January 2021 Newsletter
•Posted on January 19 2021
Hello Everyone,
I hope you are all well and healthy.
During the holidays and shortly after, I decided to take a much-needed pause to rest, clear my mind, regroup, and get ready for a better year ahead.
Looking back at this time last year (for just a moment) ... I had no idea what was in store for me. Closing the boutique for a solid two months was a curveball I didn't anticipate. Almost instantly, two major things happened. Kristen, my manager, and Penny (home and social media maven) reassured me that they are 100% on board with or without a paycheck. They were committed to doing anything necessary to sustain the business.
I also found myself communicating on social media with other small businesses on private group chats. We all came together, trying to figure out how to adjust, reinvent ourselves, and most importantly support each other in any way we can.
This feeling of community, and reassuring one another that we are not alone, helped me tremendously in these trying times.
Being a small business owner, it is easy to feel that you are alone in the world, especially when you have to face challenges on your own. Admittingly there were and still are nights when I lose sleep over this adventure I took upon myself. It comes with the territory - living with fear is part of being an entrepreneur. It is also an adrenaline rush that every entrepreneur lives for.
Luckily, we had a website since the day the brick & mortar store opened, or as I like like to refer to it, our Flagship store...
We were able to stay afloat thanks to the website and our engagement with you on social media. Day by day Kristen, Penny, and I stayed focused on open communication with all of our customers and followers. There was definitely a feeling of a community coming together. We chose to see the positive when it wasn't easy and we celebrated the small wins. We kept each other in line and got creative with the business. We made new connections and witnessed that there is far more GOOD in the world than we may think. The struggles and hurdles came with lessons and made us all better.
Putting 2020 to rest is a great relief. I hope that with the new year, comes a new and more clear path for us all. Clear as opposed to chaos, clear as in fresh ideas and opportunities. Clear as in embracing newness and letting go of the stale that doesn't serve us anymore.
We are looking ahead with gratitude and hope that better times are in store for us all.
I hope to see many of you in the store this year and I am looking forward to having some normalcy everywhere.
Sending much love and appreciation to all of you.
Cheers,
Ayellet
