Hit $500 in Etsy sales last month and it messed with my head

I started selling handmade soy candles back in January, mostly as a hobby. Last month I hit $500 in sales and I honestly didn't expect it to feel so weird. I kept thinking it was a fluke or that people would stop buying next month. My husband said I should be happy but I just felt this pressure to keep it going. Now I'm second guessing my prices and wondering if I should raise them or not. Has anyone else felt weird when you actually hit a milestone you were aiming for?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige_ellis598d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that feeling is so real. I think what you're describing is that weird moment when your hobby turns into something that feels like it has expectations attached. But here's my pointed question: what specifically about the $500 made you feel the pressure? Was it because you had to actually ship stuff on time, or because you started thinking about what your family/friends would think if you couldn't keep it up? Like, did you catch yourself checking your phone every hour for new orders? Because that's usually where the anxiety creeps in, not from the money itself.

miab878d ago

Hold up, wait wait wait. $500?? You made five hundred bucks from your hobby and that's the thing that made you panic? I honestly thought you were gonna say like $50 or maybe $100 max. But $500 is serious money, that's like people actually valuing what you make not just being nice. But ok I get it now because you checking your phone every hour for orders hits home. Once you start treating it like a real job the fun disappears real quick. The pressure to keep that momentum going is brutal especially when you know people are watching. I bet the family thing kicked in too like once they see you making real cash they start asking when you're gonna go full time or whatever. That's a whole different kind of stress. Honestly you're brave for even getting to that point most people give up way before the $500 mark.