It hasn’t been long since my last post, but honestly, there are just so many feelings that come with running a handmade business, especially when you’re also an anxious person. This little blog series is partly a coping mechanism for me: a place to get all the thoughts out of my head and into the world. My other coping is mechanism is stroking my dog, but she’s busy right now, so… to the keyboard it is.
Here’s what I’ve been feeling this week:
Excitement – Brewvan “collab”!
Disappointment – Overlocker broke
The usual shouting into the void – Scrappy Bag launch
Worry – Am I bombarding people? Losing followers?
Grateful – For the amazing community I’m building
Excitement – Brewvan “Collaboration”
So this one’s a big one for me.
Retrofitted, the company who sourced our VW and will be doing our van conversion, have already been amazing. The same lovely guy who owns retrofitted also runs a coffee van business called Brewvan… and he’s the one who introduced me to using coffee sacks in the first place (have I mentioned coffee bags before? 
)
When I was chatting to him about the van on Thursday, he asked how the coffee bags were going. I said I’d listed a few on Etsy and joked about them selling. Then, out of the blue, he offered to sell some from his coffee van at a fair in Norwich on Saturday!
I was honestly blown away by the kindness. Retrofitted have always been brilliant to us, but the fact he extended that support to my handmade business… it really meant a lot.
Of course, as soon as he offered, my anxious brain (Annie–my anxious inner voice) kicked off:
Do I have enough bags? What if they don’t sell? What if they’re not good enough?
But I took a breath and calmly said I’d check my stock and get back to him. I realised I had four bags I could spare and still have enough to make more for Etsy, so I replied with a very enthusiastic “yes!”
Today (Friday), I dropped them off at the van and both he and the barista were so complimentary. Honestly, even if just one sells, I’ll be thrilled. If all four sell, I’ll be completely over the moon. 
Disappointment – The Overlocker Breaks
Ah yes. The joy of relying on machinery… and then it dies.
My overlocker broke this week. It was just a domestic model anyway, so I’m hoping I can now invest in something more robust, but still. Just one more thing to sort out on an already long list.
Annie had a little panic about it, of course, but it’s in progress. We’re managing.
The Scrappy Bag Launch (aka Screaming into the Void)
This week I launched my newest Scrappy Bag, now with a reclaimed coffee sack lining on Etsy! And let me tell you… there’s so much work behind those “just launched” posts.
From making the product, testing it, tweaking it, photographing it, editing the photos, writing listings, it’s a whole process. And then it goes live and… you just wait….
I’m running a 6-6-6 launch strategy I learned from a course recently, and it’s actually been fun! But It also feels a bit like once again I’m shouting into the void. Still, I remind myself how far Wild Minder has come since February. And I ride the wave. 
Worry – Am I Posting Too Much?
Classic anxious thought: Am I annoying people? Am I posting too much? Am I losing followers?
But then I remind myself:
If someone unfollows, they’re just not a Wild Minder person. And that’s okay. I’m building a community for people who do connect with what I’m doing.
Gratitude – Always
To finish on a positive: I’m so grateful to every single person who’s supported Wild Minder so far. Even a like or a comment makes a difference—it helps me grow, it lifts my mood, and it pushes me to keep going.
So thank you. Truly.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings 
Until next time,
Lucy
Founder of Wild Minder
(UPDATE) 
Post-“Collab” Reflection
So, with all the hope and expectation of yesterday… the worst outcome happened. No sales. No follows. Nothing.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. I’d truly hoped at least one might sell but maybe with hindsight, it’s unlikely someone pops out for a coffee and drops £32 on a bag? Still, I had hope.
The main reason I’m writing this is just to put the feelings somewhere. All the effort I put in Thursday evening and Friday feels like it fizzled into nothing. I’m a massive introvert, and putting myself out there is hard – really hard. It’s tiring. And rejection stings. But I’ll keep going.
A small win for today? Someone new favourited one of my items. That was nice. Tiny progress, but progress all the same.