Taking the plunge

Shawano Lake

Two weeks ago I was laid off. No warning, just called into the boss’ office and told that the social media department I was hired to build just wasn’t large enough to cover my salary and that was that.

I probably should be mad. I was only there for seven months, and while at my previous agency I built the social media department into a $30,000 a month revenue driver, I did it with the help of a large staff and half-a-dozen people whose sole job was to sell and bring in new business. That definitely wasn’t the case at my new job and it took two years, not seven months to reach that level of business.

But I’m not mad. It’s just business and the truth is mentally I was preparing for a day when I would ease into a role as an independent contractor instead of full-time employee. The plan was to wait until I had a second child, a hypothetical being at this point, and then broach the topic of instead of taking a maternity leave, that I work on a freelance basis, taking on only enough work that could be accomplished during nap time and continuing to grow this blog in the evenings after the kids went to bed.

Now instead of looking for a 9-5, I’m jumping in feet first and making that dream happen now. Last fall I got an email from the owner of a major online fabric retailer who Googled quilting and social media expert and found me. That email led to an ongoing freelance social media marketing job. Then last December you all absolutely fell in love with my 2015 Block of the Month design and wanted kits. So I figured it out, got kits together and between kit sales, increased advertising revenue from all the extra traffic and the freelance income, I’m already making enough to cover the essentials for our family.

I go to church, had Angela baptized and pray that she will grow up to lead a good life, but I have never really felt like God provided for me or put a series of events in place that would work out just perfectly in some sort of pre-ordained plan. Mostly I’ve felt like I worked very hard to get what I wanted, and the credit was all mine. But I feel now as though He was truly looking out for me. There has still been a lot of hard work on my part, but the pieces have fallen in place to perfectly and the right time to call it anything else.

So here it goes, making a career out of marketing quilting products and writing about quilting. Now what does that mean for you all? Well the brand new website with a store built in was the first of many new features. I’m shooting for putting out one tutorial a week, one new quilt pattern a month, more quilt kits, more book reviews, special promo codes just for you and much more quilting fun. I’ve also got a super-secret project in the works that hopefully will be ready this July.

It also means more ads. I started putting ads in my emails last fall because it was getting pretty expensive to send you all an email. Constant Contact has too make money too you know, and I didn’t want to be in the hole just to let you know the new BOM pattern was available. But the essentials doesn’t cover things like swim lessons for Angela, the occasional dinner out and 401K contributions. You know, important stuff. In order to truly make this venture work, I’ve got to eventually replace my income, and that means including more ads in emails to you and on the website, maybe writing a few sponsored posts. I promise all the money-making components of Quilt Addicts Anonymous will be contextually relevant and I won’t get spammy. But if there is a good sale at one of my affiliates, I’m going to let you know about it here and on social media, because I’m young, and compounding interest in my 401K is my friend.

So I hope you enjoy all the new features I have in store for you. Share posts you enjoy with your friends and wish me luck so I can continue to bring you fun quilting patterns and tutorials and be a work-at-home mom.

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Comment (5)

  1. Hey Stephanie, just wanted you to know that I found your tutorials regarding how to make a t-shirt quilt on YouTube awesome & that led me to your site & blog. Thank You! Been looking for help on all the tshirts I have been saving that I can’t get rid of for my son to make a quilt & now I have it. You have a new follower on all of your sites.

  2. Hi Stephanie,
    I learned so much in your block of the month class at Neal’s in Muscatine, Iowa. I am a beginner quilter and your patience was amazing. Just wish I could have attended more of your classes. I appreciate your video tutorials! Please let me know if you teach a class on preparing a quilt for quilting and quilting with a small machine. Thanks and I wish you success! Julie

  3. Hi Stephanie,

    Praying that your new venture is a great success! Love your BOM tutorials and as I am self taught I am always learning something new.

    From an island on the other side of the world!!

  4. Best of luck to you. You are living my dream of working from home, and not answering to anyone else. Though I’m not as young as you, I too want to find that happy place where I can work from home, and spend time with my family.

    My 2016 bring you all that you hoped for and more.

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