*I love Jesus but I cuss a little
]]>This was the night I changed. This was the night I went into survival mode. Brady had been laid off from his breadwinning job and I was working in a bakery and a gym but we just couldn't survive. It wasn't until bedtime that we realized the formula can was empty. After WIC closed. After the foodbank had closed. It was at the end of the month and our food stamps were gone. My milk supply had dried up because of the hours I was working. The nearest relative was 3 hours away and I was on E in the car. I felt myself spiraling and I didn't know what we were going to do. I stormed out of the house(wrongly blaming Brady the entire way) and drove to Safeway. I just parked there because I wasn't sure why I was even there. I had ZERO funds for milk, formula or anything for that matter. I just sat there with white knuckles, holding my steering wheel and bawling.
I kept thinking about what we did wrong, what we were doing wrong and what we would do wrong in the future. I wasn't sure how to fix our problems but I knew one thing for certain, this would be the last fucking time I would sit here feeling like this. I was determined to NEVER be afraid my babies would go hungry again.
Now, I want to take this moment and say a few important things. I am not ashamed, nor embarrassed about being on food stamps. I am not ashamed for utilizing WIC. I have had people throw that in my face and I'm ok with that. That shows their heart, not mine. I will forever be grateful for the state assistance that we NEEDED at that time in our lives. I remember the shame I felt standing in line to sign up and feeling embarrassed then. Now, I'm just thankful and humbled. What I AM embarrassed about is our lack of planning and know-how. This night taught me a lot. I will forever have a thankful heart for everything I have. Every time I walk by the formula, I think of this night. This will forever be with me and fuel my ambition.
Sometime after this, we were in our little apartment in Olympia. Living out of boxes. Brady had started his new job and I started my first business, Gumdrops & Lollipops. A specialty bows and romper boutique.... I had literally NO idea how to make bows, how to SELL bows or what this whole new Facebook thing was all about. 😂 At this time there weren't the resources there are now for new entrepreneurs. I talked in my previous blog how I have learned and sucked quite a bit in my life. lol This was basically the beginning of all dumpster fires and disasters. I messed up SO much! However, I learned and I didnt stop. I kept planning, learning, bettering my craft, listening to my customers, growing my business. I just kept going. I was determined to always have a backup plan.
Fast forward 3 years. G&L was a thriving clothing boutique and I was getting ready to open a storefront in our local Mall! Actually, it was kiosk but I digress. 😂 We were regular featured vendors on the brand new Very Jane(now just Jane). I was now guiding and helping brand new businesses start up and pass along any information I had learned. I was OBSESSED with shopping other small woman-run businesses. Etsy and eBay were LIFE then. Give me all the soap, perfume, candles, scented wax and homemade clothing! Brady was moving up in his company and doing great. We learned how to budget, communicate clearly, coupon(remember that show?! lol), meal plan, give back to others and we were OFF state assistance! I will never forget the feeling of canceling the food card. It was taking a leap of faith and trusting in ourselves. THIS is what I worked so hard for.
Brady was offered this amazing opportunity in Port Angeles, WA with a hefty raise and promotion. I was so proud of him and DEVASTATED we had to move. On the real, I almost didnt go! lol Thank God for Anne's words of wisdom to get me going. Trusting God in our path has always been the #1 thing I lean on. I wasn't sure how i would run this business by myself after moving away from my staff. I wasn't sure what type of city we were moving to. All I knew was Port Angeles didn't have a Mall OR A TARGET.....OR A TRADER JOES! Where was Brady moving me to?!? My dreams of being a clothing boutique were quickly disappearing but little did I know what was ahead of me.
I'm so thankful for this time in my life. The time I was able to actually take a step back and evaluate the longevity of the beautiful little business I built. The scary unsettling stage of my entrepreneurial path. This business I built was not something I could grow into a legacy driven industry. It wasn't something I could protect, meaning it was easy for every other boutique to make MY designs, theirs. This business taught me so many foundations that I still carry with me, but it wasn't something I could see doing for the rest of my life. Once I came to this realization, I took a break and waited for the next door to open. I just stopped. I hung out for a few months, unpacking and learning to love our city. Shopping quite a bit. lol Hazel and Quentin were tiny at this point and I feel like we really formed a strong bond during this time. Life was going great.... but I was bored and that feeling of instability was haunting me. I needed my side hustle. I want to add that I in NO WAY ever felt insecure in Brady's ability to provide or my role as a stay at home mom. My children needed me and I am so thankful for that respite. I salute all stay at home moms! Its hard as hell and so so so rewarding!
Alright, lets get to how THIS company came to start. Its short and sweet. 😂 Alicia had been hounding me for months to start a company with her. I declined every damn time. I knew the scented wax game. I knew the vendors. I knew the product. I still said NO. lol Until, she messaged me one more time and I said "Why not?!" lol Literally that's how it started. I was bored, I LOVED scented wax, I loved this community and I thought I could be pretty good at it. Home fragrance has always been a therapeutic release for me. Looking back to that day now seems so funny to me. I had ZERO idea what I was getting myself into and I had no idea how to make a quality product but I was all in! Just like before.
Let the research and testing begin. The first thing we needed to do though was come up with a name... Super Tarts.
I would like to say that I am NO blogger. I do not write and I am not eloquent. lol This is very unedited and I will probably keep it this way. Anne would tell me that I have FAR TOO MANY PERIODS and way too many run-on sentences. Meh. I know my truth. Hahaha I make banging good scented wax and write subpar wanna be blog/rants all with a smile on my face. Ill hop off my soapbox now.
www.SuperTartsWax.com
]]>Sometimes you have good ideas and sometimes...well time will tell I suppose.
Being a business owner is HARD! But also so so rewarding. In this blog post I talk about my rebranding, respect and all of the self-lit dumpster fires I have had to put out over the years.
]]>If you're smart.
Oh, Who is you ask? You know who is. I don't even have to say it...but I will! The customers! Those people that come in and buy your product, book your class, buy your sticky nails, buy your ebook. Those people that you moan and groan about on Sundays when they forget you are also on your Sunday. THEM. They are the ones in control. Do you want to succeed? Respect them. Remember they are actual people that work their asses off and are willing to just GIVE you their money. Their money. Not your money. Theirs.
I have seen so many people start a business and they have absolutely no business doing so. If you want to succeed, you need to understand where your success will come from and humble yourself. You need to educate yourself in your industry. You need to be willing to accept the fact that you don't know everything and WILL need help at one point or another. YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES. Andddd it's ok!! We learn from failing. If you want to succeed at anything in life, you will learn and rise up and do BETTER.
Over the last few years I have personally watched business owners crash and burn. All because they were arrogant and unorganized. I believe there is a HUGE difference between being arrogant and being confident. I applaud confidence! Go girl! You work it! You know you are doing great, I agree! Arrogance is when you know you are doing great BUT you believe nobody else is doing great. You are the greatest. The best. The most glorious thing that ever walked the face of this wax community(or whatever industry you are in). Flawless. Ha! Please just sit down. The moment that we forget we are human is the moment someone will remind you that you are. And its usually not in the gentlest way. I'm actually laughing out loud.
BEEN THERE!
There have been NUMEROUS occasions that I have totally sucked. *Insert Gasp* I have made harsh judgment calls, I have stuck to "My policy" too strictly, I have acted out of emotion, I have not thoroughly done my OWN research. I have blamed my team/partner/husband/stranger walking down the damn street for their mistakes but it has and will always come right back to me. Picture me pointing in my own face right now. lol This is what I signed up for when I put MY name next to Super Tarts. This brand is ME and all of its dirty little mistakes that I have made. OWN YOUR SHIT. Own it. Recognize it. Learn from it. Move on from it.
I think that my absolute biggest mistake was not seeing feedback as a great thing. I would take it personally and it would sting. Now don't get me wrong, there have been some MAJORLY inappropriate accusations made towards and about me that are so freaking wrong, but your customers will tell you exactly what they want. Listen to your customers! Learn to love the feedback! Feedback is a nice way of saying "THEY ABSOLUTELY HATE IT AND YOUR FACE!" lmao...find out why. Ask your customers. Don't be arrogant and think you know it all. JUST ASK. I've actually had a customer tell me she hated the way I looked into the camera on my live videos.... "You mean, with my face?" lmao Cant change that but THANK YOU for your feedback! Hahaha
I'm currently going through a rebranding. My business was built on fan fiction, characters, superheroes, indie themes... All very much ILLEGAL for me to use. When I first started this brand, I was absolutely certain that "Inspired by" products were A-OK!.... Man, was I an idiot. They are 110% NOT ok. They are stealing someone's intellectual property. The longer that I have been in business, the more I have learned. Mostly from my customers honestly. I have a pretty large customer base and some of them are attorneys! They have sent me links and information and completely helped me realize how vulnerable my entire livelihood is. Not just my business but MY home, my everything. I am personally held accountable and it would ruin us if just one of those big-name companies came after us.
They would win. We would lose. It would just take one.
There is no room for growth with that looming over your head. It's hard to sleep at night knowing that you are not living your moral truth. You can no longer play the "Ignorance is bliss" card. Because you aren't ignorant. You know. I know. I am absolutely depending on my customer base to guide me right now. I am constantly watching and while there are a few that are pissed about the rebranding, we have had an overall GREAT response. I'm so so thankful for everyone's feedback. I am still trying to figure out the direction of this company but I have faith that God will guide my footsteps and that YOU will help me move along to where we want to be. I see great things for ST but it will take time. I'm in no hurry. Thank you for being patient while we make these amazing new changes!
Sincerely,
I would like to say that I am NO blogger. I do not write and I am not eloquent. lol This is very unedited and I will probably keep it this way. Anne would tell me that I have FAR TOO MANY PERIODS and way too many run-on sentences. Meh. I know my truth. Hahaha I make banging good scented wax and write subpar wanna be blog/rants all with a smile on my face. Ill hop off my soapbox now.
www.SuperTartsWax.com
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