I am now three months into running my own business and I am busier and more content than ever.
It is this busyness (I’m not sure if that’s actually a word) that I blame for somehow managing to miss my April instalment. I started writing it numerous times, but there was always another order to print, email to answer or design to complete.
Now it’s May and I am in a state of elation after receiving an email late last week inviting Jeeves & Co. to become a Not On The High Street partner. This has been an ambition of mine since I started Jeeves & Co. and I have been working tirelessly to develop a strong, cohesive and innovative collection of stationery, while keeping to my environmentally-friendly ethos.
The last month has been amazing, I’ve had record sales and profits and I’m starting to feel an equilibrium in my work, life balance that I haven’t had before.
One of the reasons I set up Jeeves & Co., was because I wanted the opportunity to have a career that was kind to my wellbeing and personal life. Like many people, when I was an employee I was often stressed and tired from working into my evenings and weekends and I slowly became very disenchanted with the profession I was in.
When I set up Jeeves & Co. I was in such a hurry to establish myself that I forgot why I was doing it. I worked 15 hours a day without a break and any day without a sale I saw as a failure. By mid-April I was exhausted and a little depressed.
So I took some time to consider my priorities and my goals. I realised that for myself, I don’t actually need to be wildly successful by the end of the month, I just want to gradually build a sustainable and fruitful business doing what I love and doing it well and nobody is expecting me to do more than that either.
So I’ve changed the way I work, mornings are for hard-work, afternoons are for painting, printing and packaging, and evenings are for whatever I want to do, even if that is doing a little bit of extra work!
The next month is going to be a very busy one as I prepare for my first craft fair at the Norwich Makers Market and as my Not On The High Street storefront opens for business.
Finally, I just wanted to say a huge thank to everyone for their support over two months, that includes every Instagram likes, Facebook shares, order and review.
Warmest Wishes,
Pippa
P.S. You can follow my journey via social media on Facebook and Instagram.