If you’ve been a long time reader of the blog then you’ll know that clearly the focus has changed. While I love creating stationery for weddings and events, after having Stokely I just knew I couldn’t do it anymore. Figuring out where to pivot to was super hard . Finding my “why” when it came to my business was definitely a challenge. Here are my tips for finding “your” why when it comes to running a business.
Remember that change is inevitable
When I first started my business over a decade ago, not only was it very different from what it grew into, it was also something I didn’t really plan. When I made the transition into stationery and event styling, I knew I had found my niche and what I was good at. And then I got pregnant.
The year before Stokely was born was my most successful year in my business. I was super busy doing events and stationery and had found a small group of wedding planners who referred me to almost all of their couples. I had to stop doing the event styling piece first because physically, I just couldn’t do it anymore. And on a personal level, I was getting tired of having so much random decor stuff in my basement. I knew that it was time to think about what I wanted my business to be. More importantly, I knew my business needed to change to fit into my new life as a mom.
Make a plan
As I mentioned earlier, when I started my business I had no plan. I just went with what I thought I should be doing and every couple of months would switch to something else. This time, I made sure I had a plan in mind for what the future of Creations By Sasha looked like. I knew I couldn’t support stationery anymore since it would take up too much of my time and I had stopped doing events before Stokely was even here. I had launched my products but had to take a pause with new launches since I had a new baby. Posting on social media was a chore because I wasn’t excited about what I was posting. I felt I wasn’t being authentic. So I made a plan in early January to completely pivot my business away from stationery and weddings and into a full-on lifestyle brand.
Find what’s important
In January I realized that I was no longer excited about what my business was doing. I had fallen out of love with it and knew it needed a change. What I realized was that in this season of my life, my main focus was on my family and my friends. Balancing being a mom, wife, and friend had become my new norm and that’s what I wanted to start talking about and showcasing on social media. Even though I was nervous, I sent out an email to my whole email list letting them know that the brand was moving in a different direction. Some people unsubscribed, but a lot stayed on board.
Since finding my own “why” my business no longer feels like something I have to do. I enjoy talking about my family, my health journey, and my own story. Am I as profitable as I use to be? No, not even close. I’m still working through adding more meaningful content and slowly getting back to new products in the shop. But I can tell you I’m much happier. And that’s ultimately what’s most important.
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