Advice From Year-End Winners: Finding Community & Maintaining Work-life Balance
November 5th 2024
We reached out to one of our 2023 Year-End Grant Winners, asking her to share the business lessons she learned from the past year:
Sallie Plumley answered the call! Below are the answers she gave us. Please give it a quick read. We’re sure there are some nuggets of wisdom you can apply to your business.
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We’d like to reintroduce you to Sallie Plumley from Sallie Plumley Studios, our January 2023 Skilled Trades Grant winner and one of our 2023 Year End Grant winners. |
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What advice would you give to a new business owner in your industry?
Surround yourself with people who are better than you are at what you do. There is always so much to learn, so don’t be threatened by competition. You’ll develop your own skills, style, and tactics over time, and it’s helpful to have people around with whom you can bounce around ideas. It’s also incredibly helpful to have those trusted people around when you make mistakes and need to problem-solve. Keep community a focus. Your work will be better because of it.
What was the most important lesson you’ve learned in your business?
Keep track of your finances. Don’t wait until things get sticky to pay attention to the numbers. If you don’t understand them, ask for help. All of that being said, charge what your time/product is worth! Don’t sell yourself short by undercharging for your work. If someone can’t afford what you are offering, that’s okay. You just need to find the right customers.
In your industry, where do you struggle most to manage your work-life balance? How have you overcome it?
I doubt this is industry-specific, but finding a work-life balance as a mom is challenging. I find it helpful to practice time blocking and batch work so that I can ensure I get my work finished in a timely manner.
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