.

Any one of these makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and just walk away. Instead I'm planning on designing a new watch strap. I'm making products that work with thicker leather (iPad cases anyone???). I'm saying "yes" to those that I can and forgiving myself for those that I can't. I'm making lists of what I need to do now, but can't, so that when January rolls around I'll be able to keep myself busy.  Because that is what it takes to have your own business. All the leather in the world could be back ordered and I'd figure out something else to show up with.

So that is what I tell myself when I get up to deal with the day's problems. You just have to keep showing up.

We are already starting to see a few changes take place. This is the two month Weathered Leather Update. The October Edition:  

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Bonus Round

(Because I'm a sucker...)

Right now is a stressful time for Wright and Rede. I'm heading into the holiday season for the first time and I don't really know what to expect. One of the ways I'm coping with this stress is by talking about it. Sometimes I learn the most interesting things by having casual conversations with people I'm close with.

After getting my one of my notebooks mentioned in Cleveland Magazine this month, I jokingly said "Maybe now people will finally start to realize that I don't know what I'm doing." It was a lighthearted comment but there is a lot of truth in that. I tend to joke about things that worry me.

I am an impostor, or at least that is how I feel. I've tricked people into thinking I know what I'm doing. I've mistakenly gotten attention I did not deserve by accident.  I always feel like I'm probably doing things wrong. Maybe it's because I am self taught. Maybe it's because I've never started a business before. I'm just fumbling in the dark here. Sometimes it seems like I live in a house of cards built of misinterpretations and coincidence, on a ground of false hope, and populated by little people made of LIES. Maybe I need to spend less time alone in my basement workshop.

It is true. Most of the time if feel like a fake. When someone buys something from me it fills me with pride, but a tiny part of me want's to say "Wait! Are you sure you want to buy that? It's not ready and I don't know what I'm doing."

I always just figured this was a personal quirk. Maybe it was just part of being self-employed. What I found interesting was what happened a week later.

The person I had been talking with was asked to join the board on a nonprofit they work with. While being very happy they also told me that they were kind of intimidated.

"I'm not old enough to be on the Board. It's kind of weird that they picked me. What do I know?"

There it was again. This feeling that they had somehow accidentally tricked people into thinking that they are qualified for something they are not. What really struck me was when they told me that they had confessed their fears to a coworker who said something similar.

"I sometimes feel like people are going to walk into this office at any moment and tell me that I don't know what I'm doing."

The interesting thing about these two is that they are both very successful. They went to good schools, work for a multimillion dollar company where they have both received accolades and promotions, and have happy families. So maybe this feeling is not unique to me.

I did a little research. Turns out this phenomena is called the "Imposter Syndrome" and it affects about 70% of the population at some point in their lives.  Tina Fey, Mike Meyers, Maya Angelou, and Stephen King have all been quoted as feeling like frauds.

Okay, so it's not really all that uncommon after all. I like to think that there is more to it than that. The same study suggests that more successful people are more likely to experience this phenomena. The Imposter Syndrome can be a driving force.

It is this feeling that makes me try to reach for the limits of my ability. If I always feel like I'm going to let people down then at least I can give them the best that I got. It is this feeling that is always forcing me to try to do better than I did before. It's feeling like a fraud that drives me to learn the skills that will make me a master rather than a fake.

Take a look at it from another angle. While doing my research I found that there is also something called the "Dunning–Kruger effect". This is "a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes."  So that jackass at work that thinks he is Gods-gift-to-the-company, but is really just an incompetent buffoon, is displaying the Dunning–Kruger effect. Are you as happy as I am to know that there is a term for this???

So if you take a look at our Dunning–Kruger effected coworker (lets just call him Jack) you can see how the Impostor Effect can be a good thing. Jack thinks he does perfect work. Jack doesn't need to try hard. Jack doesn't feel the need to improve. Jack will never rise above his failings and Jack will never reach for his full potential. Poor Jack.

Personally I'm comforted knowing that I'm not alone in this. Most people feel like a fraud at some point in their lives. Statistically, it means that you are likely succeeding at something. More importantly it can be a powerful tool if you don't let it hold you back. So I say go forth, do the best you can, feel like a bit of an ass while you are doing it. It's okay to smile while you do it, and when you are alone with someone you trust tell them the truth. You might be surprised what you hear back. 

As of November 6th I will have been in business for on year. I've decided it was time for an honest look at the past year.

Part of being a small business owner is dealing with a lot of uncertainty and insecurity.  One of the ways to cope with this is to hear the story of those that have tread this path before you. So basically I read a lot of other maker's blogs. One of the things I have found most useful is to go back and read the blog entries from when they first started out. I've found that I can glean a little confidence by reading about how they didn't know what they were doing, how they took really bad pictures, and rambled in their posts. There is a lot to learn from those early posts. There is also a trend that I find very frustrating.  The posts tend to go like this:

May 21: Just bought our first supplies

June 2: Just got our first order!

June 28: Here is us at our first event

Dec 28: Just landed a contract with Anthropology.

I feel like some important things probably happened between June and December. That is ultimately the problem with life on the internet. Only the good or noteworthy moments get documented. No one ever posts "Accidentally bought $50 worth of the wrong-but-not-returnable hardware today. There goes the tiny bit of profit I had for this month." 

So without further ado here is an honest look at my first year in business.

Finance: 

Am I paying the bills? The honest answer is:  kinda. In the beginning the answer was a resounding no. My day job was still my main source of income and leather goods was just a little extra cash. Once I made the transition and quit my day job the answer was still no. I was busy enough that my day job was hampering my ability to produce goods but I wasn't busy enough to make a living. Mostly I was pleased that the business was able to pay it's own expenses and not drain our bank account. Without support from my wife I would have had to transition more slowly or have a fair amount saved up.  Once the summer show season rolled around I started getting close to making a living. Some weeks I made a lot more than I did waiting tables. Some weeks I was grateful that last week was busy. Little by little I've managed to make more at each event.

Here is where things get tricky. I hear all the time about how it can take years to make any profit when starting a business.  That didn't make sense to me. If you start with little or no overhead and keep your profit margin high enough then you make money. That is true, but only if you want to stay the same size. The growing is the tricky part. Basically what I spent the summer doing was thinking "After this next show I'll be able to pay us." Then the next show would go well and I'd have to buy more supplies to make even greater amounts of product for the next show. I was selling more at each show but having to buy more for the following show. Step by step I climbed until sometime in mid-July I was able to both pay us and buy supplies.

The bottom line: Am I making money? Yes. Wright and Rede is in the black despite all the initial investments and the cost of buying new equipment. Hopefully, after the holidays, I'll be heavier on that side of the ledger. I never took out a loan and owe nothing to either banks or creditors. Most importantly I am still making money. It's just that the money left over after paying the bills tends to go towards more supplies instead of leisure spending (IE. crap I don't need).

Social Media:

Let it be on record that I am an introvert.  I do not have special skills or training. I'm a normal person doing the best I can. The best thing I've learned here is to apply the if-I-didn't-know-me-would-I-give-a-crap-about-this filter to what I post. The most important thing I can say is to get in the habit of doing it regularly. Try a bunch a platforms and see what works best for you. I like Instagram the most and that is reflected in my followers. (If you are not following me on any of these platforms I won't mind if you take a minute and go ahead and hit that "follow" button. Really, it's okay. I'll wait...)

Facebook followers : 133 (I remember being really desperate around December to get to 27 so that I'd have analytics.)

Instagram followers: 208

Pinterest followers: 37

Tumblr followers:  19

Twitter followers: 55

Members of my mailing list: 143

Lessons Learned in No Logical but Handy Bullet Point Format:

• The tent that you are bringing to a show to provide shelter for you is not waterproof. (!?!?!???)
• Be the kind of guy that has garbage bags (or a waterproof tarp)  and duct tape with him at all times. You'll be really glad you carried them around all year on the one day you need them. Optional bonus: People might think you are a professional hit-man. Likely side effect: People might think you are a serial killer. (You win some. You loose some.)
• You can never have enough weights on your tent regardless of what the weather looks like.
• Really good photographs are almost as important as the work you produce. A really good photograph will; entice strangers on the internet to buy your stuff, make blog posts more interesting, get you into better shows, get shared by people who want their blogs to look cooler, look really nice in publication (which will make people want to put you in publications), and make you not look foolish when people ask you what you do for a living.
• If you are accepted into an event it's a good idea to respond by saying thank you and here are some photos for publicity if you need them.  Organizers are under a lot of pressure and will use what they have handy when they need something for a flyer or press release.
• If someone asks what you do for a living say, "I'm self-employed." If they want to know self-employed doing what, have an answer ready that is no more that five words. "I make handmade leather goods." Anything longer and they'll start to tune you out.
• I find networking easy because I don't do it. Anytime I've had a five minute conversation with someone and exchanged business cards it has never turned into anything. The relationships I've found to be successful are the ones I've made with people while helping set up their tent, shivered next to them on a cold day, provided a confidence boost when business is uncertain,  suggested events they didn't know about, and watched their booth while they snuck off and bought some breakfast.  These people are not assets in my network. I just call them friends.
• The best thing I can do when stressed out/lacking confidence/ insecure/ depressed/ or seriously unsure of what steps I should be taking in my future is to go get some real work done. By real work I mean making things out of leather not blogging or updating my mailing list or doing "research". I might not be any more confident at the end of the day but at least I have ten more wallets to sell than I did before.
• To come up with a really good design: Draw out what you want to create. Then start taking things away from it. When you are down to the most simple way to do it: it's ready. 
• Sometimes the best business opportunity is the opportunity to walk away from one. Once you start doing business with someone then you are in business with them.  To quote my dad on this one "the closer you get to the skunk the more you stink."
• Read blog posts out loud to proof read.

Failures:

In my best estimation I have seriously burned two bridges, really pissed off one customer, made four things that either broke or were a different size than what they ordered, had 4 shows that were a total bust, and had to respond to at least 20 awkward emails in ways that were not graceful enough to answer successfully.

I have wasted 30+ square feet of leather because I wasn't paying attention,  not giving up when I should walk away, creating a bad design, or just didn't know what I was doing.  This translates into about $1000 - 2000 worth of ruined leather goods. (ouch! R&D days are hard days.) Additional I have about $300 worth of hardware that has no purpose or will never be used. (I was pretty sure I needed it at the time.)

The take away:

• Not matter how hard you try you can't make everyone happy. Sometimes it's better to walk away and piss someone off than get involved in something that will be bad for your business. The other party will never understand this because they can only see how it would be good for their business.
• Always try to fix what you can. It will usually be waaaaay more work than it is worth but you'll sleep better at night.
• Custom orders tend to be more trouble than they are worth. It is nearly impossible to create what someone else has in their head.  (And if they start saying "Oh, since you are changing that could you do this too?" It's time to walk away or raise your price.)
• Only buy supplies for what you are working on tomorrow not for "later." By the time later gets here you'll be working on a different project than you thought you'd be.
• When they day is not going your way, despite your stubbornness, it is usually best to give up and do something else. 
• When you really screw up, apologize in sincerity. If possible, look them in the eye when you do so.
• Also, look people in the eye when you say thank you. Doesn't really belong here, but it's worth mentioning.

And to end on a positive note, Successes:

One year ago I raised about $160 in key rings sales to help support those effected by hurricane Sandy. This was the first $160 I made as an official business. My smallest accomplishment but the one I'm most proud of.

There are 500+ people out there that find me interesting enough to follow my goings-on via the internet.

I have stuck to my guns and never taken out any sort of loan.

I have insisted in making things the way I feel they should be made and have managed to get my customer's respect in doing so.

I have been in four separate retail locations.

I have landed my first few wholesale accounts.

I have helped two other people start their own business.

A year ago I was intimidated by the big holiday shows in Cleveland. I felt that I wasn't good enough to be in them. I was hoping that maybe in a year or two I'd be good enough to show at them. Those events were: The Bizarre Bazaar (now the Cleveland Bazaar) , Made in the 216, and the Last Minute Market. Wright and Rede will be selling at all of these events this year.

I've been in three publications and interviewed twice.

I've been on two vacations since starting this business. (I had not taken a vacation in the five years prior.)

I decided to follow my dreams and quit my day job. This might sound all nice and fluffy but it has real world effects. My blood pressure is down (I had prehypertension). I've lost weight. I'm happier more of the time. I'm more focused, driven, and confident. I feel that I'm all around a better person to be around.

I say all this not to brag but to point out what you can do if you put your mind to it. I am not extraordinary.  I didn't start with a bunch of money or a special set of skills. When I needed to make money then I found a way. If I didn't have a necessary skill then I learned it.  My point is that you really can live your life the way you want if you are willing to truly commit to it.

Thank you for sticking with me this first year in business. I've enjoyed meeting many of you. I've grown in ways I never would have imagined. I'm really looking forward to year two.

Well, we are one month in and already the bracelets are looking very different from each other.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

Has gone AWOL. Where are you #7? We miss you.

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

And there you have it. It has only been a month so far and already each bracelet is totally unique. Thanks for playing everyone!!!

I use to spend a lot of time worrying about people stealing my ideas. In fact there are a lot of things I have missed out on because I spent so much time sheltering my good ideas that I never got to use them. I have only recently come to understand that this is not only harmful but pointless. If you have a successful idea people are going to steal it.

So why did I stop worrying about this. It is because I embraced an idea called "gesture". Gesture is an art school term for how an artist manipulates their material. Jackson Pollok had a frenetic gesture. Van Gogh had a very heavy one. The way I think of gesture is like terroir for people. It is the combination of personality, environment, technique, materials, limitations and emotions that create a "youness" in what you make.  I feel that learning to identify your gesture and then develop it is the single best thing you can do for yourself and your business.

It can be really hard to focus on this. We live in a society that values innovation. It seems like everyone is trying to come up with the next big idea. The problem with this plan is that as soon as you put that new idea out there, people will begin to replicate it, and suddenly it's not that big of an idea anymore.  I think it is more important to spend your time thinking about how to develop your gesture. 

Take DaVinci. You could spend your whole life trying to be DaVinci. You cloud learn his techniques, replicate his materials, move to Italy, buy a fancy hat, and paint similar subjects as DaVinci, but he'll trump you every time. That is because he could paint something that any stranger could walk past and say "that looks like a DaVinci." It's not because of his technique, his materials, his subjects, or his location but because of all of these things plus the unique thing that made DaVinci different from everyone else. 

When I am making a wallet (I'm seriously not trying to compare myself to DaVinci here) I try to think about all of the subconscious gestures I make while creating it. I'm left handed. I work in a poorly lit basement. I'm probably listening to music. I apply dye clockwise. I always start at the front and work my way back. I like it when the dye doesn't apply evenly.  I'm going to use a natural finish rather than acrylic. If I were to take just one of these, say uneven dye, and try to capitalize on it I might be successful for a moment, but other people would catch on eventually and I'd be out of luck.

Finding your gesture can be really hard and worse yet, it can't be forced. The only way to find it is examine how you do things and why you do them. Continually ask yourself what works for you and reenforce that. Work that really speaks of you is something that can never be copied. I think that this is the real value behind an item that is handmade.