Hi First name / friend, There are seven types of rest: physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual. If you're anything like me, your cup is running dry in all areas (I have Covid at the moment and feeling especially depleted after a few years on high alert building up to this!). But, as creative business owners, we need that cup closer to the overflow mark than drought, so what to do? This journey to feeling well-rested will be deeply personal and ongoing. But, unfortunately, rest can also feel cloaked in privilege/ a waste of time/ unproductive/ lazy. But if, like me, you're looking for ways to weave rest into your daily routine, these are things I try to do that might help you, and I'd love to know your ideas too: - I try to curate what I absorb online carefully. I unfollow, mute, unsubscribe, edit, cut, and declutter periodically (and if you for you that means unsubscribing from this email, do it!)
- I'm trying to find moments of solitude where I don't just mindlessly scroll my phone, but really slow my brain down. I struggle with silence, but in making her case for solitude, eco-psychotherapist Ruth Allen writes "Solitude is a chance to listen more carefully to ourselves and to the natural world around us. It's an opportunity to shake off everything that isn't us… It's a chance to be with ourselves and listen to our intuition; a chance to connect with creativity." Sounds fabulous.
- I try to book time off in my calendar before desperately needing it. Again, I am useless with this one, but sometimes I'll block time out to recover from social events or energetic work. Can you try that, too?
- I'm trying to prioritise activities that make a difference to my business and let go of things that don't. For Firain, that includes focusing first on my one-to-one clients and my email readers and then on activities that are awareness tools, like social media. For shopkeepers, that might mean focusing on your website, making sure your marketing and sales plans are in place, and not worrying if you can't develop new products at the pace you'd like to or sending packages out on the same day as the order is placed.
I've tried to keep this punchy, but it's an enormous subject. Keep going. Actually, don't…rest. But let's keep talking about it. |
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Over the last few weeks, lots of you have signed up to receive Firain Mail, and I want to say a big hello to you! Through my work with the Connected Artist Club (PSA: today is the last day to join the membership for a year, guys!!) my audience has tilted towards working with artists, which I love. But I'm still firmly rooted in gentle eCommerce; I help creatives (painters, ceramicists, gardeners, photographers, textile artists) set up and grow their online shops and develop their marketing plans. Read more about my journey to opening Firain here and my one-to-one mentoring here. Email me with any questions; I'd love to know more about you. |
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In this section, I share helpful, practical ideas and tools to use in our small, creative businesses - and I share them jargon-free. Hoorah! Please think of this as a communal shed on an allotment where we skillshare and swap best practices for online shopkeepers. This week, let's talk about your website footer! Glamorous, right? Website visitors read the small print, so give this section of your online real estate some TLC. If you have an online shop, make sure your website complies with local online selling regulations, and why not add this bumph too: - Your location. Where on earth are you? This helps with SEO, as well as just being a human touch. If you are open to visitors, a map link will also be helpful.
- Invite email list signups. This can be an embedded form or just a link, like I've done on Firain.
- Your brand name. Sprinkle your brand name liberally throughout your website, and don't neglect the footer. I've squeezed the name 'Firain' into a small space six times in my footer. That's cosy! And, it's good for SEO and reminding people where they've landed!
- Extra info like care guides, charitable/ philanthropic info, stockist info.
- For mega bonus points, create a press section that includes downloadable, ready-to-use press material (Birchbox's is incredible). If you've paid for professional images, I strongly encourage you to use them more and push for some press coverage. If this is on your radar, Lucy Werner's book, Hype Yourself, is an excellent guide to DIY PR.
If you have any questions, do get in touch, I love chatting about websites. Want to suggest a subject for The Garden Shed? Please send me an email. I'd love to hear from you! |
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Welcome to this week's new subscribers -Anita, Susan, Det, two Barbara's, Julie , Deb, Frances, two Stuart's, Basma, Lee, Debbie, Kim, Andrea, Suzanne, Vida, Peter, Sally, Lucy, Julia, Helen, Claire, Amanda, Danielle, Anne, Lisa, Denise, Nicola, Cynthia, Diane, Nicole, Steph, Kate, Michelle, Sarah, Isabell, Jennifer, Katrin, Gill, Rena, Elizabeth, Emma, Gaynor, Lisa, Anne and Kerry. A big hearty, huggy hello to you and thank you for being here. I'd love to know your thoughts, comments, feedback, and suggestions as I develop Firain - a place where I support creatives to plan, open and grow online shops. Free downloads are here, and get in touch if you fancy a natter and to work together one-to-one. I have limited space over the summer months for new clients, and will always offer a 10% discount to returning clients. Thank you for your continued support and for allowing me to greet you in your inbox. |
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I designed this email in Flodesk , which I find much easier to customise than other email providers. Click here for my discount code if you'd like to try it out. If you'd like to support my micro business by treating me to a virtual coffee, click here (and thank you!) |
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