I love working with my CHT { Ceramic Handprint Training } trainees. I really do love it.

When you start your own business, many many experiences to learn and grow will pop up. It is fascinating. This is why you will learn so much about yourself.

But remember.....YOU ARE THE BOSS.

This means that you get to make decisions. 

YOU get to decide what kind of business you want to run. You get to decide how to show up for your business. You get to decide what kind of offerings to offer. You get to decide how to deal with a customer that is super kind or super not kind. You get to decide the kind of work ethic you want.

Get what I am saying?

You are creating your own perfect business.

Isn't that exciting?! Maybe sprinkled with a little scary. But being scared is okay. I know you want to think that if you are scared it is easier to just stay in your turtle shell where everything is "safe." I invited you to think about what what life will be like if you stay tucked away in the land of...

You just have to begin and your business will be kicking off too.

Amy 

[email protected]

I bet you are wondering what the start up costs are for starting your own Ceramic Handprint Business. This is by far the question I get asked the most.

Well, I have got the answer.

Let me preface my words with this thought...

You are wanting to start a business and you know that with any business you will need to invest some time and money into it.

If you are approaching this business as a hobby, it will only be a hobby. If you approach it as a business and you lay the proper ground work, it will serve you well as a profitable business.

The people I train understand the principle of ROI, return on investment.

As with ANY business there are costs associated with running a business. This business is no different. You do need to do a little investing to get your business going. The good news is that the costs are pretty minimal.

If you are working at home, which is why this business is so appealing, your overhead is low. Purchasing your supplies is pretty inexpensive.

The largest...

Are you a dreamer and a planner but not a great followthrougher? (I just made up that word, all one word, it is better that way) Ha!

Years ago, when I was in college, my favorite part of each semester was organizing my schedule. I would pull out my Franklin Covey planner and go to town! I loved that thing. Yes, this was the late '80s, early '90s! The class option catalog, was just that....an actual catalog. No online registering. I would spend hours going over the course options. I would mix and match and pencil in and erase. And then finally pen in my masterpiece of a schedule.

I loved that part. It was planning for the dream. Plotting and organizing, ohmygosh, I love that to this day.

But, the nitty gritty of actually reaching your goals comes in the actionable steps that get you to your goal. I now had to show up to class, read my chapters, write my papers, listen to endless hours of instructing, go to the math lab (yuck) and study study study. Not the fun part BUT, a very very...

Many people dream of being their own boss, starting a company and have it flourish. There is a freedom that comes with running your own business. With that said, it does not mean it is all rainbows and butterflies. There is actual work involved. Crazy, I know.

So the question you have to answer for yourself is...

Will you be a good boss for....YOU?

Often times, when you work for someone else, you check in, do the work asked of you and then you leave at the end of your day and call it good (for the most part.)

There have been many days, as I have been working for myself, for the past 20 years or so when I have had a crazy busy day, when I think about working a job that I just click in and out of. Sometimes working for yourself can be a bit stressful. You are doing all the parts of a business that big companies hire many different people to do. You wear many different hats when you run your own business.

There is much to learn as an entrepreneur. Once you decide that you are going to...

Ready to start your own Ceramic Handprint Home Business? But you are worried about competition?

Stop it. (said very lovingly) ;)

Do the math.

In 2016, there were 50,486 births in Salt Lake City, Utah. (This was the last time I checked the numbers, when I was living in Utah.)

Think about that.

Even if you were able to create one hand and footprint keepsake for 10% of those babies, {only doing one plate per family}, you would be doing 5048 ceramic impression plates a year!!! That would be A LOT of work! 

This does not even include the siblings and pets and families!

Could it be done? Yes, of course, but you would have to hire help. 

That would be amazing, right? Getting to the point in your business where you need help. #businessgoals

Do the math in your hometown. You will see similar numbers. 

There is really no competition. Maybe other people are doing something similar near you, maybe not.

But NO ONE will be running a business like you.

When you take the leap and...

Hey Friend,

What stage of life are you in?

• Just had your first baby?
• Have several kids in school?
• Have teenagers?
• Children leaving for college?
• Empty nest?
• No kiddos?

I am in full empty nest, children living in a different state then me stage. Wow! 

Whatever stage of life you are in right now, in January 2020 is a time of reflection. Change is in the air.

The old adage is so true.....

Change is the only consent.

How do you keep up with change? How do you adjust?

Keep going. That is really all we can do. Keep going.

At 49 years old, I have been through many different stages of life. Most of them wonderful. ;) But I keep going.

It was this time of year 20 years ago that I that I took a leap of faith and started my own ceramic hand and footprint business. I am so thankful that I did.

As we know, January is full of goals and dream planning. So many of us create a vision for what we want in the new year. Do you have goals set for this year.

I know for me business starts to...

One of my favorite things with my Ceramic Hand & Foot Impressions business is creating the studio space for my customers.

I love having a space where they feel comfortable coming into my home.

When I started my business back in 2000, I used my kitchen table. I set up and took down on the days I had appointments. I work up over the years, to having a room just for my customers. But, until then, my kitchen table was perfect.

I have had several studio spaces over the years, as I moved at different times. This was my last one....

You will notice in the picture that the lower levels of my book shelf are empty. I learned very quickly that it was best not to have anything breakable at toddler level. If you have toddlers yourself, you are very aware of this!

 I always make sure I have many many samples for my customers to look at. I found it was good to give my customers ideas and options to pick and choose from.

What you do not see in the picture is a couch I had to the left of...

You know the scene in You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan's character exclaims, "I'm A Chain?" Well that is how I feel each time one of my Ceramic Handprint Training goes out into the world. I get so excited that someone has taken the plunge and is starting their own journey of building a loving business.

 You are your own boss when you purchase my Ceramic Handprint Training ecourse and not actual a chain, but I feel a whole lotta happiness giving you the tools, to quickly, create your own successful business.

I opened my big book of trainees (you get to be in this book if you are one of my trainees) and I stared thinking and reflecting on all the people who I have gotten to meet, train, and talk with in relationship to building a ceramic handprint business. I feel so blessed to have crossed paths with you. It is fun to  know that you are experiencing the love and joy I do when I create impressions.

Want in my book?! Lemme know and I will be happy to get you started. :)

Part...

I have been asked, why I do what I do, why I created my own Ceramic Handprint Business and why I create a training program.

 My answer has evolved over time. When I started my little ceramic hand and foot impressions business, to be completely honest, I started because I could see the potential with the money I could make. Clay is pretty inexpensive, overhead low because I would be working from home and I knew I could figure it out.

I saw that I could easily make about $500 a week, working part time. I was good with that! (Although I ended up making more than that. :)) But I am not going to lie that the money I could make was a big part of my decision to start this business.

Once I started to grow my business I realized it was SO MUCH MORE than the money I could make.

As with everything in life it is always about more than the money.

Thankfully for me I realized that sooner than later and I was able to see that what I was building and nurturing had meaning and was important....