So Many Hats

"Ms. Missy, do you have a janitor at your school?"

"You're looking at her."

"Ms. Missy, do you have a principal at your school?"

"You're looking at her."

Suffice it to say, I wear A LOT of hats. I am a:

Decorator
Janitor
Cafeteria Worker
Event Organizer
Party Planner
PR Person
Writer
Secretary
Graphic Designer
Photographer
Lesson Planner
Idea Person
Marketing Coordinator
Teacher
Artist
Mother
... And More

http://www.traceybuchananstudio.com/shop/prints_shop/silly_me/silly_me5.html

I read somewhere that when you have a business, specifically teaching art, about 70% of your time is spent marketing and promoting, and 30% is spent teaching .

Based on those numbers, that means that for every hour I spend working with children, I spend about 2 hours and 20 minutes behind the scenes. Somehow, those numbers seem a bit off to me. It seems like the split should be more like 90%/10%. There is always something that I am working on. Today, that's updating FB pictures, working on Constant Contact email newsletters, designing a magazine ad, organizing stuff for our fundraiser yard sale, and preparing for our art fair. Not to mention, unloading the car from yesterday's festival booth setup, cleaning up from last night's Kids Night Out, and redecorating the art room for Easter. Also in my head are ideas for new classes, new marketing/promotional ideas, next weekend's art show, additional flyer designs, tax returns, lesson plans, and plans to install a kiln in the back shed (and all of the stuff that goes with that new venture!). 

It's a busy life, but it's so much fun.

In business, it doesn't matter how good you are at what you do. You can be the best teacher, chef, builder, musician, or craftsman- you can be smarter than people who are more successful than you are. You can have more integrity, better ideas, superior skills... But if you don't market yourself effectively, have the right resources, and know the right people, your ship is as good as sunk. How many restaurants have you tried that were wonderful, only to see them shut down? How many wonderful little businesses have you seen that just couldn't make it?

Every time I see a business that has failed, I imagine how much heart someone invested in it and how much heartache its failure probably caused. It's hard to not be emotionally attached to something that has demanded so much time, energy, and attention. That's how I feel about this place. It is an extension of myself- and every hour that I spend trying to make it better is an hour well spent. I'm honored that I have the opportunity to create a place that is so well-loved by children in this community. It truly is a labor of love.