One cold and dreary morning in early February, I was lurking around in the Etsy forums...reading posts about how to grow your business, reach your target market, bring business to your shop, etc. I typically avoid thinking about such things in relation to myself and my shop; I've done OK with people finding me, and I'm one of those anxious, fear the unknown sort of people. Or I used to be!
On a whim, I googled home decor blogs. I thought maybe I could find a high-traffic blog and pay for an ad slot as a small step in a bigger direction. I found several, of course, but the one that jumped out at me the most was thedecoratingdiva.com. Before I could think about it too much and chicken out, I sent them a short message introducing myself and my shop and asking for info regarding a potential site/product review. I logged off expecting nothing, but pleased with my itty bitty step.
Fast forward a month and a half. On Monday the 23rd I was flipping through my email, and clicked on my junk mail folder (which I almost never do). Inside that folder was a return message from the decoratingdiva! The message was sent on March 19th, and said that they would like to include one of my rugs in an upcoming article...I just had to have certain information sent to them by 3/23. THREE TWENTY-THREE????!!!! Had I missed the boat?
I sent a reply right away, and asked if I could send the info by that evening. The answer was yes! So, info was gathered and sent, and I sat on pins and needles waiting for the article to come out. What would it say? How would my rug fit into the picture?
On Friday, March 27th, the site was updated with the new article. I almost passed out when I saw the title:
Top 12 Stylish Eco-Friendly Rugs - 2009! My big ole rug is #5 on the list; someone pinch me!
The moral of this fairy tale: don't let fear of rejection stop you from exploring new avenues. Do you have a success story too? Please leave a comment and share...you may inspire someone to greatness!
Posts
