As I have done with each of my children, here I am celebrating and reflecting on the 1 month milestone of my newest baby, Wrapped in Kindness. It’s been an emotional month, and much like after giving birth, there’s been good days and bad days, but that’s ok.
I could write a gushing journal entry about how amazing the first month in business has been and how grateful I am for all your orders, but that wouldn’t be telling the full story and I want these entries to be honest. I obviously am so grateful for every one of the orders I have gotten since opening, but I wasn’t at all prepared for the quiet periods with no orders, when I started to question absolutely everything about what I had created.
When I was setting up this business, everything was built towards that all important launch date – 17th November 2021. There was so much momentum to get to that massive milestone, that I just didn’t expect to have some days of tumbleweed after I finally put my business out into the world. Imposter syndrome has been a constant companion to me over this first month. I have to admit that one night, I even went on the website myself and bought a bar of Bean & Goose chocolate just to make sure it was working. Actually, I did this twice. It was working perfectly both times.
I have to admit that one night, I even went on the website and bought myself a bar of Bean & Goose chocolate just to make sure it was working
I am so grateful for my family and friends who put in multiple orders over this first month – swearing to me that they really do need that many candles or hand creams. Having said that, when I did get my first order from a 100% stranger, I was ecstatic. Who knew “Orders from Strangers” would be my first KPI category. Then when another stranger actually put through their second order in the month, I felt like maybe I am doing something right here.
Another of the highlights for me during this month has been when people type into the notes of their order the reason that they’ve chosen the charity they did. I feel very honoured that they’re sharing something so personal with me and very proud that I’ve created a unique shopping experience where they get to help out a cause that means something very special to them.
I’ve come to understand that while good old-fashioned word of mouth is slow, it’s so valuable to small businesses like mine. I genuinely love the image of someone telling their neighbour or their hairdresser about Wrapped in Kindness, because they really like the products and the concept, and feel compelled to chat about it, in real life!
I have learnt a lot over this month. I have learnt that I’m no PR mogul and as a result I missed getting into every Christmas gift guide going (apart from a mention in The Heyday online magazine which I was delighted with). I’ve learnt that I have a serious mental block about self-promotion and being visible – BUT I’ve also learned that I was brave enough to take the first step towards getting someone to help me work through this. I have learnt that there’s such a lot of Digital Marketing terminology to get my head around – SEO, SEM, display ads, google analytics, CTA’s etc (and that’s just for starters), BUT I have also learnt that I’m really enjoying feeling my way through these things and taking it day by day, step by step.
I’m in this for the long haul so I’m going to choose to be kind to myself and celebrate the small wins and also allow myself the space and time to continue to learn about the things that are as yet beyond my capabilities….but I’ll get there and I’d love you to stick around for the journey.