It Takes Time to Build Your Nest – A Lesson Learned in Creating an Online Store

On a cool morning in June, I was sitting in my sunroom knitting the next product for the upcoming Christmas holidays. The weather was a nice relief after the hot and humid days we had been experiencing earlier in the week. I looked up briefly to glance at the backyard and saw something amazing… mother nature in the works!

Two birds were creating a nest in one of the garden arches that is covered with climbing roses. I associated the process of these “love birds” with the process of creating an online store. In my mind this is how the story goes: I assume the pair of birds needed to find a location to create their new home. I associated this thought with finding an online marketplace to display my knitted products (iCraftgifts.com).

Once they decided this area of the backyard was the ideal place, they needed to build their nest. I associated this process with creating and building an inventory of quality handmade knitting and sewing products. And this is when I realized these little birds were teaching me a lesson – building a business like building a nest takes time.

I carefully approach the nearby window to get a closer look of the new residents. One of the birds was patiently sitting in the unfinished nest tucked deeply within the branches of the climbing roses. I was wondering what was happening as the nest was too small. Also, I was concerned that the bird would fall through the openings in the arch. I associated this scenario with being one small seller among many in the open online marketplace.

Suddenly, the other bird flew up and added a tiny branch to the nest (ahh teamwork)! This reminded me of the generous support I have received and continue to receive from everyone in my pursuit of establishing an online business. Over the next few hours one of birds continued to sit quietly in the unfinished nest (monitoring the product, perhaps?). The other bird flew quickly back and forth with small sticks and leaves carefully and tediously building their future home. I was fascinated by the dedication of these birds to complete a finished product to be enjoyed by them both and their yet to be family.

Early the next morning, I anxiously wanted to check on the progress of the nest. Through my sleepy eyes, the nest appeared to be completed. However, one of the birds continued to build upon their home by adding more sticks and leaves (ooh, the joy of home improvement 😊). I associated this passionate and tireless act with the awareness that continuing to improve upon your product is an ongoing process.

As an online seller, it is important to understand and utilize the necessary marketing tools to help grow your business. As such, I am beginning to realize that starting any business has it many challenges - just to name a few:

• Marketing (attracting customers)
• Products (displaying and listing inventory)
• Creativity (unique ideas)
• Other participants (competitors in the marketplace)

So, what did I learn from my new backyard friends?
Well, I learned to be patient and passionate about the work you love to do AND never give up! As the day lingers and I continue to work on my current knitting product, I am reminded of this. I take another look out the window and say to my new backyard friends, thanks for the inspiration and welcome to your new home!