it's been nearly a year since the soft launch of my bloom business. in june of twenty sixteen i took a leap of faith to start my dream business. i have been dreaming of bloom for a long time. what once was this idea spinning around in my head for years, i finally took the rumbling storm head on. i put aside perfectionism, invested in some fabric, and told myself 'you're never going to know, unless you try' over and over again. my quest became 'think less + just do'. stop talking. start making. in just a few short weeks my mother and i sewed 150+ sets of pillow cases and sold out faster than we ever imagined. i had no idea what i was doing, really. and i had absolutely no idea where all this would lead. but what i did know is that i wanted to share my designs and creations with all of you, and i'm glad that i have.
since this time last year, i've learned and gained a better understanding of how to run a small shop online. while i'm certainly no expert, and have a ways to go, the one thing i do know for sure is keeping myself and my business organized, regardless big or small.
after months of trying to manage things simply by memory or sending out ridiculous, and quite possibly embarrassing invoices, i subscribed to a program specifically for those that are self-employed to help me out. the QuickBooks Self-Employed + Turbo Tax Self-Employed program has literally put my old system to shame. by not only providing efficiency, this program breaks things down categorically and the best part is, it's simple. the thing i have found most helpful is the use of their app to track my mileage. i was terrible at remembering to write my miles down. now with the help of their program, my phone simply tracks how far i've traveled and the reason of my travel. easy, right? you can also manually add miles or forgotten trips too, which is nice. i've learned that every mile counts towards those end of the year savings, so this is such an important thing to remember for any business owner.
the other thing i love about the program is how easy it is for me to track my expenses. there is no need to fret over making sure all my receipts are accounted for at the end of the year. this program has made the process so much easier for me and decreased some anxiety too. i simply add my expenses and it tracks is all for me. i also like having that visual of seeing my expenses in one place. it helps not only keep me accountable and in check, but it helps when it comes to prioritizing as well.
i can honestly say i'm managing my business much better now having this program in place. i was lost before, but i've found a much better way.
with all this said, i am more than happy to answer any questions that you may have about bloom, my process or even how i started. again, i'm no expert and have a lot to learn yet, but i would be more than happy to share what i do know.
* this post is brought to you by a partnership between living life's moments and QuickBooks + Turbo Tax Self-Employed business program. all opinions are my own. thank you for supporting posts like this that help support and build content for this space. the photography is my own with the help of my three year old daughter. she took the images of me.
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