19/10/2026
💜 RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS… IT'S NOT JUST MAKING THINGS AND SELLING THEM! 💜
Eeeeeekkk! 🤣🙈
Have you ever heard someone say…
💬 "It must be lovely working for yourself!"
💬 "You're lucky, you can work whenever you want!"
💬 "How much?! I could make that cheaper!"
💬 "You must make a fortune at these markets!"
Well, grab yourself a cuppa ☕, get comfy, because here's a little insight into what REALLY goes into running a small business! 💜
When you see us standing behind our stall, smiling, chatting and selling our creations, you're only seeing a tiny part of what goes on behind the scenes!
Let's talk about the things people don't always see…👀
💷 PRICING – Working out prices that cover materials, time, overheads and hopefully leave a little profit! We can't just pluck numbers out of thin air!
🌐 WEBSITE – Building, updating, maintaining, uploading products, writing descriptions and paying hosting and domain fees.
📸 IMAGING & PHOTOGRAPHY – Taking product photos, editing images, creating mock-ups and making everything look presentable.
📢 ADVERTISING– Social media posts, promotions, flyers, business cards, banners, signs and trying to get our little business noticed!
⛺ STALLS, MARKETS & EVENTS – Finding suitable events, applying, organising stock, loading the car, travelling, setting up, trading all day, packing down and unloading again!
💰 PITCH FEES– Yes, we PAY to attend markets and events! Sometimes before we've sold a single thing, and there's absolutely no guarantee we'll make that money back!
💳 CARD MACHINE – Subscription fees, transaction charges and the cost of accepting payments.
🏢 OFFICE RENT & RATES – Having somewhere to work doesn't come free! Rent, business rates where applicable, electricity, heating and other bills.
🚗 PETROL & TRAVEL – Collecting supplies, attending events, making deliveries and travelling backwards and forwards.
📦 STOCK COSTS – Buying materials, blanks, charms, packaging and supplies BEFORE we can even start creating!
📧 EMAILS – Customer enquiries, suppliers, event organisers, invoices, confirmations and the occasional email that makes you want to bang your head against the desk! 🤣
📱MESSAGES – Facebook, emails, enquiries, quotes, order updates and answering the same question 15 times because someone hasn't read the description! 🤭
📋 PAPERWORK – Applications, insurance, risk assessments, policies, records and all the lovely admin nobody warns you about!
🧾 ACCOUNTS – Receipts, expenses, invoices, bookkeeping, tax returns and making sure everything adds up! (Or wondering why it doesn't! 🤣)
🖨️ PRINTING – Ink, paper, sublimation supplies, printer maintenance, equipment and the occasional printer deciding it's having a nervous breakdown!
🎨 DESIGNING – Creating new products, personalising orders, editing artwork, testing designs and sometimes starting all over again because something just isn't right!
📦 STORAGE UNIT COSTS– Because stock, gazebos, tables, displays and equipment have to live somewhere!
🥪 FOOD & DRINK – Especially on market days! Long hours mean we need to eat and drink too… although sometimes lunch is a packet of crisps at 3pm! 🤣
AND THEN THERE'S EVEN MORE…😱
🔧 Equipment repairs and replacements
🛡️ Business insurance
🛍️ Packaging, bags and labels
📮 Postage and delivery costs
💻 Software subscriptions and design programmes
📱 Phone and internet bills
📊 Stocktaking and inventory management
🧹 Cleaning and maintaining our workspace
🎪 Gazebos, tables, display stands and signage
🛒 Ordering supplies and chasing deliveries
📚 Training, learning new skills and keeping up with changes
💸 Refunds, damaged stock and products that don't work out
⏰ Hours spent researching new products and ideas
🎄 Preparing seasonal stock months in advance
❤️ Customer service, aftercare and making sure everyone is happy!
And let's not forget…
OUR TIME!⏰
The evenings spent designing.
The weekends spent trading.
The early mornings loading the car.
The late nights finishing orders.
The family time sometimes sacrificed.
The constant thinking, planning, worrying and wondering whether we're doing enough.
And the fact that sometimes we work an entire day and don't actually pay ourselves a penny!
Here's something else people don't always realise…
💜 TURNOVER IS NOT PROFIT! 💜
Just because a small business takes £200 at a market doesn't mean we've earned £200!
Take away the pitch fee, materials, petrol, card fees, packaging and all the other costs… and suddenly that £200 looks VERY different!
And that's before accounting for the hours we've worked!
We're not complaining. Far from it! 💜
We LOVE what we do, and we're incredibly proud of what we've built together at Eller Creations Ltd, our little husband-and-wife business since 2012. 🥰
We've worked hard, learnt lessons, made mistakes, celebrated achievements, won awards and probably said "WHAT ARE WE DOING?!" more times than we care to admit! 🤣
But when someone buys something we've created, leaves us a lovely review, recommends us to a friend or comes back to see us at another market…
THAT makes all the hard work worthwhile! 🥹💜
So next time you see a small business selling something, please remember…
You're not just paying for the item.
You're paying for the creativity, materials, equipment, experience, effort and countless hours behind it.
And when you support a small business, you're helping real people keep their dreams alive. 💜
We're not asking for sympathy, just a little understanding of what goes on behind the scenes.
Because running your own business isn't a 9–5 job…
It's a 24/7 adventure with no guaranteed wages, no paid holidays, a never-ending to-do list and a printer that has personal issues!🤣🤣
Would we change it?
Well… ask us again after we've finished the accounts, packed the car and found the missing roll of tape! 😂🙈
💜 To all our fellow small business owners — WE SEE YOU! Keep going, you're doing amazing!💜
And to everyone who supports us, whether it's a purchase, a share, a recommendation or simply stopping for a chat…
THANK YOU! You really do make a difference. 🥰
Crafty Hugs 🫂🤗
Tricia & Rob
