Success. Failure. Struggle. In business. I’ve walked that walk! And built a worldwide business from broke.
Life Behind The Scenes With The Ironing Diva
The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies is the hook I hang my business hat on. This accidental, rural business, is a dream come true. One of the highlights of my life. This is my journey through the roller coaster world of business. And the choices I make in how to run my dream of a lifetime.
~Carol Jones, Ironing Diva❤
Business Is A Tough Gig. Rising Above Fear.
I was reading a newsletter, The Story Of Telling, from one of my favourite business women, Bernadette Jiwa. And I was captivated by a comment in her current post. “How often do we make excuses instead of making our mark?”
The avalanche of information that now lands in the Inbox of everyone in business, whether employee, employer, or solepreneur, is overwhelming.
And much of it is contradictory.
We started this business, The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies, in 1994. When my partner, Victor Pleshev, and I were completely broke. Losing everything. Our home. Business. Cars. Personal possessions. In Paul Keating’s ‘recession we had to have’.
We escaped the city life for the rural life. Because the bush was the only place we could afford to live.
And started a new business in total isolation. From the remote rural property in the Central Tablelands of NSW we rented from a farmer. Without the internet. Without email. Even without call waiting. How barbaric!
To move forward, we listened to our instincts. And were prepared to make mistakes. As well as learn from them. And we grew in spite of them.
Because we had no option. We had to take action. Regardless of how imperfect. Or stay broke.
The internet changed all that. Today everyone who has an opinion, now has a platform to espouse that opinion.
And much of that opinion discourages people from simply ‘having a go’.
‘Having a go’. That wonderful Australian vernacular will never get old!
People live in fear of making mistakes. And the consequences those mistakes may have on them if they work in an organisation. Or the consequences they may have if they work for themselves.
What if I send those emails? And no one responds?
So they don’t charge ahead to make their mark.
We forget we didn’t just stand up and start running one day. We had to learn to stand up. Fall down. Start walking. Trip over. Fall down. Get up. Start again. Try to run. Fall on our face. Get up. Start again. Until we perfected standing up. Walking. Running.
It’s time to stop fretting. And start doing. And learn to learn again.
I’ve grown my business by 38% in the last 6 months, by not being an expert in promotions, publicity, social media, cold emailing.
By all accounts, I am a hack. I’ll never win awards for what I do to move my business forward. But I so believe that if I wait until everything is perfect, I’ll wind up being broke again.
And I’ve been rewarded by people responding to my cold emails. To my newsletters. To my blog posts.
Fear is the universal condition. Most people live with it every day. Get used to it. And when you feel the fear. Confront it. It will take you out of your comfort zone. And take you to places you never thought possible.
I started with no customers. And today. I have 400,000 customers. In 30 countries.
~Carol Jones, Ironing Diva❤
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Designers & makers in RURAL Australia of The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, Log Lugger, Roadworks Apron, Travel Bug Shoe Bag,
Mr Chin’s Laundry Bag, Sweet Shoo.
Every product is a joy to use.
