I thought I’d pop on, as I’ve not been on for an age!

I wanted to write a little post on Social Media….that thing that we all have to do as small businesses to get noticed. You know, that new job that we have all had to train ourselves in as well as the usual day job.

That thing that we are expected to be amazing at, graphics, film making, photography, editing, showing our faces, being amazing all the time, posting new content every day. Do you run your own business and use instagram and face book as a platform?, well it can be exhausting.

Have you ever heard of Imposter Syndrome?

” It is a psychological occurrence in which people doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments , those experiencing this believe they do not deserve their success or luck”

Instagram can be horrible for making you feel this, especially with its erratic algorithm that we all have to adhere to. Its a funny world that we now work in, where we need to show up, show our faces, be cool, be amazing, jump around to silly music, speed ourselves up, slow ourselves down.

Then some days no matter how hard we try or how amazing we are being, social media hates us. No one sees our fabulous content and we feel deflated. This saps our energy and we feel like pants.

How come Janet down the road is producing wonderful content every day?….well I can assure you that Janet is hiding behind a big screen because I can bet your bottom dollar that she’s feeling it too!!

Its also very easy for people to be mean on social media, harsh flippant comments with no thought to who they are speaking to. These in particular I have learnt to scroll on by, quickly execute and remove. Its not worth my mental space and can put you in a low mood.

I made a point of saying at the start of this year (2024) that I would not let myself be ‘effected’. By that I mean to focus more on being me and what I aspire to be, rather than looking at others and wish I was doing things as well as they are, or I think they are…. (or appear to be!)

I think its really important on the socials to just be yourself. If you are not the person that wears a silly dress and dances round the garden with a cupcake, then don’t try to be them.

Since I started up my life in the country 2 years ago, a side of me has come bursting out, its always been there I’ve just not had a chance to fully tap into it.

That person is not in a white apron, in a perfect kitchen with perfect nails and hair all the time. That person is me, the mother, the business owner, the twitchy creative, flitting from planting flowers in the garden to rounding up the chickens, fishing in a stream with my son or digging up an apple tree. In between all that I’m dreaming up the next cake design, wondering what I can create from buttercream next…. flicking through garden magazines, ordering new flowers for my cutting patch and drawing pictures of my next edible bouquet with my colour pencils.

Let your followers see who you really are, and if that’s not what instagram likes then hey ho!

I’m always itching to come up with new ideas for my cakes and strive to be unique and original in my own work. We all have competition out there, but that is a healthy thing and spurs me on to be myself.

But why are we a part of all this new craziness? For me it gives me a buzz that you like what I do, it also gets me business which is important. I can use it as a marketing tool, for advertising and I like chatting with someone in the day and showing you what I’m up to. Its valuable feedback too and Ive made some great instagram friends Ive never met.

BUT… all this aside, do try to avoid clicking on your engagement every day…. DO NOT DO IT!

Just be you, keep doing what you do well. Who cares what Janet is doing….she’s just sapping your creative energies. She’s probably peeking at what you are doing every day too and wishing she was as good as you are!

Does it really really matter if you have 50’000 followers or 1 million followers. What really matters is that you stay true to yourself. What’s the point in having random robots following you if they don’t engage or give you business. I have some really lovely followers and its important to me that they receive my support and that I inspire them daily with what I love.

My followers are my virtual office, cake making as a single parent can be lonely but I love my virtual office and your support spurs me on daily, I thank you deeply for that.

Last year I used to wake up in a bit of a panic that I hadn’t done my instagram post, or made yet another reel,….

Whilst its important to remain current and keep followers engaged I’ve tried to step back and only post content I really want to when I want to, not what I feel I should post just to keep Instagram happy. Otherwise its exhausting.

Its important to me to show who I really am too, what motivates me to bring out my creative soul. And that the life I live is the one I share with my son in my house in the country with my animals, after all it is my surroundings and beautiful garden that I find the most inspirational for my baking work. So if you really don’t like the odd story with a chicken in it, or me digging and showing you the flowers I’ve grown then I’m not the baker for you.

I urge you to stick around though as great things are coming, and I’ve got hundreds of dahlias ready to grow in the garden to inspire my buttercream blooms and if I can’t show them to you guys who on earth will I share them with!

Stay true to you.

Rachel x