The rollercoaster ride of running your own business
(when you hate rollercoasters…)
I’ve been delaying sharing any update on what’s happening in the world of NJ Does Clay for quite a while now, primarily because I HAVEN’T REALLY KNOWN myself. And also because I’m not sure I can explain everything fully enough in a social post or an acceptable length of email, and I who has the time to read such a big brain-dump in the first place?!
Anyway. Here I am, ready to elaborate, fill you in on some of what’s been happening, and my current plans for the short-medium term.
The Past
Like a lot of small-business makers, I began this whole thing in 2020, off the back of a new found hobby that I enjoyed and found I had a surplus (to say the least) of earrings as a by-product of.
My intentions have always been to enjoy what I’m doing and improve my own skills; to make it accessible to as many people as possible; and for the end result to be joyful for everyone - whether that’s me doing the making, you expressing your personality through your accessorising, or other people admiring your style. I hope I’ve fulfilled the brief here, I feel like I have for myself, and I suppose that’s all I can ask!
So SO many opportunities have come my way through this business. Being invited to take part in some incredible markets at locations that I’ve found simultaneously intimidating and humbling. Making friends with other creative, determined and inspiring business owners, collaborators and suppliers (they know who they are). And building a brand starting from zero, whilst navigating some big moments in life.
Without getting too deep, this journey (because that’s what it’s been!) has been filled with wonderful creativity and connections. And it’s also been accompanied by grief, learning skills in a new medium, and (as much as it makes me cringe to say it), finding my own identity, independence and creative voice. These weren’t things I necessarily set out to explore, but have happened along the way.
The Present
Five and a bit years later, I find myself in a position of being fully self-employed - as a freelance Graphic Designer - juggling the demands of running two businesses solo, one of which is very weekend focussed, both of which are creatively demanding and (honestly) draining.
I think it’s easy for people to think creative work is constant fun and freedom. Whilst this can be true some of the time, but it’s also a lot of admin and doing things wrong over and over again until you land on the right result. It’s repetitive, iterative and requires presence that can be exhausting. Being creative means you put a piece of yourself into everything you make. And it can mean losses, flops and unsuccessful attempts feel more personal than typos or data errors do in other roles.
The culmination of this for me was back in March, when preparing for the Crafty Fox market in London. It felt like a make-or-break moment for me, business wise. I worked really hard to prepare, and suffered the physical consequences of spending so many hours making stock. I wiped myself out for at least three weeks and came out the other side with an asthma diagnosis. In retrospect, this joins a few dots together for me, and environmental triggers are how it flares up. On top of this, the market I’d been prepping for (and just about recovered enough to do) was a huge flop for me, and it really knocked my confidence in what I’ve been building.
Since then, I’ve felt a bit afraid to work with the materials I use, in case I find myself, well, unable to breathe… And a bit directionless in what I’m creating and how I position myself as a maker. Existential crisis aside, the joy left the room. And hasn’t really returned.
This, alongside a myriad of other concerns I’ve felt about running a product-based business in 2025:
- Is my environmental impact too much, should I be working with these materials?
- Can I justify using social media in this political climate?
- Does anybody actually like what I’m making or do they just pity me slightly?!
- Is it a sustainable practice to keep bringing new things onto our planet?
- Etcetera, et-bloody-cetera.
The Future
So. What’s next? Well…
Super Seconds Festival is on the horizon (from 4th October)
- my priority in the immediate (this/next month) future is (to be blunt) to shift as much stock as I can - to make some space in my home and evaluate what I’m left with. Maybe this will feel like a clean slate, or maybe it will feel like the end of an era.
My website will stay open for the foreseeable
- it’s already paid for and isn’t costing me anything to keep running.
I’m not selling any more gift vouchers
- this is fairly self explanatory. I think only a few folks have an outstanding balance to use anyway.
I’ve no plans for any markets at the moment
- I don’t have any plans to do markets this year, but I'd be keen to hear from anyone who could potentially wholesale my remaining stock!
What about Christmas? Or new things?
- I’ve currently no plans to make new stock, so any Christmas styles will be the same as previous years, and based on what I still have available.
Can I get Made-To-Order or customised styles?
- I’m closing off MTO pairs for the time being. I still have a lot of little leaf studs available, which are my most common made-to-order style. I can still make adjustments between hoops/hooks/drop studs, but not fixed stud tops.
The Summary
I think I’ve gotten everything off my chest that I needed to. Perhaps this was an over-share, I don’t really know where the boundaries between myself and this business are, because it’s been such a part of me since it began.
I’m not calling it quits forever with no take-backs. I don’t need to do that. But I can’t see things changing much in the short term, at least. I’ve never been a long term planner, so that’ll have to do!
Feel free to email me with any questions or comments, feedback or thoughts. I’ve spoken to a few other small business owners I know, who have shared some of the same concerns and doubts lately, so I know I’m not totally alone in feeling weird vibes about general existence right now!