Comments on: The Eight-Year Escape Plan: Interview with Tsilli Pines

By: David

David — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:29:29 +0000

Congrats! and great business idea.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:45:26 +0000

Great niche business idea- congratulations on your new independence from the 9 to 5!

By: Hema

Hema — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:29:53 +0000

Congrats Tsilli! What an inspiring article. I plan to try to apply some of her tips to my own business of handmade scrapbooks for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and Judaic cards.

By: Trackback from DailyKitchen

Trackback from DailyKitchen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:40:19 +0000

[...] A ketubah is a kind of traditional Jewish prenuptial agreement or wedding contract. They are usually decorated with art work and calligraphy. I especially like the Cherry Blossoms, Flowers in Bloom and Many Moons designs at New Ketubah. Now, I don’t happen to be Jewish, but I think the idea is lovely, and I find the simplicity and elegance of her designs quite inspiring. [...]

By: Tsilli Pines

Tsilli Pines — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:07:55 +0000

Writer’s coin raises a great point about the labor of love question. There are several ways it can go wrong:

1. You can’t monetize it.
2. You end up hating the thing you thought you loved because it’s your business.

For some people, it’s better to figure out a hustle that brings in money so that they can continue doing what they love without commercial pressure. That’s a totally legitimate way to go.

I sort of do this, myself, in that I make design products and do client work for money, and then I also do totally non-commercial art projects for the love of it. The cool thing about doing things that are related in that way is that one thing adds value to the other. I talk a bit more about this in this conversation that’s going on at Get Rich Slowly.

Whatever you choose to try: test early, test often. Reading Pam Slim and Tim Ferriss gave me a lot of ideas for how to think about this.

By: Tsilli Pines

Tsilli Pines — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:41:54 +0000

Marie has brought up something that a lot of designers starting out need to know.

There are good ways and bad ways to do free work. Spec work (where you pitch a design for free in the hopes of getting paid) is a scourge, but strategic free work for cool people doing cool things is actually super smart.

For example, my friend Jon Setzen, who commented above, did awesome posters for a music venue in Brooklyn when he started out. He became known for being the rock star that he is, and it got him some huge accounts (you can see his work here).

To all the designers getting going: build your portfolio by connecting with small businesses that need help, and do something great for them. Do the kind of work you eventually want to get paid for. People will take notice, and you’ll learn the ropes.

By: Tsilli Pines

Tsilli Pines — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:38:09 +0000

Shannon! Hi! Your kind words mean so much. I feel lucky to contribute a small part to such a happy moment in a couple’s life, and to make something they will enjoy in their homes for many years to come. It’s an honor and a privilege!

To everyone who is building toward their own dream: you can do it. I was such a skeptic before, and it’s been transformative to find a way. Not everything has worked along the way, and I’ve taken really slow steps that are calibrated to my cautious nature.

But slowly, slowly, things have come together. As Chris often says, people tend to overestimate what they can do in a day, and underestimate what they can do in a year. Keep at it and you will see progress!

By: Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:20:34 +0000

Tsilli, you are an inspiration! I love the idea of “do what you love and the money will follow.” Reading success stories like yours lets me know that it CAN be done.

I am doing what I love on the side right now and have high hopes of making it ALL that I do in the future.

…And also, thank you for introducing me to the concept of the ketubah. I did not know about them. You learn something new every day.

By: marta

marta — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:50:54 +0000

Well done Tsilli! it’s always inspiring to see young entrepreneur pursuing their dream and passion and making a profession out of it. very remarkable.

I just hope to have the courage to pursue my dream of traveler blogger too which for now is only a passion, soon i would have to face the reality to go back to the 9-5 job

By: Writer's Coin

Writer's Coin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:43:35 +0000

Congrats Tsilli! This is an awesome story. One thing that jumped out at me was your answer for a “first step.” You said to find what you love and go from there. But there’s a lot of debate about whether or not that’s the best way to start. What if what you love doesn’t monetize well? Or is it about being creative enough to find a way rather than starting off with something you know can be monetized from the start?