Oh My. I just realized that I haven’t written a blog post in FIVE months! My fave branding gurus (Allyn Lewis, Kyshira Moffett and Nicki Zevola, to name a few) are somewhere shaking their heads. They are probably saying, “Girl, do people even know you still have a company?” I’m trying ya’ll, but it’s a struggle. I’ve written a number of blogs in the past about being overwhelmed and not knowing what the hell I’m supposed to be doing from day to day. I WANT to follow all of the rules they tell you will lead to major success. You know…blog many times a week, stay hot and heavy on social media, make your website pop and a laundry list of other stuff I’m supposed to be doing to take over the world, but am not doing.
My girl, Allyn (www.hitthegem.com) serves up relevant content but also very openly shares how she struggles with all of this. Being a business owner is cool, please don’t get me wrong on that. However, it also begs, no demands, constant and consistent action and movement. It’s “Yes” to a vending event, which might mean “No” to a movie with my son. It’s, “Nikki, I tried to buy a gloss but the site is saying something weird.” I’m not complaining. I can’t imagine my life without NMW. Also, this journey has given me the courage to pursue other things in my life. It’s been a gift, with no curse.
It is hard sometimes. It’s tough knowing what to make a priority. It’s hard knowing how much to spend on inventory and whether you’ll earn it back. It’s a daily endeavor figuring out how to take this largely small biz thing to the world stage.
This December will mark five years in business. That really astounds me. It has really crept up on me and has caused me to stop and reflect a bit. In many ways it still sometimes feels like hobby level stuff and in other ways, it feels like major strides have been made. I know for sure that NMW has made an impact but the drive to make that be felt far and wide is still my biggest task and biggest question mark.
This post may feel like others I’ve written but that’s by design in a way. I don’t want folks to erroneously think I have this ALL figured out. No, quite the contrary. I’m still learning just like you. I always remind myself, “Hey, Nik, Pepsi is still running commercials and they’ve sold stupid crazy amounts of soda.” The grind will NEVER be on cruise control (Ohhhh did I just write text for a new t-shirt?:))
I’m walking the walk with you. I’m trying new things. I’m still doing some old things. I DID bite the bullet and finally hired someone to help because watching your to-do list remain pristine and un-crossed off is maddening.
As a friend says, I’m “staying in the fight” because it’s not only what I need to do, but what I want to do. Also, I believe that I will figure it all out eventually.
As always, thanks for reading.
Nik