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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / guest bloggers / {guest blogger :: Much Ado About You}

{guest blogger :: Much Ado About You}

July 24, 2010 · 3 Comments
Filed Under: guest bloggers

Emmy Blakeley of Much Ado About You creates super darling planners/organizers. Since I found her work I’ve been sharing her shop URL with everyone I know!

Have you seen these babies?

They are scrapbooking + color + organization {+ a dash of sass}, all bounded as one. Their tag line, “Making FABULOUS personal again!” is a perfect description of their product.

Follow Much Ado About You on their blog & Facebook.

Starting a Successful Home-Based Business

In 2007 I started Much Ado About You because it had been a dream of mine to get into Professional Event Planning. I joke that I suffer from OCP… Obsessive Compulsive Planning.

What I didn’t plan for was the turn that my business would take just a few months later when some of my friends saw the nifty little calendar that I had made for myself.

You see, what naturally comes along with OCP is an obsession with calendars.

I am very particular about my calendar. I had searched all over – from here to Timbuktu – and could not find the very specific layout that I was looking for. So I enlisted my husband, the Excel Spreadsheet Master {as I lovingly refer to him} to create it for me. I bound it, decorated the cover, added a family photo and some bling, and was left with the perfect calendar!

Well, apparently some of my friends thought it was perfect, too.

Within a couple of months I was working full-time at producing enough calendars to meet the demands of my ever-increasing calendar business.

Wait, you thought I was an Event Planner…? So did I!

Today I am blessed that the demands of my business allow me to employ some of my best friends.

We whip out calendars as fast as we can, in between making phone calls to Caterers and putting the final touches on those invitations that just have to get out in tomorrow’s mail! {Although truth-be-told, those are few and far between these days… who has time to be an Event Planner when you are running a Calendar Empire?} At Much Ado About You we work hard, laugh hard, and take turns refereeing the kids that play downstairs while we run the company.

I truly enjoy running my own Home Based Business. God has so blessed my desire to be at home with my son and still have a creative outlet that allows me to contribute to my family’s finances.

I have found that I really enjoy the challenge of growing a small business and making it successful. I have developed a passion for helping other women build their own businesses, and have been fortunate enough to be able to encourage and advise many friends who are just getting their businesses off the ground.

I thought I would share with you my
Top 10 Tips to Starting a Successful Home Based Business

1. Sell a Product that you Love to Make
If sewing makes you want to throw your machine out the window, do not sell handmade quilts.

2. Be Concentrated
If you are serious about wanting a successful business and not just a hobby, pick just one or two products and make them the best version of those products that you can.

3. Make Sure the Price is Right
Price your products reasonably, but don’t undersell yourself! Remember to account for your supplies and your time, and leave room to grow into paying for labor costs. If you can’t do all this… you probably shouldn’t be selling that product.

4. Brand Yourself
No, don’t get a tattoo of your business name on your shoulder, but do create a logo that accurately represents yourself and your business.

5. Be Creative with your Packaging
Make your customer feel like they are opening a gift when their order arrives.

6. Use Inexpensive Shop Hosting Services
Etsy and Big Cartel are two great shop hosting services that offer very reasonable rates. Until you know that your business is profitable don’t waste any money building your own website.

7. Start a Blog
Blogs are another great {and free} alternative to a website, and a great way to get the word out about your business. Update your blog frequently and it will be likely to show up at the top of web searches when people are looking for your types of products.

8. Be Organized
Organization with your supplies and products will make work much more enjoyable for you.

Organization with your invoicing and expenses will make work much more profitable for you.

Organization with your clients, like responding to emails in a timely manner and getting orders shipped quickly, will make work much more marketable for you.

9. Take Advantage of FREE Marketing Opportunities
Social Networking sites are not only great for locating your long lost Kindergarten crush, but they have opened up the door to tremendous advertising opportunities for your home-based business. Have a fan page for your business and post frequent updates about your shop.

10. Have Excellent Customer Service
Ultimately, the best free advertisement is a happy customer! Go above and beyond to ensure that your customers will not only want to come back, but will also be sending their friends your way. People that are willing to spend a little extra for handmade products expect a little extra service to go along with the price… give them more than they expect!

If you are interested in more information about these tips, please visit my blog and check out my series on starting a successful home-based business called You’re the Boss.

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3 Comments
Filed Under: guest bloggers

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Comments

  1. Franchesca says

    July 24, 2010 at 11:38 am

    LOVE these :) Thanks for sharing!!!

    Reply
  2. hiyaluv says

    July 24, 2010 at 4:37 pm

    AWESOME POST! i love your shop!
    smiles,
    gina

    Reply
  3. Renee CandyStickLane says

    July 26, 2010 at 7:41 am

    AMAZINGLY inspiring story! and your product is FANTASTIC! I will be getting one for myself and my office manager who also has OCP ;) lol! Thank you SO much for this incredicble story and post! XOXO

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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maggiewhitley

JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

maggiewhitley
Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect o Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect on the moments I’ve felt my mind spinning, my emotions swirly, it’s almost always when I’m not feasting on the word of God. Not that reading scripture is the cure for anxiety —no! Rather, it’s hard to worry when we’re worshipping.
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#womenintheword #wearethehomemakers #scripture #dailyintheword #titus2woman #healthylifestyle #mentalhealth #anxiety #anxietyawareness
Current backyard status: stunning in wonder ❄️ Current backyard status: stunning in wonder ❄️✨
A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is hot, and the whisper of a page turning. ♨️☕️📖 // We are breaking from school this week, my plan is to read a lot, walk a lot, and rest a lot. How about you?

#mothersofinstagram #tea #winterreading #hygge
I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

How about you? Tell me something about yourself so I can get to know you on a deeper heart level. 🖤🖤
How do you play in the winter? // We had a really How do you play in the winter? // We had a really great time visiting family in northern Michigan. On my blog I share a few ways we played outside, plus I describe a memorable childhood game ❄️☃️. Did you play it as a kiddo?
We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

But today! Today we reset the rhythm, and we have had a much happier home & time learning together. 👏🏻
Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — t Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — think outside the box in terms of how you view the definition of “motherhood” 💓😘 (also: look at my little friend, she’s sooooo snuggly)
It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hop It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hope to bundle up for another family nature walk, knowing the fresh air sweeps out any & all frustration, inviting inspiration inside. ✨That’s something we all need more of.
seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming the Laundry Beast (as a family of 6). Who wants the inside scoop? ✔️🧺👏🏻
Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomo Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomorrow :) small celebrations like this are very life giving! PS. thinking of starting a zoom book club — I need more sisterhood in my life. 👏🏻📖
The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are turning. The tea is calm. 🖤☕️🧺📖
Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his ful Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his full costume and laser blaster and of course the Buzz action figure he flys around 🌟💚💙💨someone has discovered a superhero crush! #joyinmotherhood #slowmornings #surprisedbymotherhood // Landon @ 2.5yo
Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to read this year. Plus my reading goal for the year. And a few practicals ways I fit in reading as a mama of four young children & homeschooling them. Basically, all the good stuff ☺️💓📖 #maggiewhitleydotcom #readersofinstagram #read #readmorebooks
It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the fu It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the furniture as we took the tree down Tuesday midday. Def one of my fav things to do.🎄👋🏻 We made it through our first week back to school since mid-December! It was rough to begin but ended with high fives. ⭐️✏️This morning I zoomed with a mama friend and I’m impressed with the many topics we covered. Sisterhood is sooooo necessary! ☕️👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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