“Hey” *taps me on the shoulder*. “It is actually”.

I’m not good at selling myself. I’m rubbish in fact. I show and tell people what I do but I never really say ‘if you love what I do, get in touch. Maybe we can can work together’.

This weekend I’m having an Etsy sale and I’ve made loads of posts which I’ve been posting every day on my Instagram and FB business page. It feels uncomfortable. I’m used to just showing up with work or work in progress and making connections and having lovely interactions in my DM’s on Instagram.

This morning I was on a zoom with the lovely Helen Perry and it was all about selling. It was also about not feeling guilty about posting a lot because half the time people don’t even see it. John Lewis, McDonalds and Amazon don’t feel guilty about hitting every ad break with an advert so why should we feel guilty about putting up a few posts on the socials? And yet I still feel like I’m going on and on and on. My Teemill store also has free UK shipping this weekend but I’ve only mentioned it once so far. That would be overkill right?

Wrong.

That’s what being a business is. It’s about putting yourself out there. If people don’t know about you, how can they possibly buy from you? Or pass a job your way? And I know from experience that your bank balance suffers because of it. Knowing that I could do it for someone else but not for myself just makes it worse. It’s time to kick that inner introvert into touch.

I’m pulling on my big girl pants. It’s no longer an option. I HAVE to get better at putting myself out there. Maybe you’re in the same boat. We can paddle together. It will get us there quicker.

Next year (because I hate the phrase ‘going forward’), I’ll be hitting inboxes like you wouldn’t believe, touting for work. And if I’m the right fit for those people then hallelujah. And if I’m not, that’s okay too because there’s a lid for every pot. But I’m sure as hell not feeling guilty about selling my skills any more. That’s not how you grow.

So if you’re reading this on Bonfire weekend, go check out my Slinkeee Illustration Etsy store sale for some cute illustrated gifts for Christmas or for yourself. And while I’m here, did I mention my Teemill store has free UK shipping this weekend too?

See? That wasn’t so bad. Now time to crack the freelance pitches…..