We had the good fortune of connecting with Maya Reid and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maya, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Because I’m juggling a full-time career with being a solopreneur, there is literally always work to do. I’ve had to learn over time that I will never check off everything on my to-do list — sometimes it’s not even worth spending the time to make the list, because the work will never be “done.” There is no such thing as “done.” Individual tasks can be done, but the work will never be done, and that means that I have to set boundaries. What that looks like these days is that Sunday through Thursday, I don’t work after 11pm. On Saturdays, I run my packages down to the post office before it closes at 3pm, and don’t do anything Etsy-related for the rest of the day. Saturday afternoon and evening are set aside every week as time for me to do whatever I want. Then Sundays it’s back to work, knocking out as many orders and miscellaneous other business-related tasks as I can before it’s back to my 9-5 on Monday.  So, I definitely don’t split my week evenly between my career, my business, and my personal life. When I first started MayaMadeThis, it was lowest on my priority list. As the business has grown and the number of business-related tasks has grown, I’ve shifted to treating these three areas as equally valuable, even if the time commitments vary widely. For me, balance is treating the commitment of book club one Sunday a month with the same level of importance as the commitment to ship a particular order on time, and both of those being as important as a deadline at my day job. Balance is multitasking when possible, listening to audiobooks for pleasure while I fulfill orders or printing shipping labels while I’m on a conference call.
One of the most important things I’ve had to learn since starting my business is to remember that while I’m the design team, the production team, the social media team, the shipping department, and the supply chain manager (while also being a full-time employee, a girlfriend, a daughter, a sibling, and a friend), I am also just one person. I have to know, honor, and respect my limits, which can look like setting early cut-off dates for holiday orders or pushing my processing time out when I know I’m going to be really busy at my 9-5. I have big goals and want to see growth, of course, but I never want to say I gave the business everything I have — there are too many other things and people, myself included, I make space to give myself to.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started my handmade jewelry business, MayaMadeThis, on more or less a whim in 2017. I dove into the world of Etsy pretty soon after I made my first pairs of earrings for fun, and have learned so much about pricing, advertising, social media management, and shipping best practices since then, in addition to picking up new skills related to my craft! It hasn’t been easy, especially during my busiest seasons when it feels like I work two full-time jobs, but since then I’ve sold over 6,500 pieces of jewelry made with my own two hands! Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned along the way are: 1) to set realistic expectations with myself and with my customers, 2) to package my pieces in a way that is both sturdy and cost-effective, 3) to value my time, effort, and energy and price my products accordingly, and 4) to give myself grace around my goals and targets, big and small. I’m excited to see what the future holds for me and my business, but whatever happens, every piece will always be made by Maya!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve never been to LA.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my parents and my partner for their support, encouragement, and listening ears every single day, and to my friends and colleagues for shifting with me as I try to keep the balance!

Website: www.mayamadethis.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/MayaMadeThis

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MayaMadeThis

Other: Tiktok: @MayaMadeThis

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