It's o.k. to stay small

Every few months, I read an article about some indie maker who started a small one person business from their kitchen table and now have 25 employees working out of a 5000 square foot studio.  For about thirty minutes, I either: a. feel like a failure because after nine years I'm still a one woman operation working out of her basement or b. (if I'm buzzing on five cups of coffee) start working on a plan to expand my business.

American society has a "Go big or go home" philosophy.  We're an Amazon, Starbucks, Kardashian, Shark Tank kind of people.  The maker movement was a push back to that corporate, take over the world, mentality.  When Etsy was founded in 2005, it was a haven for indie makers, many who had left the corporate world, who were looking to quit their day jobs and sell their handmade, small batch goods from their one person studio.  For many, it was a lifestyle choice- a choice to live a simpler life, be their own boss, set their own hours, pursue their art and craft and connect with their customers.  However, the Etsy culture changed around 2012/2013.  Two companies, Three Birds Nest and Grace and Lace (both selling clothing and accessories)  burst on the scene boasting astronomical sales of 500,000- 1 million annually.  Obviously, one person wasn't single handedly making all these items for sale.  Those kind of sales require a small workforce to take care of customer service, design, manufacture and shipping of all that product.  In response, Etsy changed the rules of the game to accommodate sellers that had outgrown the one maker rules of the platform.  Now, "makers" don't have to actually "make" anything, they only have to be "creators" of an idea and are allowed to have the actual manufacturing done overseas.  So much for being a maker platform.

Now, on Etsy, the top sellers have sales in the tens if not hundreds of thousands a year.  These sellers are definitely not making their wares from their home studios- they're probably not making much of the product themselves at all but, rather, overseeing the production and business side of their shops.  It's easy to look at their sales and wonder what I'm doing wrong.

Fortunately, however, usually after I'm able to meet up with a friend for coffee in the middle of the day or take the dog for a long walk on a particularly nice morning or even drop off customer packages of items I have enjoyed creating and making, I remember that I love what I get to do everyday.  I really do.  I love working by myself- it fits my introverted personality.  I love making a pot of coffee in the morning and putting on my slippers and going to work in my little home studio.  I enjoy discussing ideas with customers and getting a note back about how much they loved what I made for them.  I like flexibility in my schedule and being creative every day.  The truth is, I don't want a large business.  I don't want to manage people.  I don't want to work a set schedule.

Here's the message I want to give other makers and creatives.  It's ok to stay small.  It's ok to only be known in your town and not the world.  It's ok to make a modest living.  It's ok to not want to corner the market and have 150 employees.   It's not about the numbers.  It's about creating a lifestyle where you are your own boss and you wake up looking forward to the work you get to do (well, most days).  It's about creating meaningful work for yourself.  I'll say it once more  for myself and for you, it's ok to stay small.