Hi Friends!
Wanna have a little chat about small business stuff? Most of the time I talk about pretty makeovers and I rarely talk about being a small business owner. Well, since we’re hitting the 10 years in business mark in just a couple months, I thought maybe it would be helpful to talk about some helpful tips that have kept us sane over the last 10 years.
I was at a food walking tour in Atlanta this weekend when a stranger (Tara) asked me what the hardest thing about owning my own business is. Even though I wouldn’t change it for the world, there are quite a few challenges in owning your own business. Especially a family run business where both spouses work together.
So after (probably a longer than I’d like awkward pause), I said two of the hardest things.
- Home feels like work not a resting place. Many people (until the pandemic perhaps) have had home feel like a resting place. Well, for an entrepreneur who works from home, it’s the exact opposite. I WANT home to feel restful and calm, but it simply doesn’t. There are projects staring me in the face, piles of paperwork, and my laptop begging for my time. Because if I don’t do it today, it just makes for a busier tomorrow.
- It’s hard on friendships. Being the extrovert that I am, I had to go from being the initiator with friends to waiting for most friends to plan getting together. Because I’m too busy to coordinate it all. Which means… I’ve lost friends because I’m so busy, but it also means I’ve found more intentional friendships. Often they are the hardest working, busiest women I know, but we work hard to be intentional and make time DESPITE the busy.
I’l save the friendship post for another day, but for today we’ll talk about travel.
People have said to me in the past that they think sometimes travel is way for people to escape life. For me, that’s just not it. I love being a designer; I love helping people make their homes beautiful. I love painting, creating, repurposing. It’s just not what I love MOST. I love my people most. My family, my friends, my own soul. To keep those things healthy, for me, I need to get the heck out of my house so I can truly unplug, soak up those beautiful people in my life, and enjoy new adventures with them.
You may be thinking that you just started your business and you’re broke; there’s no way you can afford to travel. Trust me. I get it. We really lived one sale at a time at the beginning with nothing in savings at all. So how did we do it? We went to visit friends quite a bit. A good friend would love for you to visit and that’s free. We’d grab groceries on the way so we didn’t have to eat out much. It’s about unplugging from work. We also went camping, shared a house with family to make it more doable for all of us. We never flew; we always drove to save money. We did what it took!
If you can’t get away for the weekend, plan a day trip away from work/home. You can pack a picnic or go on a hike. Go on a photo adventure where you just look for pretty scenery and take photos while driving the day away. Best photo gets an icecream. We chase sunsets. So many free options that can be impactful and memorable for you or your family.
You know what now? I have kids who would pick an adventure over a present any day for their birthdays. They love doing fun things. We have all these memories/moments in time where we stopped to enjoy our beautiful earth, our friends, our family.
In small business, you’ll need to set aside time for getting away from home. Budget it in as best you can. If you are in business and have creative ways that you’ve traveled without spending a lot, please share those in the comments.
So as I soaked up Atlanta this past weekend with my dear friend, Nicolle, (who also owns a retail shop). Check her amazing store out Blue Bird Home Decor. We both talked about how traveling helps us rest, fills us up, and brings us back to doing what we love with new creativity, energy, and joy.
If you’re headed to Atlanta anytime soon, I highly recommend these fun stops:
Ponce City Market
Krog Street Market
The Roof
Atlanta Bus Tour
Take a walk on The Beltline
We both LOVED Atlanta for its delicious food, beautiful old homes, the tours, and all the trees throughout the city. It’s so beautiful!!!
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We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)
