Do you ever look at your competitors’ or your peers’ businesses and got all frustrated at why your business doesn’t take off as quickly?

Here are 7 lessons I learned from running a full time Etsy shop (plus two other businesses) and homeschooling two toddlers.

Firstly, let me say that I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s not that I don’t think I’ll get there. It’s that it takes me time. A really LONG time.

You see, I not only run two full time Etsy …

You run a handmade business.

It’s combining your passion with your dreams and you want to do everything you can to turn it profitable.

But now you’re going to bed late, struggling to be present during time with your family or friends because business is ALL you can think about.

It’s what drives you to keep moving forward, but you’re slowly starting to feel like you’re losing your mind.

If you’re not spending every waking moment working on your business, it won’t work, right?

You’ve got a crafty hands and an imagination that’s encouraging you to sell your products online.

You’re oozing with ideas for the potential products, maybe even a couple of social media handles already in place.

Slowly you’ve started to gather materials to start a website.

Things are moving along, but you stop to think, fairly often, someone has got to have some insight how to do this!?

Do you ever open up your inbox only to find an email from a dissatisfied customer?

You first start to think to yourself, “how the heck did that happen??”

How can you possible make this customer happy after the message you’ve just read?

Many shops have had an experience where a customer wasn’t necessarily thrilled about a delayed package, damaged product or questions your handmade items.