The Family Business
I’ve been working over the past year
or so on starting up a little cottage industry, and it’s been
quite a learning process. Up until this calendar year it’s
been almost nonexistent, and Brian’s joked several times that
I’m working as hard as I can to NOT let my business grow.
This has been intentional on my part: I’ve wanted to go super
slow, build only as many clients as I can handle, and make sure
I’ve got my brand figured out, my niche, the paperwork,
everything. Slow and steady wins the race, after all.
The upshot of all this sloooow growth is that my little company has been around the house, nonthreatening and laconic, for a long time now and the girls have simply gotten used to it. This spring, though, I set my sights on expanding my market size and have committed to selling at a local farmers’ market starting this weekend.
Yikes.
The girls were quite excited about the idea, and have told anyone who will listen that their mom makes Stuff and is really good at it and takes care of the environment in the way she makes her Stuff. They always want to help, and I walk that fine line of wanting to empower them, to educate them and foster independence, while still retaining, um, quality control over the goods. The girls help attach labels and sort ingredients, arrange my backstock area, and more.
Since Maddie and Cora are so taken with the idea of helping with the biz, I told them they can help out at the farmers’ market. I even made them aprons identical to mine, the full-body aprons with my logo embroidered on it. They are over the MOON with excitement.
Both girls have offered to help sell, to take money (um . . . . maybe?), to discourse knowledgeably on the products (Maddie’s words, not mine), and in general attract people to my booth “since everyone knows kids sell!” (Cora’s words, not mine. But she’s right).
I have no idea how long it’ll take for the bloom to wear off the sales staff rose, but I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth. Wish us luck!
The upshot of all this sloooow growth is that my little company has been around the house, nonthreatening and laconic, for a long time now and the girls have simply gotten used to it. This spring, though, I set my sights on expanding my market size and have committed to selling at a local farmers’ market starting this weekend.
Yikes.
The girls were quite excited about the idea, and have told anyone who will listen that their mom makes Stuff and is really good at it and takes care of the environment in the way she makes her Stuff. They always want to help, and I walk that fine line of wanting to empower them, to educate them and foster independence, while still retaining, um, quality control over the goods. The girls help attach labels and sort ingredients, arrange my backstock area, and more.
Since Maddie and Cora are so taken with the idea of helping with the biz, I told them they can help out at the farmers’ market. I even made them aprons identical to mine, the full-body aprons with my logo embroidered on it. They are over the MOON with excitement.
Both girls have offered to help sell, to take money (um . . . . maybe?), to discourse knowledgeably on the products (Maddie’s words, not mine), and in general attract people to my booth “since everyone knows kids sell!” (Cora’s words, not mine. But she’s right).
I have no idea how long it’ll take for the bloom to wear off the sales staff rose, but I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth. Wish us luck!
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Mommy Musings
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