Tag: business

Climbing the mountain of social media

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Photo by Riccardo on Pexels.com

When you try and try but you still fail. Or feel like you do. Having success is like climbing a mountain. The difference is that if you fall of a mountain, you get killed. Success doesn’t mean fame and fortune. I’m talking about something as simple as posting on social media. You can plan in advance. Take courses about how to get followers and how to turn them into clients. But all that hard work doesn’t pay off, no matter what you try. You want to give up because you feel it’s a waste of time. They say it takes time, but how long does that mean exactly? I don’t have years to wait for something to happen.

There is mixed advice available online regarding social media. Some say you don’t need a lot of followers, and then they offer advice on how to gain more followers. Using social media for business and personal use is different, but having followers is important in both contexts. I have a feeling I only attract weirdo’s or people who aren’t very active. I have two Instagram accounts: one personal, which is in English. The other one is a business-related one, which is in Finnish. I feel I’m the only one liking my posts on my personal account, and the same goes for the other. I don’t get any comments either, even if I ask for them. Perhaps my posts are boring and no one notices.

Climbing the mountain of social media takes too long, and it feels like it will never yield any results. You should post regularly and comment on other people’s posts. I know I haven’t done it much, but I have nothing to comment on. Writing posts isn’t easy either. It feels like a waste of time when I get no reactions or a lot of them. I want to find graphic design clients on social media. I even tried to sell digital products, but no one seems to care about getting the link to the store. Social media is a mountain that many want to climb. However, since millions aspire to reach the top, you must stand out.

Posting online doesn’t pay you the bills, and that’s all I get. I can’t start a business without clients, and there are no jobs to apply for. Some people have found clients on social media, so it’s not impossible. I just need to be a little bit more patient. I hope it won’t take years because I won’t have it. I need to set some goals in life, rather than staying stuck in one place. Everyone needs an income from something, and I hope it’s on the mountain of social media.

Split in two or more pieces

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Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Pexels.com

Ever thought you’ve taken too much to handle at once? That there isn’t enough time in a day to do things? You wish you had more time. You almost need to split yourself into two or more pieces to do it all.

Sometimes, I think I have too many things to think about and don’t have time to concentrate on all of them. I’ve had so many other things on my mind lately that I have had no time to blog. In addition to personal things, I have different social media accounts on Instagram to keep up with. Before, I had two, but now I have three for various purposes.

I use one in English for personal use. The other two are in Finnish and are for the graphic design and photography business. A few weeks ago, I started a faceless marketing account where I would sell digital products. It makes me think I took too many at once. One of the accounts doesn’t get the attention it deserves. I’ve been focusing on the new account recently. I was tired of waiting for someone to get in touch on the older business account. I found an easier way to make money than trying to find clients. I don’t really want to do what many other graphic designers do, like visual identity. Actually, I’m split between what I want to do because I want to do many things. I’ve got to get some income somewhere, so why not try to sell digital products? I want to use my graphic design and photography skills to help people.

If you organise your time, you can get more things done during the day. The main thing is that you make time to relax. What you didn’t have time to do today, you can continue tomorrow. There is a time and place for everything.

One year ago today death showed its face again

Mia5 Comments
grave stone and candle
©Mia Salminen 2025

Today, it’s been a year since my Dad passed away. It was February 8, 2024, and about 11 o’clock when they called from the hospital to tell me he was no more. A year goes fast. I still have things to do, like going through his clothes. But life has moved on, and I have had other things on my mind. Sometimes, I wish he was here, but maybe it was for the best. You never know when death will show its face. It was good that some things were done before he died.

My Dad was a goldsmith who owned a business for 30 years. He continued even after he retired. It was one of his ways of doing something. He was a very good drawer, and he designed the jewellery he made. He made white golden diamond and zircon rings, pendants and earrings. He had a sales rep from whom he got orders from. But then the sales prep died, so Dad began to think about quitting the business. He decided to stop, and at the end of 2023, he sold the business premises. Ultimately, it was good it happened because fewer problems existed for me.

One of his last works was this ring (and a few earrings that were the same set). As the daughter of a goldsmith, I had access to jewellery without having to buy them. I have a lot of different kinds of jewellery, including yellow and white gold rings and pendants. If he tried new designs, I got to try them, so I might have pieces no one else has. It won’t get me rich if I sell them. No one else, for that matter. I haven’t used them for years because I’ve had rashes on my hands. I wore a necklace that my Dad made once last Christmas. For special occasions, I can wear them. Maybe I could begin to wear rings again every day as I did before.

golden ring on finger
©Mia Salminen 2024

No one is perfect, and my dad wasn’t either, but he was still my father, and I’m grateful for that. We didn’t agree on some things, but we got along great mostly. I hoped to have him around a little longer, but we spent a lot of quality time together, and that’s what matters.