If you follow me on social media you’ll have seen that my shop Baby Gowns Co turned ONE on June 6th! It may seem silly, but I am extremely proud of this past year and all that I have accomplished, learned and grown, so I am taking the opportunity to really celebrate and make the most of it! As I reflected on this past year and all that it’s held, there were a few lessons that I feel I’ve learned that I thought would be helpful to share. A lot of them apply to both business and everyday life, so I hope you get a little something from this! But before I go any further, I just have to say THANK YOU because it’s people like you that have made this last year possible and such a success. Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU.

1. It takes a village. I am currently a one woman show, but that does NOT mean that I do ANY of this alone! I get a lot of help and support to be able to do what I do. My husband’s amazing grandma helps me bind the gowns, which is such a huge help! My husband built my awesome website, picks up the slack in times when I have to put more work in, and is always there to support and help in any way I need. My mom and sister help watch my boys when I need to sit down and sew or run to business meetings- it’s a huge relief knowing if my boys aren’t with me that they’re in the hands of people who love and adore them the way I do. The list goes on, but I have learned to be a lot better about asking for help and accepting it when offered. I can’t stress enough how much easier it makes life and how necessary it is to be successful!
2. Social media “numbers” don’t reflect my business’s worth or success. This one was a little surprising for me! Instagram, Facebook and other platforms are fun for me because I get to be creative and connect with others, but for a business they are mainly marketing tools. I think you’d be surprised if you were to take a peek behind the scenes of Baby Gowns Co, you’d find that my social media engagement, followers and “likes” do not reflect the sales that I make or how successful my business is. For some reason social media has made people think all of that indicates if you are valid, successful or worth following and I think it’s all a big fat lie. I personally know people and shops with small social media accounts that make a lot of money and are considered highly successful, and I know other accounts with huge followings and engagement that really are struggling to make money or business. For me it’s been important to not let these numbers influence how I feel or perceive my own account or others!
3. It’s crucial I take time for myself. “Me time” and self-care are definitely having their moment in the sun right now, and for good reason! But I don’t mean that I go and pamper myself, spend a day lounging or doing fancy, indulgent things- in fact NONE of that has happened this past year. Between having a baby, raising two small boys, being a wife, daughter, sister, friend and business owner, life has seemed to move faster than I can keep up some days. I’ve realized that it’s easy for all of my time to be spoken for, which I think is partially part of the season of life I am in. Don’t get me wrong, my DREAM in life has always been to stay home with my babies, I am INCREDIBLY grateful and the blessings of this are not lost on me. BUT I’ve found that if I’m always doing everything for everyone else, I burn out quickly, and that “shell of myself” version of me doesn’t show up well in my own life. I have to have to have to make time to do my own things outside of work, mom, wife and life duties!
4. It takes money to make money. Being in a product based business, I have to purchase the materials before I can make the product- that takes money. I have to invest in supplies that allow me to do what I need to do- that takes money. I think especially as women we tend to shy away from money talk, like it isn’t lady-like, will come across arrogant or be uncomfortable for others. I think this is a big disservice and doesn’t help others who are trying to build something as well! I am extremely proud of the fact that Baby Gowns Co was built on my own money and remains debt-free, and is a core value for me. I am grateful for the people who love and support my business, purchasing my gowns and toys so that I can continue to grow and scale this business. I’ve learned how important it is to know your numbers- what you’re making, what you’re spending, what costs you have, where you can save, SO many things! I’m very deliberate with where I spend within my business so that it can scale and become everything I dream for it to become.
5. Done is fun and better than perfect. This is HARD HARD HARD for me! I’ve realized some perfectionism in myself and tendencies to have to do things “my way” or not at all. This has kept me from pursuing things in the past, and in business it can be a real detriment. Of course I want things to turn out perfectly, for people to be happy with what I do and for outcomes to be exactly what I picture in my head. That’s not really fair or always realistic, BUT I have learned (through lots of practice) to give it my best and call it good. It’s funny how when I do this, no one else even knows or cares that it wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind and people are always so kind, complimentary and supportive of whatever it is I do! Getting the job “imperfectly” done is better than never doing it at all.
6. Trusting and listening to my own intuition. This is something I think I’ve struggled with throughout my life, recognizing and differentiating what is my gut, divine inspiration, or what I feel to be right. Since becoming a mom almost three years ago, I have really leaned into my intuition and learned to trust myself. This has been a huge blessing and benefit in my personal life, but in my business it has looked like knowing when to say yes, when and where to put in the time and work, and when to hang back and put more time into myself and my family. I’m not always right, but my intuition has yet to steer me wrong.
7. Setting goals and priorities and letting them be my guide. I shared that all I’ve ever wanted was to be home to raise babies, and that still holds true! But I also had this deep desire to grow this business, and I’m insanely grateful I’ve pursued that! But first and foremost I am MOM, that is top priority and something I’m unwilling to compromise on. With that priority in place I’ve been able to navigate and prioritize things so that I can still show up in that role as mom as well as get everything else done. My priorities and goals help me plan, accomplish what I need to, and really keep centered instead of becoming overwhelmed by every other thing I have to do! So what if I didn’t get all of the sewing done that I’d hoped for today? I got to snuggle my sweet teething baby who isn’t going to be small for much longer, and I can finish the sewing tomorrow or tonight after the boys are in bed. PERSPECTIVE. Obviously it’s not always smooth sailing, and there are definitely times when I have to bend a little. For example, this past week getting ready to launch the summer line and prepare for the Featured Female Market, I had to ask for a lot of help with my boys. BUT this next week my schedule is freed up and attention is all on them. Hopefully this makes sense- I’m not suggesting that I’m perfect at any of this, just trying my best for a little bit of “balance” and using my priorities and goals to help me make those decisions.
8. Community is key. Something I’ve noticed is this “scarcity mentality” that if someone else is succeeding that we must be failing, or that somehow their success is taking away from you. When we say this out loud it sounds ridiculous, but our brains will give us this message in different tricky ways, and I think often we don’t even realize it. There really is room for everyone at the table and it’s true that we rise by lifting others. I have found my greatest success, biggest wins and most incredible experiences when I surround myself with amazing people who I get to help or who help me in return! I have made some truly amazing connections and friendships through Baby Gowns Co and having a community of amazing people (in business and also in my personal life) is one of the greatest blessings and something I hope to never take for granted. Surround yourself with people who cheer you on, love you through all the ups and downs, encourage, support and make you smile. Life’s too short for all of the silly, ugly stuff.
9. Everything is an experiment. Like I said earlier, I’ve realized I have some perfectionism in me that can make things more complicated than is really necessary, and it’s made me really afraid to fail! I’m working hard daily to move past this, but one thing I did was shift my mindset on what failure really is and realized that everything is just an experiment and can be for my betterment. If something doesn’t go the way I want, it’s ok! It’s a lesson I’ve now learned and can help me going forward. Asking “what’s the worst that can happen?” and digging into that has really been a huge help to me in getting over my fear to “fail” and really going for the things I want!
10. Enjoy the process. It can be easy to let deadlines, goals or successes determine how you feel about your business (or your life, right?), but I decided early on that I wanted to really enjoy it all. I don’t have to be making a ton of money or have a lot of followers to be proud of or happy with what I’m doing. Remember, you don’t have to have a huge social media following to prove your worth. Every little step or detail isn’t the most exciting thing ever, but I get to choose how I am going to feel through it all. Growth is exciting and something I work for, but I don’t want to spend my life saying “I’ll be happy when…” I choose to enjoy, soak up and remember every part of growing my business, and I’m really grateful to be able to be doing what I do!

That was kind of a lot! I hope some of it was helpful, or at least just interesting to peek into my last twelve months and what I’ve learned! I really love my business, I love talking business, and if this is something you enjoyed or that you’d like to hear more about in the future, will you do me a favor and leave a comment down below letting me know? I know, I know, that totally sounds like the typical YouTuber ending saying “Like, subscribe and comment,” BUT your comments let me know what it is you’re interested in hearing (or not hearing haha) and really do mean a lot! Thank you for being here, for supporting me and my work and for loving on this business of mine! I’m stoked to see what this next year will bring!