I have been guilty of underestimating myself.
I have learned MUCH from this big mistake.
My time is valuable. Often, when someone asks for a price quote, I (being the queen of the frugal penny-pinchers) will try to get inside my prospective customer’s mind, and come up with all of the possible ways to save money. I will take a quick review of what the described project consists of, and then majorly cut into myself as I try to estimate how much time it will take me. I end up quoting a price for the project that is far below what it should be, and as a result I cost myself money, since time is money.
Let me backtrack a little. I have a ministry, as well as a business. Sometimes it is very hard to balance my thinking about the two endeavors. As the head of a giving ministry, I don’t count time or even material expenditures; I just happily sew and give away the finished product without looking back. The great reward comes from the creation and donation of tangible blessings for others who are needy. Our ministry, Crafters for Christ, has over 20 members and gives a large volume of goods to hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, and other programs. We consider our sewing and needlework to be acts of worship to the Lord.
Then I take off my “Crafters for Christ” hat and don my “Art by Rhea” hat. I still have the same joy and worship in the creating of beautiful textile art, but now I am selling it. My income from this business is what fuels my ministry needs, in part. I am a retired person who deserves to make at least minimum wage from my employment. I am not a college grad professional quilter or seamstress, so I try to stick to minimum wage, even when I see advertising for others who work for much more.
Going back to my opening paragraph’s description of a too-low price quote, I often end up not even making half of minimum wage on the projects that require more time and planning than I had first thought they would. So, a dilemma is created: Do I try to explain to the customer that the work took more time than I had thought, or was more tricky or complicated than anticipated, or sometimes their changes and/or additions required more of me? Or do I “bite the bullet” and stick to the quote I gave?
This winter I went through a time of deep self-evaluation and soul-searching regarding my sewing for business and for ministry. I had worked very hard before Christmas to complete a flurry of orders for the business. At the same time, Crafters for Christ had a growth spurt and we gave a large volume of donations during the Christmas season–all of which is good news, right? Yes, but I found myself feeling a bit frazzled and burned out. In addition, the arthritis in my thumb joints flared up, to the point where I couldn’t use my hands. My thumb was locked into a bent position and was very painful.
I found myself in a position of searching before the Lord. I was asking Him what His plan was for me. Was I to go on with the business and the ministry? In pain and angst, I surrendered both to Him. I knew I was not supposed to give up the ministry, but I questioned whether or not I was to continue sewing for it, or just be an administrator for the giving of the other members. My sewing business, Art by Rhea, was laid on the altar for the Lord to end or continue as He saw fit. It was very difficult for me. I received some treatment for the hand problems, and went on a two month rest–a fast from sewing and knitting. This brought on a whole self-worth issue! I wasn’t able to DO anything for the Lord or for others, I could only BE at rest. I had to fight feeling worthless.
Time went on, and I continued the resting and the waiting. This time period of late December though January was a typical lull in both areas. I wasn’t sure what the Lord was saying to me. I decided to ask the Lord for a sign. I wanted Him to show me in clearly understood terms whether or not Art by Rhea was to continue as it was. I had not received any new orders since November. My website had been very quiet; most of the orders I had received came through FaceBook or word of mouth. Suddenly I began to receive order after order through the website, from all over the country! For the first time since I created the site, it had started to show up in the search engines when people were looking for memory bears or quilts! I knew I had my answer.
I took action with a new determination to self-regulate and limit my time to eliminate wear and tear on my hands and arms. I purchased an electric scissors (the idea popped into my head suddenly one day). This has proved to be a very real help to me. In the photo above I am using it on a rag style quilt with its endless snipping technique. The Holy Spirit had given me a direct answer.
That’s why it really bothered me when I underquoted a project. Thankfully the customer met me half way, even though it was a stretch for her financially. I don’t want that to happen again, to a customer or to me. So I am going to be prayerfully rewording and reworking the way I estimate costs. I try so hard to keep my prices low in comparison to others that I often cheat myself.
So, I go forward, having weathered the snipping and pruning of the Lord. I have a renewed sense of purpose and a renewed joy in my work. This has brought me to a new burst of creativity, with which I hope to be a blessing to others.
You, my customers, may expect more from me in the days ahead!
Art by Rhea 