Imagine mixing the art of crochet with the hectic world of healthcare. That’s my life as a crochet business owner and a nurse. My week is a colorful blend of yarns and caring for patients, where every day brings its own mix of challenges and joys. Balancing the demands of running a small business while taking care of my nursing duties can be tough, but I find comfort and inspiration in combining creativity with compassion. 

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I currently work part-time as a hospice nurse, which involves two 12-hour shifts per week. This schedule perfectly suits me as a part-time crochet business owner. My goal is to dedicate at least 24 hours a week to my crochet business. In the past, I worked on my crochet business whenever I wasn’t on shift with my nursing job.

However, this led to extreme burnout, and I began to dislike my crochet business. To combat this, I decided to dedicate three 8-hour days per week to my crochet business. With two days reserved for my nursing job and three for my crochet business, I now have two days left for relaxation.

My weeks don’t always go as perfectly as planned. I often have things come up, errands to run, and extra shifts to pick up as a nurse. However, I want to break down my weekly schedule to give you a better picture of what a typical week looks like for a crochet business owner and nurse. I hope this provides you with a clearer perspective on what managing a part-time crochet business entails!

I want to start by mentioning that I have a virtual assistant, Cherie from Sweet Bird Crochet. She helps me with various behind-the-scenes tasks, such as formatting blog posts, editing my crochet patterns, sending out email newsletters, creating Pinterest pins, and much more. Her assistance is incredibly valuable, as it allows me more time to focus on content creation and pattern design. However, there are still many aspects of my crochet business that require my attention.

To give you a clearer picture, I would like to share approximately how much time I spend each month in different areas of my crochet business:

Pattern Design (32 hours)

YouTube & Blog (20 hours)

Craft Show Prep (16 hours)

Instagram & Pinterest (16 hours)

Email List (4 hours)

Ecommerce/Website Maintenance (4 hours)

Finances (3 hours)

Collaboration Meetings (1 hour)

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Each week, I devote most of my time to pattern designing, which is my top priority and brings me the greatest joy. Creating a new crochet pattern requires significant time and dedication—more than most people might realize. From start to finish, it can take me a month or more to release a new pattern! The pattern designing process involves not only creating the design but also putting it on paper, possibly frogging it a few times, conducting pattern testing, editing, and further editing!

I spend a significant amount of time each week on YouTube and my blog. This year, I have set a goal to grow both my YouTube channel and my blog. I believe that long-form content is the best way to connect with my audience, but it requires a lot of time and attention, which can sometimes be exhausting.

Currently, I can manage to produce only two YouTube videos and blog posts each month. However, if I have the opportunity to focus on my business full-time, I hope to increase my output to one video and one blog post per week.

The next two areas where I dedicate time to my business are more flexible: craft show preparation and other social media platforms. While I enjoy selling at craft shows and creating content for Instagram and Pinterest, these activities are currently not my top priority. Many weeks, my time spent designing patterns and creating content for my YouTube channel and blog overlaps with this time. However, I do make an effort to dedicate at least a few hours each week to these areas.

I dedicate about an hour each week to my email list, focusing on creating newsletters—something my virtual assistant, Cherie, helps me with significantly—and working on growing the list. Over the years, I have come to recognize the vital importance of maintaining a strong email list, particularly in light of unpredictable changes in social media platforms.

The recent TikTok ban serves as a reminder of how swiftly things can change in the digital landscape. Although TikTok is not a platform I've utilized for my business, the situation highlights the potential risks we face with any social media outlet. By prioritizing my email list, I can establish a direct line of communication with my audience that remains resilient regardless of external platform changes.

Maintaining my website and managing my business finances are two of the tasks I enjoy the least. Website maintenance involves regularly updating content, ensuring that all features function properly, and optimizing for search engines. On the other hand, managing finances involves keeping accurate records of income and expenses, preparing financial statements, and staying on top of budgeting and tax obligations. Both of these responsibilities are essential for the success of my business, but they can often feel overwhelming and tedious. They often leave me saying, “I just want to crochet!” But I understand their importance.

The final area where I dedicate time in my business is collaborating with others. I hope to eventually increase this to more than just one hour per month, working with other businesses and crocheters. However, this is all the time I currently have available. Collaboration is the last area in which I invest my time within my business. Currently, I allocate just one hour each month to work with other businesses and fellow crocheters. I recognize the value that these partnerships can bring, not only in enhancing creativity but also in expanding my reach and audience. My goal is to eventually increase this collaboration time significantly, allowing me to engage with more people and explore diverse ideas and projects. However, at this moment, due to my existing commitments, this is the maximum time I can dedicate. I have to leave time for relaxing, don't I? I hope this gives you a clearer insight into my weekly and monthly schedule for my crochet business. At first glance, it may appear overwhelming, but I genuinely enjoy every moment of it. I like to think of myself as being blessed with two distinct callings: one that fuels my creativity and another that nurtures my compassion for others. Each day, I find joy in transforming yarn into beautiful creations while connecting with people who share my passion.

If you would like to learn more about me and my business, visit my website! Connect with me on my YouTube channel, Instagram, or Pinterest!