Some people love to tell their story. They love to talk all about themselves to anyone who will listen. As much as I love to talk to anyone, you would think I am one of those people. However, I love to talk about funny stuff and what I read on the internets, not about what inspires me and what made me an expert on Boutiques and Desserts. The idea of telling people about me and my story seemed so disingenuous, and kinda embarrassing. I even hated sharing posts or new arrivals in my Facebook group daily because I felt like I was blowing up peoples feed and bugging them with notifications. Let's be real, I didn't really know what I was doing.... and I really didn't want everyone to know that I had left my career to start a business that could very well be a complete failure.
Something crazy happened though.
I opened a store, and people came. Those people liked the stuff and wanted to buy it. They went home, they told their friends on Facebook, and their friends came to try it. Then something even more wild happened….. They came back again to see what else they could buy.
I never imagined that people would trust me and want to buy my stuff, and then that they would want to know more about me. One of those people happened to be a reporter who heard about us on Facebook. I almost declined this interview thinking I would say the wrong things or say something stupid, but I decided we could use any free marketing we could get! Hey, mama has bills to pay! I am linking the article HERE for anyone interested in reading a little bit more about my story behind Sweet Bee.
Everyday I still worry about my business being a failure, but I have realized along the way that I want people to know why I did this. Why did I quit my high paying corporate job to sling desserts and clothing all day? I want them to know why I drained my savings account and took a huge chance on myself. I want people to understand that it takes a lot of work, hard calls, losses, a lot of help, good employees, support, trust, willpower, determination, luck, and investment to start a business.
My reason: I do this for me.
I don’t do this for anyone else’s approval or to prove that I am some kind of fashionista or because it has always been my dream. I simply had to prove to myself that I could take the other skills and lessons I had learned in my other fifteen years of working for other people, and translate them into something worthwhile. I could help people in my own way, and hopefully treat my employees and customers the way I would want to be treated. That’s the real story folks.
I don’t ever want to come across as stuck up because at the end of the day, you and me, we are probably more alike than you think. I am a huge nerd who is a lot funnier on the internet than in real life. I’ve fallen on my face more times that you think. I snort when I laugh sometimes. I can’t contour my makeup. I still wrap my pills in fruit roll ups to swallow them. I eat Whataburger more times than most adults probably should. And many, many, many other boring or weird things that you don’t care about, and hopefully don’t determine whether you shop with me or not.
I don’t feel as awkward now to share my story with anyone who asks, or if I blow up your facebook feed with new arrivals, cause I love being able to help my customers EASILY find cute things, that make them happy. So cheers to peeling back another layer of this onion.
