What a month. I’ve written and rewritten this #Roadto100Rejections post over and over again in my mind, trying to figure out the angle I want to take with it. In all honesty, I’ve been putting it off a bit because I haven’t done a great job of keeping track of my rejections. It’s not for lack of trying, it’s just, I haven’t found something that works for me yet. Things have been… messy.
This is an update post. If you haven’t read the original #Roadto100Rejections post, start there first.
Everybody loves transparency, right? Let’s get real then. I’ve been casting my net FAR and WIDE to see what will work and what won’t. However, in doing that, I feel like I’ve been a bit careless in my emails and messages. I struggle with the need to be “doing the MOST” and in my mind, that means sending 50 emails a day. Is that the right way to go about this? Especially when I know I’ve made embarrassing copy and paste errors in a message or two? I need to take my own advice and work smarter not harder.
I’m reminded of that quote that’s attributed to Abraham Lincoln, “Given four hours to cut down a tree, I’d spend the first three sharpening my ax.” I’ve been swinging my blunt ax blindly, hoping to hit anything and everything. So keeping track of 100 rejections… has been difficult. I feel the need to be DOING. Planning a smart, slow, and steady business strategy doesn’t feel like DOING. “I thought a lot today” doesn’t pay the bills. But then again, neither does running around without a game plan.
That being said, even with my sloppy approach, I’ve managed a few successes. This month, I’ve taken product photos for Oatmeal & Company, Jake & Jubi’s Snack Co., Clamatos food truck, and blog photos for Her Modern Kitchen. I have a few more things coming down the pipeline, including an event, an artist’s products, and a lodge in Wimberley.
Here’s what I know: my skills are there and the demand is there. I just need to clean up my approach a bit. More targeted sharpening of the ax, less running wild and hoping for the best. I have a good list of places that I need to contact and I think I need to take a fresh approach to those contacts. Slower, more thought out, more CONCISE.
Building a business is messy and mistakes will be made. I’m fine with that. As a wise teacher once told me, “data is data.” Good or bad, the data on my business is data and it gives me valuable information on how to move forward. And move forward I shall.
Let’s close out with some highlights:
