By Ash Bush, as told by Sara Shelton
Part of our “My Blueprint Story” Series

I’ve been in business at AshBush.com since 2014. While I work as a calligrapher on custom wedding goods, I mostly spend my time operating my shop, selling calligraphy pens, notepads, kits, and more. I love the work of keeping that online shop up and running. But if I’m honest, I’d definitely tell you that I didn’t see it going that way when I first set out on this journey.

I got my degree in graphic design and quickly made the move into the lettering and typography side of design. I was working primarily on wedding design, using hand lettering and calligraphy to make custom projects for my clients. Then one Christmas, my sweet husband made me a calligraphy pen. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift that I did what any good wife would do: I shared it on Instagram!

The response was completely unexpected.

One person wanted us to make one for them. So we did. We made one pen… and then we made another…. and another…. and another…. and another. It snowballed from there into a full-fledged part of my business.

Even though I started selling the pens on my website, I didn’t see this little unexpected shop as a major addition to my business. In my eyes, it was sort of a side hustle. I kept my focus on calligraphy and weddings—that was where I thought my business was going to grow.

So when I took the Blueprint Model, I did so with that in mind.

I thought I would be looking specifically at growing my custom calligraphy business, but what happened changed everything.

At the time, I was focusing all my energy on what I thought was the moneymaker in my business.

One calligraphy project brought in a bigger number than one sale in my shop so I thought I was focusing on the right thing. But when I finally sat down and crunched the numbers, I was shocked at the result. I realized only 10% of my business—the calligraphy and design—was taking up 90% of my time.

It was the shop that was actually making me the most money over time, and I was giving it the least amount of my efforts!

In that moment, I decided to make a shift. I had to make a change to grow this business and make the money I wanted to make. That change was to start giving the right time to the right things in my business. And right there on paper I saw that the right things were in my shop.

I refocused my energy in the business to give my shop the time it deserved. I fine-tuned the products and really dove into make sure my online shop was set up for success. And when I did that, the wheels just started turning. Just like that, things took off!

When I gave my shop the time it deserved, I saw the results right away. Once I implemented a thoughtful strategy to the shop, my sales went from $2,000 to $20,000 in just a month!

And when people ask me how it happened, I can only say this: Give the right time to the right things. Shifting the way you look at your business will shift your business in ways you’ll never imagine.

READ MORE INSPIRATIONAL STORIES

*Headshot photo credit: Kaitlyn Phipps Photo

P.S. DO YOU DREAM OF:

→ finally making money doing what you love!

→ understanding your core motivator in life and business

→ providing real income for your family without having to sacrifice all your time and energy to the non-stop hustle.

→ transforming your business (and life!) just like hundreds of other men and women who’ve implemented this proven business blueprint.

If that sounds like a dream year, then I want to invite you to join us inside The Blueprint Model!

JOIN THE BLUEPRINT MODEL WAITLIST FOR MORE DETAILS!