Pages of Potential: The Start of my Notebook Business
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On October 24, 2022, I found myself facing the familiar sting of a layoff. For the second time in my life, I was pondering what to do with my career/work life. The last time, I went to grad school, and switched from newspaper publishing to book publishing. I said goodbye to school forever in 2015, so that wasn’t on the table with this latest layoff. But the prospect of starting over wasn’t as scary as last time. I wasn’t flush with cash, but I knew I would be ok. The company I worked for was a bit on the toxic side, being free from that is a blessing in disguise. I was able to get freelance work right away, which in a year and a half has continued to keep me afloat. However, how I’m going to stay above water is never far from my mind.
Exploring avenues to turn myself into a business has come with frustration and tears. I’m one of those people who think I’m not good at anything, that I don’t have any talents. But if that were true, I never would have had prolonged careers in different publishing mediums. Instead, I’ve decided to switch gears and think about things I could create. What are some things I love to use and could try to make myself?
Yes, the answer for me is notebooks/journals. I use them almost daily and in different formats. I rely on notebooks for everything from researching and brainstorming ideas to drafting my Substack posts. Yeah, I can’t just type up something I have to write it out longhand before I touch the computer. I have notepads for my daily to-do list. Journals to track my reading. Notebooks to take notes on what I’m reading. A notebook to track monthly bills. I have a lot of notebooks, they’re a part of my daily life so why not try my hand at publishing some?
I’m starting slow and simple with blank journals ($4.99 each). With some assistance from Canva (getting the cover measurements right was an experience, as I don’t like math) and Amazon, my first two journals (links in the captions) are out in the world.
Next month, I hope to launch another blank journal (with cherry blossoms on the cover) and a reading journal with prompts. I’m a lover of reading journals, but I often have to use more than one because I’ve never had one that has everything I want. I’m aiming to rectify that. If you’re in the market for a journal, please give me a try. But honestly no pressure. For me, this venture is all about trying new things. Trying new things has been a scary process for me this last year and a half but if I don’t try, I’ll never know if I could.
What new things are you looking forward to?
Upcoming posts
Thursday: Lost ReWatch for episodes thirteen and fourteen
Monday: Putting Content Online
I have dreams of creating a planner/workbook, so I’ll be interested to see how you get on