TWO in the MORNING and the affliction of most entrepreneurs strikes- insomnia.

The idea of “moving on” has resurfaced. After four years of design, development, manufacturing and marketing of our first product, the exhaustion of being every role is taking its toll. I entered in to a capital intensive business that, as a whole, was already suffering decline due to population shifts. The toy industry is fractured and evolving.
The old channels are in upheaval. New opportunities are arising from the ashes of the old if the mind is there to see them and the energy to pursue them… but my stamina is running out.

I was telling my partner just yesterday that in the face of my waining financial resources and that in four years I have yet to receive strong confirmation that we are on the right track, I am not as inclined to blindly persist as I once was.

Entrepreneurs must often keep their heads down and produce without distraction from industry know-it-alls who view your product and not immediately perceive the value. Simply, you tend to hear more “no” than “yes”, more “that’s interesting” and fewer, “that’s incredible.” It gets to the point that even when we have won awards, we aren’t sure how to take the news. We have to be our own cheer leading squad. We have to celebrate the small successes. There is always more to be done and always a list of self-critiquing, “I could have done that element better”, but taking the time to recognize small accomplishments and steps along the path is all to often overlooked.

The news of competing or closely competing products is always nipping at your heels or perhaps even sitting on your legs. Timing becomes crucial. Imagination may be more important than knowledge, as Einstein once said, but knowledge does have a real influence on the dissemination of the imagination’s manifestations.

The mere ruminations on “pulling the plug”, as we have so often described the act of beginning the final phase of quiting this endeavor, cause a variety of emotions to emerge. Sadness, despair, lowered self-esteem, grudging acceptance, fear of other’s interpretations, relief … all of these and more bubble to the surface.

In my particular case, I cannot be assured that my partner in this effort will even continue once my energy is directed towards new ventures. I need to have the remainder of our inventory sold. I need to know that at the very least, this one activity is being pursued so that we can slowly dissolve the business entity and remain with ONLY papers and files as artifacts of our journey.

Will the Faery Folk gain greater traction- and this year? Will the books be published by next year? I’ll build the website as soon as the information is there, but the proposals need to be created first so I can perceive the website’s role.

Out of interest, I’ll put a URL in this post to see if it ever gets spidered by search engines. The promoter in me is always present. The Faery Folk collectible dolls and booklets are available for online retail and wholesale purchase. The links are at our company site, Dervish Toys.

So that’s the first post- an anxiety riddled page short on images, long on defeatism.