89 days in…reflections and that darn tape gun!

It’s January 1^st, 2024. It’s a time to look ahead to all the possibilities of the new year and also a time to sit with the gift of reflection. I don’t have a word to sum up the last 89 days since A Wink of Yellow opened its virtual doors but there’s been many lessons, here are some that have resonated – 

• Don’t watch the water boil: When the website went live on October 4^th, the best advice I received was “Don’t watch the water boil. Believe in your vision, trust yourself, do your thing, build and it will come.” I went for a really long walk instead of waiting and watching for orders. It reminded me that my job is to make the fire, and make sure it continues to burn. 

• Use your difficulty, the underdog advantage: You can do so much more that you think you can. When you can’t afford a full team, you have to tap into being resourceful. Setbacks aren’t necessarily bad; they are stepping stones. Use them. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Having a full team and a ton of capital would be a dream, but until then…get really comfortable and good at wearing different hats. I built the website and learned how to navigate Shopify from watching free YouTube videos, I hand drew jewelry designs, sourced every single piece, smelled hundreds of scent notes to come up with candles, packed every single order…list goes on and on. It was actually fun (except maybe dealing with Sales tax ). Resourcefulness and resilience are key for growth. 

• Make the ask: You know the Wayne Gretzky quote, “You miss a 100% of the shots you don’t take”- always right on. I have been amazed at how many “Yes” I heard in the last 89 days. People generally want to help, let them and be grateful. You have to take action towards your goals, you can’t hit a target you don’t aim for. Life happens FOR you and not TO you. Take the shot. 

• You cannot have courage without fear so figure out how to get past fear: Mel Robbins says, “the anticipation of doing something new or unknown is almost always worse than actually doing it.” In general, I haven’t let fear stop me in the past but the 100% entrepreneurial journey was paralyzing to me, for years! I figured out that the smallest action gets me past my small and big fears – Write an email, send a text, spend the first few dollars…the key has been to get out of my head and do something physical. Even the smallest action gets me past the big fears. Acknowledge fear, but don’t let it lead and stop you. Get past it. What works for you? 

• It takes a village: The vision is to absolutely have a full team behind A Wink of Yellow. For now, the village I’m taking about is the combination of family, friends and colleagues (old and new), partners and customers that have made this dream real. Support has come in many forms, and I am sincerely grateful for every but of it. Hoping to expend that village in 2024, stay tuned…
•  Gratitude and Faith: Launching AWY has given me a better appreciation for all things and stronger faith. The lessons are not just about building a business, but extend to self-discovery, personal growth and mindset. I am excited to continue this adventure with you, create, learn from every twist and turn, and have faith in the incredible journey ahead. 

What about the tape gun? I despise the tape gun, period. It never works right. Hence, local Austin delivery service was born (doesn’t require a tape gun). Use your difficulty, remember?

 Cheers and wishing you many winks of yellow in 2024.

💛 Shiela 💛