EARTH TO STARS - THE BUSINESS

MY BIG NEWS…I am now the very proud owner of the Trade Mark, Earth To Stars. I’m so excited by this, it has inspired me to write this blog of how I started up and run my business with zero prior experience. Here I intend to share with you my journey and everything I have discovered and achieved…

TRADE MARK

I can now announce after 3 years of trading under Earth To Stars I have successfully applied for and received my Trade Mark which lasts 10 years! Most people would say applying for your Trade Mark to protect your brand is one of the most crucial things you do first, however my journey with Earth To Stars has been slow and steady yet so rewarding. I love having lots of spaced out “wins” and reasons to celebrate. But no matter how you do your business, always take the time to recognise how far you’ve come and your own successes. Every victory, big or small, counts!

MY BRAND

Building a brand is traditionally the hardest part of starting your own business. I asked myself all the following questions…What should I call myself? Should I go by my own name or make a brand name? Will it stand out? Is it already taken? What are the rules? What will my unique selling point (USP) be?

Funnily enough for me, picking my business name was easy. It just came to me. I was always taught that Astrologers and Tarot Card readers are the translators of the Stars or Cards. We have learnt the language and messages of the Signs, Planets and Imagery which we in turn, merely translate to our clients. I’m not a psychic or invent what these means of divination are trying to tell us, I simply read them as if they were a foreign language I learnt to speak. I always looked to the Zodiac or Tarot for answers and wanted my business name to be about my ability to bring the message of the Stars or Cards to everyone. It’s about us (Earth) interpreting the message of the universe (Stars).

I found making a logo the hardest part. It took me so long to decide what to use. I had drawn complicated pictures of different earth symbols, stars, hands, hands on the earth, hands grasping for stars, stars touching the earth…it went on and on. As I did more research, I begun to understand IT HAS TO BE SIMPLE. You want a logo with no fuss and can fit comfortably anywhere you wish to place it. For example, you need your logo to be visible and look good on many different platforms like your website, social media, business card and posters. I eventually settled on the earth symbol on a galaxy background to embody my business name. I have never changed my logo from this form, but most companies will adapt their logo with different colours, backgrounds and scales over time for different purposes. It’s ideal to create one which can be versatile.

Brand content like fonts, colours, look and imagery I also found quite testing and haven’t quite nailed. When I add content to my website or social media I create or post what I connect with and what looks good to me. Most brands will make their content so unique to them, when you see an image of theirs you know which brand or company has posted it instantly. They have their own handwriting. I’m still working this out and looking forward to evolving this over time. It’s never too late for a refresh or re-brand if you so desired, the main thing is that you get started in the first place.

THE BORING BIT

Deciding whether you are a limited company, a sole trader or something else. Working this out can be challenging and I have no real insight to share here…just speak to a professional. I eventually signed up as a Sole Trader. This was the most unglamorous part for me and was just glad the boring bit was over.

DOMAIN, WEBSITE and EMAIL

When picking your business name, it’s really important to do this inline with what domains and social media channels are available. You really don’t want to pick something which is already taken. For me, I genuinely believe picking Earth To Stars was a stroke of luck (I must have been having a Jupiter transit) and was so satisfied when I saw the domain was available.

Building my website was the most exciting bit for me. I have never made a website before and it can be quite overwhelming knowing where to start. Most domain providers also have website builders you can use to keep things tided together and simple. I chose a separate website builder because it had tons of good reviews and seemed easy to use for a first timer. I spent absolutely hours and hours playing with themes, pages, content, images and designing. What do I want to tell people? How do I want to tell them? I’m no expert, but I’ve really tried to keep it simple and done what I thought would be logical for a good user experience.

You can buy many add on’s to a website like an email address and inbox and an ecommerce platform in order to trade and take payments through your website. I opted to keep costs down and chose a free email address provider that allowed me to make kelly@earthtostars.com which I felt was more professional that a Gmail or Hotmail email address. For taking payments through my website, I have set up Paypal buttons which is no cost to me.

Something I’m still trying to crack is my Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). I have personally found getting my website to the top of the Google search is so hard. Taking pride in doing absolutely everything myself, I will keep going until I’ve cracked it. Anyone who would like to offer any advice on this, would be much appreciated and very welcome…willing to do an information exchange and pay in readings.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

Social Media blew my mind. What do you start? For me I had only ever had a personal Facebook account so this was a big learning curve.

I found the best and most common place to start is Instagram. I made this account first and just starting posting as I was finishing my studies at the London School of Astrology. Trying to learn what other people were posting and how to gain followers. This was followed by my Facebook Page and LinkedIn account. I’m still yet to explore making a Youtube channel, Tik Tok or Twitter. Slowly, slowly I’m sure I will opt for them, as and when the time feels right for me.

BUSINESS CARDS

This may seem small and insignificant to some, but purchasing and receiving my own business cards felt really monumental to me. I felt like my business was official, professional and in action. Everyone will experience their business journey differently and we all take pleasure or celebrate little wins in different areas. This was one of mine, just the fact of having something physical to hand over to someone materialised it and made it feel real.

THE LAUNCH

Launching your business is always so epic. You’ll want to have everything in place…your brand sorted, registered your trade mark and/or business, set up your website etc, but where and how do you launch yourself? Most people will do a digital launch on social media. I did exactly this. As an Astrologer who uses Electional Astrology, I picked the best date and time Astrologically for me to Launch my business. Then I used my Instagram and Facebook page to very excitedly (yet nervously) tell the world I was live. It was terrifying…but I just about got through with my heart still inside my chest.  

TRADING

I started out by trading in person, doing readings for people face to face. This moved to doing readings online through phone or video calls (very effective for Astrology or Tarot).

In the early days in order to gain more customers I would stand on Chiswick High Road in London and give out leaflets about my business along with a gift of a tealight (everyone like’s free things right), explaining I was the local Astrologer and Tarot Card reader. I also asked independent shops to put my advert up on their notice and local knowledge boards.

The turning point was when I got into doing Psychic fairs. I would turn up with loads of other Astrologers, Tarot Card Readers, Angel and Oracle Card Readers, Reiki Masters, Stall Holders, Crystal Sellers and all sorts of other interesting people. Meeting people just doing the same sort of business as me was so inspiring in itself, even if I didn’t make much money that day. Just feeling like you are part of a community and learning from others on a similar path was so wholesome.

Now, with reading for over 70 customers, I will never stop loving meeting new people, listening to their stories and trying to help them through whatever experience they are going through.

I never thought I would own my very own little business. It still blows my mind that I do this and it brings me so much joy. This blog is purely a share of information from my own personal experience and is not advice on how to set up and/or run your own business. However, if you have any comments, would like to know any more details on my personal journey or the names of the 3rd party companies I used, you can contact me here. I would love to hear from you.  

Much love and good luck in your own ventures,

Kelly Marie … Earth to Stars