Notable Affairs is Five!

One of the things I wanted to do when I created this blog was to use it as my outlet away from my business, but today is different.  Today is a big deal.  This is a really special time for me, and I felt like I really should share all about it on my personal blog, even though I told myself I would use it only as my fun space.

March 26, 2017 was the fifth anniversary of opening my business, Notable Affairs!  I still can’t believe it’s already been 5 years since I opened my home-based business.  It still shocks me that I am able to do something I absolutely love and still enjoy to this day, and little did I know that I would still be in business 5 years later.

I remember the day I opened my store on Etsy.  I seriously had no idea what to expect when I created my shop.  All I knew was that I loved designing invitations, and I thought it would be the perfect “job” for me since I am a very detail-oriented person.

I’ve learned everything all on my own from day one.  100% self taught.  No classes.  Just me, Google and the heart and patience to keep going when things seemed impossible or just too hard to figure out.  My very first order was a custom request, meaning that I had to create someone something wanted.  It was not already pre-made.  It was a customer looking to have an invitation designed just for their event.  I had NO clue what I was doing, and I didn’t know if it would work out, but I tried.  I tried really hard, and I made my first sale to that customer on April 27, 2012.

I still remember that first sale, and I still remember my very first printed wedding order.  I’ve made 13,000+ sales on Etsy since then, but I still remember those important firsts and lots of other amazing moments from the past 5 years.

And now, here I am 5 years later realizing that this is a full blown business, and I have no intention of closing anytime soon.  Last year was by far my hardest year in business.  Lots of hurdles and things to overcome.  Major issues on Etsy due to their payment processing problem in July.  But I stuck it out, and I’m really glad I did.

To say that today (and yesterday) were big moments in my life is an absolute understatement.  I’ve worked hard.  Every day basically.  It’s a 24-7 job for me.  I rarely have days off (except for those two trips to Italy and a couple of holidays throughout the year).  I strive to do the best job that I can, and I hope it shows in my work as well as in the reviews of my business.

Running your own business is incredibly hard.  You have to make every single decision yourself that affects your business.  Some decisions can make or break you.  Some leave you in tears, and some leave you in tears of joy.  But running your own business all by yourself is so rewarding, and something that anyone who does it should be incredibly proud of, and today, I feel so proud of myself and Notable Affairs.

I never really had a desire growing up to “be my own boss.”  But by golly, that’s what I am.  I am my own boss, and I run my business by myself… successfully!  I hope things continue to grow, and maybe one day, I’ll have a staff.  That’s something fun to look forward to, but in the meantime, I’ll be rocking away running my business the way I have for 5 years now, and I hope it only gets better from here!

To celebrate the huge occasion, I launched my new website, NotableAffairs.com, and I am celebrating with 2 giveaways!  One on Facebook and one on my new business website.  You can visit the Facebook page to enter.  Be sure you follow all of the rules, so you are entered to win!

You can also enter another giveaway on my Notable Affairs Blog.

A huge thank you to everyone for all of their support for Notable Affairs.  It wouldn’t be successful without any of you.