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31 Days - Day 10: Partner or no?

As I began this 31 Day Adventure (31 Days Until a Craft Show)  I was ahead by a day in writing my posts.  Now I have fallen behind a day and am afraid that I may never gain on that.  Oh well, at least I am determined to get a post done each day for 31 days, right?  It's the thought that counts!

Today's topic isn't heavy in pretty pictures and fun things to look at, but I think when doing a craft show, it is a valid topic to think about and possibly talk to a partner about.  Years ago, I did a craft show with a dear friend of mine, and we ended up allowing another friend to tag along with us.  The problem was, we didn't see her items until the day of the show, and had no idea what she had in mind.  (Our fault for not checking in.)  My bff and I had spent months planning and dreaming about this show, and really didn't think that another person could possibly be so different than us, that it might affect our booth.

Fortunately, we didn't pick the most popular craft show in the area, so it didn't tarnish our reputations (lol - because it was our first, we didn't have a reputation.), but it did teach me to really think about the details of having a partner.  I hope you can learn from this mistake of mine.

Here are some things to consider in a partner:

  • Commitment - Is she (sorry, I'm just using she for this post, maybe you have a he) as invested in the project as you are.  What I mean by this, is she as committed as you are.  Sometimes it doesn't hurt to have someone that isn't as committed, but be prepared for that in the end.  Don't set your expectations higher than their commitment.
  • Investment - Is she paying her fair share in the booth.  There is nothing worse than being on both ends of this.  To be the one that pays for everything, while your partner doesn't contribute, brings resentment.  On the other hand, to be the one that doesn't pay anything, also feels like you are at the mercy of the booth owner.  Make sure you discuss and and agree on each end of the Investment of the booth.
  • Contribution - Is her contribution to the booth adding to the booth, making it better and more profitable in the end.  In my story above, we were mortified that our absent partner had made pillows out of old pilly fabric and stuffed them with lumpy old blankets.  Now, I am all for recycling and upcycling, I can save things with the best of them, but these were not the best example of an upcycle.
  • Ground Rules - Be sure to talk out all the details of the craft show way in advance of the craft show.  I will be talking about this topic for Day 11 of this series, so stay tuned!
Hopefully, this will help you decide to have a partner.  One other important point to consider, is, do you enjoy being with her.  Having a partner for a craft show can be a lot of fun, when it is shared with a good friend.  With that being said, I am revealing my two partners for my upcoming show.  My first is my oldest daughter, who is trying to raise funds for her own 4-H trip to Japan in two years, and the other is a good friend here on the prairie, DeAnn Rauzi at Stampin' On the Camas Prairie.  Be sure to check out her beautiful projects!

For a complete list of the 31 Day Until A Craft Show series and links to each post go Here to Day 31.

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