“Confessions of a small business owner”

Week of March 11, 2024

Hey beautiful humans, happy Monday. This week started off busy. E-mails were coming in hot!!! I typically don’t check e-mail over the weekend. This is your reminder that it’s okay to take a break. Work is great, hustle is great, drive is great, discipline is great, but so is rest. Rest is not a reward but a requirement. Give yourself permission to take breaks. Taking breaks is necessary. Rest is necessary. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

One thing I’ve noticed more recently is people wanting more status updates. I get it. We live in a microwave world, where drains are dropping off packages as soon as you hit “confirm purchase”. But one thing I know for sure, quality and personalization, take time. But how do you compete with businesses like Amazon?

How do you know what DMs and e-mails require a response?

As a small business owner, our time /time management is vital. We have to know when and for how long to wear our various hats. Over the weekend I received a DM from a customer, a non-follower, who suggested I add two products to the store. The interesting part of her message was that I offer the products she suggested but as a non-follower she would not have known this. Does this DM deserve a response? How do you determine which e-mails and DMs get responses?

One thing concerning e-mail is to remove business e-mail from personal phone. No one needs access to your 24/7.

Shipping Issues

This week is starting off with shipping issues, both domestic and international. How do you handle shipping issues? How do you handle things out of your control?

As this week continues I started focusing on building and evolving my brands. I’ve had my business for seven years now and I’m constantly thinking of ways to evolve. Never stop evolving. What makes brands like YSL, Nike, and Louis Vuitton have longevity? I spent time brainstorming, reading, researching, writing, goal setting, and outcomes. What do I want? What do I want to provide? How do I want to make people feel? Tissue paper or shred? These are literally the things I thought about. Business evolution never stops. I got a little discouraged today because of something I read while researching, but I had to remind myself, if that goal was easy, everyone would be doing it.

As a business owner and really just to accomplish my goals. I'm learning I have to do things that other people aren’t doing if I want to achieve things others aren’t achieving. Like this morning I wanted to stay in bed just 30 more minutes but I got up and got my day started. While others were sleeping I was working on me and working on my goals. Additionally, you have to focus and remove distractions. Turn your phone off for a little while. It’s okay to use the greatest app ever invented, Airplane Mode, to get things accomplished. Everytime you check your phone, you are saying no to your goals. One key to getting things accomplished is focus and concentration. Check out “Deep Work” by Cal Newport.

"He who is everywhere is nowhere." -Seneca

It’s Thursday and the work week is almost over. Have you accomplished everything you set out to accomplish this week? Did you achieve your goals and outcomes?

Something I’ve been struggling with and I know many small business owners also struggle with is not bringing in enough income. When do you say enough, I need to get a 9 to 5? Living your “dreams” and working for yourself is nice, but how nice is security and steady income? We all face temporary defeat. We all have failed plans. Do we change the plan or give up? Do we give in to temporary defeat? After asking a friend how she knew when it was time to shift, she said, “Logically I knew after filing my taxes and being in the red for the 2nd year in a row. Emotionally/intuitively, when I started to feel the effects of the stress of carrying the business, without profit, in my body.” We all have different reasons for shifting back to a 9 to 5 and ultimately we have to do what works best for our mental health and peace of mind!

I’ve had my longest business for seven years, and there are still many family and friends who don’t support me, root for me. It’s still a little business to them. But that’s okay. I love being underestimated. I heard this quote this morning, “I’ve worked all my life to become an overnight success”. This quote resonated with me because people don’t see the late nights, early mornings, financial sacrifices, relationship sacrifices, overall sacrifices that come with being a successful business owner. Many people think Jeff Bezos became a millionaire overnight, when I was buying and selling books from Amazon (back in college) in 2002. Saying all of that to say, be your biggest cheerleader, root for yourself.

How do you balance friendship and business?