Expecting the Ebb and Flow

Some weeks are an easy climb, others are a slow crawl. It’s what you learn managing through the ebb and flow of entrepreneurship, of business cycles. As a new business owner, what’s the best thing you can do for yourself? Instead of fighting it, expect it. Change is part of the deal. It’s a normal piece of the puzzle. Those who succeed don’t have all the answers; here’s what they do have. 

Trust that what you don’t yet know, you will learn. Don’t get knocked off course when the tides change - and they will. Connecting with customers, writing with ease, or launching a product is rewarding, exciting. Enjoy these times, stay focused, and ride the acceleration, not on a whim, but by being aware of what’s happening around you, intentional in your decisions, and making the most of opportunities.

When a shift happens - in the world, your industry, your business - decide that you will handle what comes next. This is where I see a big disconnect with new business owners. Something is harder, takes longer, is unexpected, and you’re afraid because you don’t have the answer. Suddenly, you’re wading into the unknown. Peace of mind (and the answers) comes with a new perspective. 

When the words aren’t flowing, the calls aren’t returned, or your timing is off, don’t throw in the towel or make it mean you are failing. It’s a data point, a chance to learn, adapt, and refine. It is not the time to apply more pressure or sit idly on the sidelines. In these moments, be curious, name what is working, then explore what isn’t. Take one step at a time with confidence, knowing you will figure it out. 

Be that steady hand on the wheel, trying, testing, and tweaking. Then decide, move forward. And the cycle begins again. 

At ease, please. And other lessons learned.

Each year we review the data and glean the facts to determine what stays and goes in our business. We experienced excitement and frustration as we embraced new tools and technology. We worked around the supply chain issues. We enjoyed the satisfaction of launching new product lines (Specialty Series) and new gift box designs. We met clients and colleagues in person to laugh and live again. And we were aware of the continued heavy news cycles layered on top. Upon reflection, our business lessons revolve around communication and marketing channel growth, time, and our mindset toward all of it.      

 The raw numbers we collect (opens, clicks, visits, engagement, etc.) are combined with anecdotal information (texts, comments) to celebrate the wins and decide what we need to start or stop doing. Web analytics, social media tracking, and sales stats are some of the gauges we use to evaluate a given year. And, are we having fun? This is an important metric too.

 More is just more. It’s easy to get wrapped around the axel of social media and spend precious hours in the vortex of producing posts, stories, reels, videos, and feeds. Posts on social media channels were once a way to boost visibility when we had extra time. Today, with so much vying for customers’ attention, digital and social channels are a minimum point of business entry. More is not necessarily better. Weaving creativity into the message is the differentiator now. 

 One challenge is the sheer number of unique social platforms and products available. The vast amount of social media options that offer visibility, sales, and engagement are fantastic - and terrifying. (Do I really have to jump around and point? Ah, maybe.) Focusing on which channels to grow and our efficiency in content creation is vital. We’re an online business; however, we make a physical product, so we manage much more than the online elements.

 Another lesson was the self-inflicted tension around the learning curve of digital and web-based tools. Wouldn’t it be nice if it was all short and fast? Some things took more time than was allotted, which caused frustration in scheduling. You have to be mindful of and evaluate the size of your team, your circumstances, the true time investment necessary (an eye-opener), your goal for the platform (leads, sales, visibility, engagement?), and determine what works for your business and life. For the coming year, we’ve settled on a more reasonable frequency, a better-planned process (batching and tools like Later), and an intention of embedding ease into our day (more on this below.). Everyone wins when we accomplish this.

Add ease, please. It won’t surprise you to hear that this year is about a mindset of ease. We still have deadlines and schedules to follow, and things will not always go as planned. However, we can have more patience, reduce the “hurry” mentality and be more content with the journey. There will always be new products and technologies, and some deadlines will slide from their original dates. And yet, we’ll figure it out, life will go on, and it will be amazing.

A Renaissance of Relaxation

This summer, a renaissance of relaxation is unfolding. We’re watching a proactive shift to delight in the downtime. Some are taking to the open road to explore uncharted destinations. For others, it's a short trip to the back patio, to a chair by the garden, or a quiet spot by the water. Sightseeing may be as simple as watching the pour of a cold beverage into your favorite glass. However you define it, we’re looking to see how this translates to small business owners. And here’s what we’ve found so far…

This trend of a healthier work-life blend is playing out before us as we watch artists, friends, and fellow entrepreneurs make an intentional move to cut back. Yep, work less. In the last month, we’ve seen online business owners announce they're signing off social media for the summer, taking a podcast hiatus for a month, or scaling back to a 4-day work week (with no 10 hour work days preceding.) Business owners are picking their health, and families, over the voice that calls us to work seven days a week (because there’s always more to do). For those we follow closely, it appears to be born of a real desire (or need) to take a break, to enjoy time with loved ones more fully.

It's a new day in this dialogue of how to rest and reach our goals, two objectives that at one time were considered opposites. Now, they've emerged as an attainable standard. We've never seen so many of our colleagues simultaneously make this move and we're cautiously optimistic about the outcome. It's a time to imagine the possibilities and to acknowledge that we are in charge of our time and our lives.

While this might sound like a simple decision, we’ve also learned that it takes planning and preparation to make this change stick. We don’t pretend to have it all figured out yet. What we can say is we believe we can work on it while taking more long weekends, slowing the roll, and unwinding into a summer of hazy days by the water, patio parties, and the flash of a few sparklers to celebrate our victories along the way. We hope you’ll ponder doing the same.