Tag: relatives

Similarities between starting a business and job search

Mia2 Comments
To do start a business
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If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?

Daily Writing Prompt

Similarities between starting a business and job searching are that you need to impress people. I have thought about starting a business for years because job searching is a pain. I would start a graphic design business. I’ve tried to find clients through social media, but it’s like a job search. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In a job search, you need to make a resume and impress an employer. If you have a business, you need to impress a client. I’m not good at either. But I don’t want to be idle. Like my next-door neighbor, who doesn’t work and never goes anywhere. Just smokes and goes to the store at least twice a day. That’s not life. That’s waiting for old age.

My dad was a business owner, and my grandfather was too. It runs in my family to have a business, so it’s natural for me to think about it too. My cousin also has a business. The difference is that my occupation is different. So many people work in design that it’s harder to stand out.

But I’m not a typical graphic designer. I don’t want to do branding and visual identities. I don’t want to do print design either. I want to help Finnish female entrepreneurs who already have a brand and all that. But they don’t know how to use it in their daily work. I do graphic design for online use. Like visuals for social media and websites. I use my photography for design projects.

It just seems like no one wants to buy my services. I’ve taken different courses on how to promote a business. I’ve planned a posting schedule and posted regularly on Instagram. But recently, I’ve gotten bored of trying to get people to find me. It feels like I’m wasting time and energy writing and designing posts. Because what is the point when no one seems to care?

Maybe no one in Finland needs graphics or photographs for their content. They do them themselves. I’m bad at both marketing and job searching. No one wants to hire me. Perhaps people want me to be poor. The stars don’t shine my way.

I don’t want to take another marketing course, because they don’t help me at all. The Internet is full of tips on how to find clients, but it doesn’t work for everyone. My problem isn’t a lack of skills or education. It’s the marketing part. I can’t hire anyone to do my marketing, so I have to do it all myself.

I don’t want to start a business without clients. I don’t want to do a job search anymore, but without the social benefits, I won’t be able to manage financially. Starting a business is the easy part. Finding clients is the biggest challenge. When no one even contacts me, it feels like I’m not good enough to get people’s attention. I don’t have a network because I have never worked in a graphic design job. I don’t want to look for clients; I want them to find me. Cold calling terrifies me, and I don’t want to do something that isn’t in my nature. There are easier and more modern ways to find clients than that.

The year is ending, and I haven’t accomplished a thing. At the beginning of the year, I posted regularly on social media. I tried to write posts that could attract clients. I created visual content, graphics, and photography, but nothing happened. Likes are one thing, but getting someone to reach out is another. I don’t have time to wait years to find clients. I need them now.

But one positive thing this year is that I haven’t been idle. Giving up is not an option. I know I won’t find a job, but I know that if I really try, my target group will find me.

Not much new on the horizon

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Daily writing prompt
What skills or lessons have you learned recently?

Recently, I haven’t learned new things. Only repeat old skills and lessons. So not much new on the horizon. Oh, except that there is no Pullquote block on WordPress anymore, so the quote gives me nightmares. The font is too big, and you can’t change the size. It just looks terrible on the post.

Now, when I think about what I’ve learned recently. I’ve learned that no matter what I do, I can’t seem to find graphic design clients. My savings are soon gone, and no money is coming in (except welfare). If I sold my flat, I could get money. But I can’t afford to hire a cleaner or moving people. Being unemployed blows. I only get bills, bills, bills.

Another thing I’ve learned, but it isn’t recent. It doesn’t matter what I post on Facebook, not even my relatives, no one reacts. But I post anyway just for myself. It’s nice to look back at the memories. People’s lives are so busy that they have no time to care about what I do. If I weren’t used to being alone, I would probably be depressed and distressed. Luckily, that’s only Facebook, and who takes that seriously?

There are always new things to learn. For example, you’re never ready to be creative because you can always get better and realise something you haven’t before. I’ve used Canva for 10 years, but I’m still learning. It gets updates, and new things come up. Then you learn the latest tools. The same goes for any app you use.

Learning new things is fun, and it makes life worth living. Especially if it’s something you love doing. It’s good for the brain to stay active.

Saying no to reunions

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polaroid photos on table
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I have only been to one reunion, and I found it boring. I only went because my cousin did. Meeting a bunch of relatives who don’t even stay in touch and are strangers to me. We didn’t have any contact with any of the relatives besides my dad’s half-sister, my aunt. I got the message through my cousin, who got it through another relative that she died about two weeks ago. When my dad was in the hospital last year, and we tried to contact his sister, we didn’t. After he died, I tried again, but I didn’t get through. She had 3 adult kids, but none of them informed us about her. She was over 90, so it was only a matter of time before she would pass away. She never knew her brother had died. I didn’t have much luck regarding relatives, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. The only relative I keep in touch with somehow is my cousin, who I didn’t know I had about 6 years ago.

I was once invited to a school reunion, but I didn’t go even though I said I would. I don’t know why I should have gone, anyway. They weren’t nice to me in school, and I didn’t see any point in meeting people I don’t know anymore. I didn’t need to prove them anything, and I didn’t care about their lives. The reunion was decades ago, and if any of them would have another reunion, I still wouldn’t go. I say no to reunions of any kind. It would be different if it was with people I cared about. I prefer meeting new people and then moving on. It would be different if I met a singular person, but not in a reunion. It hasn’t happened and probably never will, either.

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