January 07, 2020

2019 Round Up

2019 was an interesting year for me in business and my personal life. I spent the first half of the year trying to figure out my life with a colicky baby, a rambunctious 2 year old and a workaholic husband while battling post partum depression. I did a lot of investing in my business. So much that it made me anxious. I ain't used to debt or being in the red. But I finished strong and I didn't die. So I am alive to tell the story.

Fancy Life Accomplishments

Survived 3 months of colic
Overcame postpartum depression
Got my husband to take over handling dinner
Got approval to increase frequency of housekeeping service
Decluttered my house
Made a little bit of money off of selling my kids' baby gear
Lost over 30 pounds
Created a self care routine
Maintained a self care routine for 7 months
Produced breast milk for 12 months
Set personal boundaries to maintain sanity
Maintained said boundaries
Removed a curse from my bloodline
Renewed my spiritual journey
Enjoyed my husband
Found a school for my son
Loved on my family

Fancy Free Hair & Skin Accomplishments

Got my back office in order
Established more automated systems
Hired 3 new employees
Fired 2 employees
Hired a marketing company
Figured out the voice of my brand with the help of a marketing company
Rebranded the look of my products
Added a seasonal scent milk to the roster
Added two new products to the roster
Added 3 new deodorant scents to the roster
Added 2 new product kits to the roster
Hired a social media management company
Fired a social media management company
Hired a second social media management company
Fired the second social media management company
Lawyers on deck to clap back on raggedy second social media management company when they tried to pursue payment even after being raggedy
Added two retail stores
Added one more wholesale buyer
Hired a business tax accountant
Increased revenues by 35%
Increased spending too (typing the percentage increased hurts my feelings)

I'm far from my goals but I am making progress. Progress is important. Typing it out like this made me realize how much I was able to accomplish with a baby strapped to my back and a toddler hanging on to my legs. There were definitely days that I cried. But there were also days that I felt like I could conquer the world. Just know, when I cried, it was only for like 5 minutes. Then I wiped my tears and got busy. Crying is therapeutic, it's a release. Just don't live in a state of sadness where you can't be productive.

I learned that being vulnerable makes me strong. I learned that it's ok to not be ok. I learned to listen to my intuition. I learned to look inward, to my ancestors, and upward, to God. I learned to be in the moment and pause sometimes, especially when it comes to having fun with my children because business building will always need my attention but they will not be little forever.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you fancy and free of chemicals." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.