Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Too many post-its.

Thought I'd share some of my thoughts today, considering I haven't actually blogged anything of substance in a while.




First, have you seen the new products?

I've been having so much fun trying out colors and experimenting with different base yarns.  Definitely my favorite so far is the Fall Creek Fibers Powder Mill sock yarn.  It's 50/50 merino/silk and not only is it to die for soft and silky, it takes color like a dream.  I'm not sure where I'm going with this new adventure yet, but it has definitely been fun.  One day soon I'm going to whip up a blog post on my thoughts on fiber dyeing versus yarn dyeing... But that's for another day.

Today I'm getting ready for a road trip to Disneyland!  Yep, I'm taking some time off!  Which leads me to the idea of being away from this comfortable cocoon for more than a few hours at a time.  Since I've started this business I've spent pretty much every waking moment thinking about work. 

There are many many awesome things about being a small business owner (can we say sleeping in?) but a huge downside is how I find myself more stressed about leaving my brain child than my actual children (read: pets).  Will my customers forget me?  Will they be disgruntled if I'm not able to respond to their e-mails quickly?  Will the shop attract new customers if I'm on Space Mountain instead of tweeting?  Even though I know my (super incredible and awesome) repeat customers will be waiting for me when I return (and I'll only be gone 5 days, good grief!) I can't help but wonder how this will go.  Since I started doing this full time in January (ish) I haven't been one day totally away from my business (unhealthy?) until this week.  And I'm bringing my laptop!  So if there's a (yarn?) emergency I'll be available to work things out virtually.

The lobster keeps telling me to put it away.  Work on it again tomorrow.  Play Mario Kart with him.

So Disneyland is an exercise in letting go.

my desk


Lately I've been thinking a lot about my business and where I want it to go.  I have small goals set and it's always fun to attain them, but what about long term?  Could I do this forever?

When I get home from what I hope will be a nice fun and relaxing vacation (room service please!) I am going to sit down with my journal and my bestie (hey Ally, we're doing this, okay?) and do some brain storming.  I'm going to find a path and try to stick to it.

See, I have this problem.  I tend to get really excited about a project, start it, complete the first three phases, and then right before I get to the final stage I begin wanting to move on (ahem, school).  For instance, I'm re-vamping my website to fit into my new branding better.  Hey Brie, didn't you just launch the website in May... Like three weeks ago?  Why yes, yes I did.  But there are some kinks that need fixing and some goals that need re-vamping.  While the bones of the project will remain, the details have grown into something bigger.   Really, this business thing has been a super awesome lesson in focusing my energy on an end result, rather than the journey.

I have a lot to learn about myself and my business, but I think the end result will be even more magical than I ever knew it could be.

Sort of like the Tiki Room and Jungle Cruise.

3 comments:

Ashley said...

Sounds like your vacation is much needed. I'm sure it will feel wonderful to disconnect for a while. If you happen to be travelling south on the 118, stop in and say hi! =D

Jacqueline said...

THIS is why you need an iPhone. Answer emails, tweet, and check packages while you're on the Matterhorn- because you know it's going to break down.

JuliaA said...

yay for a vacation! you very much deserve some time for yourself and for fun.

and the new yarn is gorgeous!