Three week check in, my first month self employed.

Here it is, one month of self employment.

I have to admit I love working from home and I love working for myself. I was worried about maintaining my work schedule at the house with all the distractions (Laundry, Tv, pets, etc.) but the transition was easier than I thought and I have been busier than I ever imagined.

If you have been reading since the beginning you have seen all the changes to the blog and especially the mobile blog. That doesn't even cover the work that goes into writing a post... But I'm rambling now.

We now have a pinterest and instagram as well as maintaining the blog and making designs for the shop. To think I was worried about productivity.

 I'm also happy to announce 100 views! I think that sent me over the moon. I could not stop smiling that day I saw those stats go up. I know in the big internet world that is a VERY small number, no need to burst the bubble.

The reason I am so excited about 100 views is that:
 1. The blog has only been up for a month.
 2. I have not told anyone besides immediate family (and even they don't have the links yet).

Why didn't I tell them the site name? I wanted to be sure that my readers weren't just my very supportive family (love you guys!) and I wanted to connect with you all and see what you guys are interested in for future posts.

 I have also been waiting to build up content and open the shop. I was hoping to have a late April launch and publicize all of the platforms together. Let's keep em crossed shall we?

So top 5 things I have learned in one month?
1: This job is not for the faint of heart, not everyone will understand "what you do all day" and that can take a tole.

2: You will do so much more work than you initially thought. Editing photos for hours, creating calendars of content, managing multiple platforms, etc.

3: Learn coding. Even basic coding it will go a long way.

4: Blog friends are great friends. I have reached out to complete strangers for advice and they have been so generous and helpful with tips for starting out as well as offering support for the doubtful moments.

5: Stick with it and it will be incredibly rewarding. I had so many doubts about this career switch, just getting started in a new world I had very little knowledge about, then learning an entirely new system, and finally building a brand from scratch. Each day I see my brand grow, another follower join, or take on managing another platform. I can't explain how good that feels.

So here we are at the end of month one. Thank you all for sticking with me so far and getting us to 100 views! Let me know what you would like to see next and be sure to check us out on instagram @picketfenceprints and on Pinterest.

Until next week,

Mary