What I’ve Learned in Six Months of Building a Business (An Inside Look)

Six months ago, I quietly stepped into something new: starting a small business journey.

Not just a website.
Not just products.
But the work of building a real business from the ground up — legally, creatively, and internally.

This six-month anniversary feels like the right time to pause and reflect, not because everything is perfect (it isn’t), but because I’ve learned more than I ever expected. And if you’re a reader, customer, or quiet supporter who has walked alongside me during this season, this is an inside peek into what it has actually taken to get here.

The Legal Side: Building the Foundation Before the House

Before I could create freely, I had to build a foundation that would hold weight.

That meant learning how to register my business properly with the IRS, obtaining an EIN, and understanding what it means to operate as a legitimate entity rather than a hobby. It meant forming an LLC, not just as a formality, but as a way to protect the work, the brand, and the future I’m building.

I registered with the state, handled city licensing, and learned the ins and outs of sales tax requirements, especially for physical products. I discovered quickly that sales tax is not something you “figure out later.” It’s something you understand now, or it will come back to teach you a very stressful lesson.

Then came copyrights and trademarks — learning how to protect names, series, and intellectual property. That process alone taught me patience, precision, and the importance of thinking long-term rather than just launching quickly.

None of this was glamorous. All of it was necessary.

Accounting, Records, and the Beauty of Spreadsheets

I used to think accounting was something you handed off once things got “big enough.” I now know better.

One of the biggest lessons in starting a small business is that you must understand your numbers — even if you later hire help. That meant building custom Excel spreadsheets to track:

• Sales across platforms
• Expenses and fees
• Inventory for finished products
• Inventory for raw supplies used to create products
• Shipping, materials, and cost breakdowns

I learned how to reconcile deposits, how to separate income from sales tax, and how to keep records clean enough that future-me will be grateful instead of frustrated.

It wasn’t flashy, but it was empowering. There is something grounding about knowing exactly where things stand.

The Website: Where Theory Meets Reality

Setting up my shop online was exciting — and humbling.

On the surface, it looked simple: upload products, set prices, connect payments. Behind the scenes, there were settings, configurations, and backend details that I didn’t even know existed when I started.

Some of those settings weren’t configured correctly at first.

The good news (and I want to be very clear here):
It did not affect customer purchases or orders at all.

The less glamorous news?
It absolutely affected my reporting, reconciliation, and learning curve.

There were moments where I stared at numbers thinking, “That can’t be right,” only to discover that the issue lived three menus deep in a backend setting I didn’t even know was a thing yet. It was frustrating, educational, and — in hindsight — slightly funny. Every small business owner eventually earns their “why is this number off?” badge. I earned mine early.

The Creative Work: The Reason I Started at All

Through all of that — the forms, the spreadsheets, the configurations — there was still the heart of it all.

Sitting down to write.
Crafting stories.
Creating journals.
Working with fiber.
Drawing in charcoal.

This part never felt heavy. It felt like coming home.

The administrative side made the creative side possible. And the creative side reminded me why the administrative work mattered in the first place. There is deep joy in making something with your hands or your words and knowing it has a place to land.

Gratitude at the Six-Month Mark

This journey has been challenging, stretching, and deeply rewarding. I’ve learned skills I never expected to need. I’ve gained confidence I didn’t realize I was building. And I’ve developed a new respect for anyone who runs a small business with integrity and care.

If you’ve purchased something, shared a post, sent a message, or simply followed along quietly — thank you. Truly. Your presence here matters more than you know.

This is only the beginning, and I’m grateful you’re here for the walk.

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