Why Blog?

Well we all know that blogging is quite subjective. People blog for different reasons so I am just asking you Why do you blog or perhaps a better posed question is what is the focus of your blog?

I have learned never ask someone to do something you won’t or have not done so below is why I blog and I shared a little (well maybe more than a little) about how it is evolving! NOTE that I said “evolving”. The best is yet to come! Give me about a year! LOL!


One thing I learned from the Block Head Rod Talk show was that I needed to sit down and make a plan for how I intended to use my blog? How do I want it to look? Funny thing is I initially I did NOT do this. I created my blog in order to be a part of the Etsybloggers team. I did start to enjoy it once I got started but my purpose and focus have evolved since I started blogging.

With all that said I took my mentor Rod’s words to heart because the fact is I felt quite aimless the months of October and November. Not knowing what I was doing and why, joining everything under the sun with no sense of purpose though everything I joined had the potential to serve to advance my business.

So where did I go from there?

Well first things first. I needed to be a student and so I took Rod’s advice. As my blog and focus have evolved, I not only established my focus/intent but as a result created this new blog I am writing on now. I realized I had two niches I wanted to work through and focus on. One being - promotions and sales (both of my shop items and others) and the other being tips/training/ and just my random thoughts!

How do I intend to use my Unique Commodities blog for promotions and sales?

Promote other sites with the first priority being to my Etsybloggers Team members.

Goal: Driver bloggers to my blogsite and then to my Etsy Store hopefully to make a purchase.

Allow other artist (Etsy or not) to advertise on my site. I am a little green at this so this is still a work in progress.

Share my personal life – I want the readers/bloggers to see that I am a real person with struggles and joys just like the rest of the world. I want to be personable.Post pics of my items as I create them. Allows the customer to see my creative process and know that it truly is hand made and to see that I work hard to develop a quality product. Besides I know people are quite visual!

Post actual side bar sales items on my shop – Now UNTIL Rod mentioned this I SERIOUSLY never thought about it. I think I was more intimidated by the thought of figuring out how to do it than anything. Rod posted the instructions on his Block Head Radio blog.

CONSISTENTLY BLOG– I know that the more I blog, the more exposure I will get and hopefully the more sales I will get!Networking with other Bloggers – Use my blog by whatever means to meet other bloggers and creative artist to learn from, share experiences and ideas with. I am confident this will help my sales and build upon my blog exposure!

How do I intend to effectively use my Indiscriminate Musings blog for tips, training and all the etcetera?

Well I decided to survey other blogs that I LOVED and see what other bloggers were searching for? I also decided I did not have any intention of ‘reinventing the wheel’ if you will by blogging about the EXACT same thing as other bloggers (not intentionally anyway).

What would be my edge ?

As I Twitter, I follow another mentor, Crafty Coaches approach who ask you when you follow him on Twitter, “How can I help you?” I know him doing that when I followed him IMMEDIATELY caught my attention and I went straight to his blog! Plus he reminded many of us that we were using Twitter to pimp Etsy. If you want to know more about that thought (bet you do LOL), check out his article "The Wrong Way to use Twitter".

Now when someone follows me on Twitter, I say “Thanks for following me! What would you like more tips/training/information on?" With that said, both on my own and when someone tells me what they want more information on, I either write about it if I have the knowledge OR I survey other blogs to find the information as I have absolutely no intention of 'reinventing the wheel'! If I write about it then I let my follower know that I wrote the article and provide the link. If I find a source that answers their question just as effectively if not more effectively then I can, I simply backlink to the source's blog and let my follower know where they can find the information they are looking for. I in turn let the blog owner know “Hey just backlinked to your blog!” Now ain’t that TWO for the price of one?!

BOGO in the HOUSE!

I now have a satisfied follower on Twitter, who just might continue reading my articles AND I might have a NEW follower from the blog I backlinked to! After all, who does not want free exposure?!?

So there you have it..phew I was rather long winded wasn’t I? YOUR TURN! Why do YOU Blog?

Sincerely,
Indiscriminate and Random Musings

Steps to help you Accomplish your goals

Well I talked about Mission and yes I may jump around a bit but I wanted to share a bit about some steps the help you accomplish your goals. I will always refer back to what I learned from being a Mary Kay Consultant for 3 years because it truly laid the foundation for the basis of my knowledge about running a business. Below are some steps shared with me years ago that can help any one to accomplish their goals. Doesn't matter if the goal is personal or professional! These are all very useful!

• Envision a clear picture of what you desire! Claim that as your goal!

• State your goal, telling people who will support you and encourage you!

• Write affirmations - an example of a weight loss affirmation that is use is "I am a lean mean work out machine" Read them aloud! I even sing that in the shower sometimes! Go figure! LOL!
  

• Hang a goal poster and place motivating pictures in your surroundings (Here is mine for now!)

• Devise a course of action to accomplish your goal! (unsure? Call your mentor!)

• Listen to and read motivational material daily!

• Develop a consuming and burning desire to reach your goal! A "Not to be denied" attitude!

• Seek and offer a cooperative spirit. Learn from those who can help and advise you.

• Control your emotions. Do not fret, worry, complain or talk negatively, preventing anyone or anything from stealing your dream! Be about the business of bringing your mission and goals to life! One of my favorite quotes from John Rohn is "Learn to discipline your disappointments"! It has helped me so much because we all know disappointments will come!
  

• Develop the courage and belief to keep going. Focus on efforts, not results! (Make sure the efforts are Income Producing Activities (we will talk about IPA's in another blog) and you will have the results!

• Focus on giving, not getting! - Blockheadrod and Huckleberry Arts are amazing examples of this! They strive to PAY IT FORWARD and are rewarded as a result!
  

• Treat people the way you want to be treated! Nothing like following the Golden Rule! We do tend to reap what we sow don't we?
  

• Pray for wisdom, guidance and trust.

• Put on a happy face each day, creating time for laughter. Be Happy!

Let's get to goal setting!

Signed,
Indiscriminate and Random Musings!

Continued sharing of Mission Statements - Day 3

Remember if you like feel free to go the extra mile and take a look at their shop/Website/Blog and see how their mission statement lines up with or is reflected in what is represented in their shop/Website/Blog. Maybe even ask yourself what picture does this mission statement paint to me about the entity? Is it clear to me and or well represented? Does it make me want to come back or even learn from them?

Geekdetails shared “The goal when opening my store was to make geeky items for a home and make money while doing so. My husband is in the military and we move a lot. It makes it difficult to get a job and it makes it difficult to decorate my home. So I started doing my own thing and found I had a knack for it.”

Liz Plummer shared "My motivation is best taken from my profile. Rushing hither and thither in our daily lives, there are so many little details we miss. The glistening raindrop on a branch, the way a leaf hangs, sparkling streets after rain. I try and capture some of those moments in my artwork: the wonder of the beautiful world all around us, little vignettes into eternity."

Signed,

Indiscriminate and Random Musings

Continued sharing of Mission Statements - Day 2

Continued sharing of mission statements....

Remember if you like feel free to go the extra mile and take a look at their shop/Website/Blog and see how their mission statement lines up with or is reflected in what is represented in their shop/Website/Blog. Maybe even ask yourself what picture does this mission statement paint to me about the entity? Is it clear to me and or well represented? Does it make me want to come back or even learn from them?

Sassalynne shared "My mission is to get totally unique, one of a kind yarns out to the world! They can then be used to create totally unique, one of a kind items. I've already seen some that have been created, and it's a bit like being a proud mother!"

Check Out Sassalynne's two blogs!

Nuvofelt

Blog

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The Lone Beader shared "My mission is to employ the power of beadwork to educate, inspire, and unify people across the globe=:)"

Check out The Lone Beader's additional sites:

Blog

Blog 2

Facebook

MySpace

Twitter

Signed,
Indiscriminate and Random Musings

Mission Statements – To be (utilized) or not to be that is the question

I posted in the forums to ask Etsy sellers what the focus of their blog or Etsy business was. In all honesty, I was a little surprised as I did not get as much feed back as I thought I would and some of the responses I did receive was along the lines of “hmmm… never thought about it maybe I should consider it”. So let’s be honest here. If we don’t know where we are trying to go, how will we ever get there? And if by some chance we do arrive i.e. have success (or get somewhere positive or lucrative if you will), then how do we measure it so we can maintain it or repeat it if we had no Mission statement or planned goals in place? No doubt success is relative and subjective but either way it is measurable at least partly based on the mission and goals set by the individual. Remember too that the Mission Statement not only reflects why you started your business/blog but it helps others to know exactly what you and your business stand for and what it is all about. What would people/potential customers say about you?

So I decided, for those that did share their mission statements, I would post some of them on Random Musings for the next few days and let you look see what some of them had to say. And hey if you like feel free to go the extra mile and take a look at their shop/Website/Blog and see how their mission statement lines up with or is reflected in what is represented in their shop/Website/Blog. Maybe even ask yourself what picture does this mission statement paint to me about the entity? Is it clear to me and or well represented? Does it make me want to come back or even learn from them?

Perfect Touch shared “I'm all about having purpose and a mission statement. The mission of my store is to introduce people to the lovely world of vintage and antiques. I’m passionate about this uber chic way to recycle, and enjoy sharing my passions with others. My purpose is to brighten someone's day, whether it's a luminously colored piece of vintage glassware, or a sparkling brooch from a bygone era; I'm here to help :)”

Signed,
Indiscriminate and Random Musings