Thoughts on 8 Years of Business

May 31

Whew! To even write that title makes my mind turn with years of memories…

• Getting ready for my first show.
• Hand foiling every card and art print. Oof.
• Crying in my workspace cause I was so mad at my printer and foil machine (Didn’t know about smooth paper being a necessity at that point).
• Having others encourage me and believe in me.
• Taking my own photos and my first styled shoot in our newborn son’s nursery.
• Teaching myself to letter.
• Wondering if others would want to learn too (*spoiler, you did! Lettering workshops were born).
• Knowing absolutely nothing about the business side of owning your own business.
• Registering as an LLC, absolutely clueless of what to do (it’s not that scary, you can do it!).
• Panicking when I got a bill from the government for $7,000 if I didn’t pay my semi annual sales taxes.
• Buying a $80 poster from the government on compliance to hang in my space for my ‘employees’ because I thought they would hunt me down if I didn’t.
• Working in my basement with the hum of the washer and dryer behind me. (Fun fact: the peg board from the photos was the backdrop of my original workspace. It worked hard for me).
• Hand dip-dyeing hundreds of cards.
• Late nights juggling my passion of enCourage Co. with my corporate job.
• Leaders (from the design agency I worked for) believing in me and encouraging me to pursue my own thing.
• Conversation with my husband how I wanted this to be more than a “hobby”.
• His trust in me.
• Selling paper at my first show in a thunderstorm with a cobalt blue tarp duct taped to the back of my booth. Aesthetic.
• Being so excited to sell wrapping paper sheets that no one bought.

*see some of these memories in images below.

Now I’m emotional… This business is not about success, it’s about the journey I’ve been on to get here. To refine my character, to build grit, to build belief in myself and the skills God has gifted to me to use to encourage others in the everyday. That’s it.

On this 8th year of business, I find myself needing that message for myself. Running your own business is hard. Running it solo for a majority of the years is hard. Figuring out all the details is hard. But believing in yourself is the hardest. To believe I can do it when I have no idea how. To trust myself and my vision. To allow myself to pivot when it doesn’t work. These are internal matters. Matters of the heart. Character building work. And I can say I’m a different person than when I started this company.

Whenever I talk with any other business owner, the biggest thing we talk about is the ups and downs of small business. The high highs and low lows. And I’m learning that they will continue to come, and there will be ebb and flow. But, my belief and vision doesn’t need to follow those curves. I have been doing it long enough, now that I know the lows will turn and the highs won’t last. I can choose steady in an unknown climate. And that feels like growth.

This road takes a lot of guts and whole bunch of courage. That is why ‘courage’ is emphasized in my logo. Because it takes bravery to put yourself out there, vulnerability to create and share it with others, and courage to step outside yourself and your own limiting and selfish thoughts to put someone else first and encourage them. That is why I build my retainer clients up and serve them well. That is why I create art and uplifting good(s) to share your words and love with others through stationery and gifts. That is why I letter words of truth for you to read and hope they seep into your soul. The core of what I do requires courage. And I bet it does for you, too.

So, if you run your own business, I hope these words and this familiar perspective is uplifting. I hope you don’t feel alone. If you do, please reach out! Would love to talk more. If you’re reading this, do me a favor and cheer someone else on. In wahtever they do, we all need someone in our corner, affirming us, believing in us when it’s hard to ourselves, and encouraging us to KEEP. GOING.

Because the measure of success isn’t not failing. It isn’t defined by not mis-stepping. It isn’t defined by getting it all right. It IS about continuing, pivoting, reinventing, persevering, developing character in this life. So much of what we go through is about the process, not the end result. So look at where you are now. Be present. Gratitude may require you to look back to appreciate where your feet are planted now. I can assure you I needed this more than anyone.

Thanks for being here. Your belief in me means more than you know!