The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Navigating my first expo, I was so nervous! I didn’t know many vendors or what to expect. I’d also taken a bit of work on beforehand so was under the pump, but I got through it, had a blast while talking to everyone, and learned a whole lot, which I can apply to future expos.
The monster that is social media, it’s slowly but surely becoming my friend as followers increase and I have more time to focus on this area, especially with the changeover of day-job hours to Pixel Project hours. Learning to understand who your clientele really is and what they want to see has been interesting. I thought I knew from the get-go, and that the journal orders would flow quite naturally from my marketing (in my mind, why wouldn’t they? They’re beautiful! :)), but this has definitely been a learning curve that I continue to embrace as I build up my business.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros are that I get to work on projects that excite me: weddings, family, babies, events… They all fall into the box of things I love and make me happy. These are treasured moments of lovers, families, and even businesses that require a visual guide for their clients, There are no better words to use than I am stoked to be that person who gets to bring them together into a beautifully curated and handy-to-view space.
Another pro for me is working with talented people that support my business, especially in these earlier growth stages. I’m not a photographer and having well-photographed products while I’m building up my business on social media is really important for the viewers. I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with a few Hawke’s Bay (local) businesses that have helped keep the visual goods turning over.
Chy at Prevue has produced a lot of photographic and video content for my Wedding journals and is always keen to work with me at the drop of hat, within reason of course. We once got to hang out at the beautiful Meadowood House, with the lovely owner Emma featuring in the video goods. Jodi Soni Photography helped out with a shoot earlier this year with The Mad Platter, Fancy a Fling (cocktails), and Double by Single Wine. All goods were provided for me to style to then be captured. The content was then shared for everyone to use.
And more recently, Maisie of Maisie Burt Photography collab-ed with me to snap her stunning photography in print, so I could bring the gorgeous Lifestyle journals into the world. I feel pretty lucky to have a support network of locals that are keen to work with me.
In terms of cons, for me it’s the financial tracking and tax bills. These are really not on my list of fun things to do, but it’s got to be done, so I do it.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
The Launch of the Lifestyle Journal has been on the agenda for quite some time, so I’m over the moon to have this up on the Pixel Project website, which has been refreshed from an e-commerce shop to a full site with the shop integrated.
From here, my next goal is to make Pixel Project a full-time focus. My aim is for this business to support and contribute to our family, evolve our lifestyle to live more comfortably, and embrace the flexibility of time with working from home.
Head over to the Pixel Project website to find out more, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
