2024 Round Up

Welp. That escalated quickly. LOL!

2024 has been a whirlwind to say the least. As far as business is concerned, I started 2024 off in the middle of a small business accelerator, Baltipreneurs. This accelerator was for 8 weeks from December 2023 - March 2024. A very small program, with about 12 businesses represented in the cohort. I really enjoyed it. I had forgotten how much fun "in person" can be. The focus was on building a business pitch with other business foundation lessons along the way. I finished strong, with my pitch being well received by the audience and winning the "Hustle Award" with a vote from my peers in the cohort.

My pitch was to get funding to bring my e-course, Six-Figure Kitchen Academy, to market and I was quickly on my way to being able to an official launch when I had to shift my focus. One of my largest private label clients had been working on selling to a global market which meant that the Fancy Factory had to obtain Good Manufacturing Practices certifications. ISO 22716: Good Manufacturing Practices cosmetic manufacturing and ICH Q7: active pharmaceutical ingredient. And the inspection was scheduled for mid-June. No small feat for a team of 2 employees. But I made my best attempt anyway. And I failed miserably on the first attempt. LOLOLOL!

Well, I didn't fail miserably but I did not pass. So, I had 8 weeks to fix everything he found. Which pretty much meant that the Hot Mom Summer that I had planned while my Six-Figure Kitchen Academy e-course created passive income wasn't going to happen. As a matter of fact, revenue was slowing to damn near a halt because I was sooooo focused on doing what I needed to do to get the certification. I was barely keeping up with existing business. There was little to no marketing going on. I was just FOCUSED! And sometimes that's what you need to do to accomplish such a huge goal. But God! As of August 16, 2024, the Fancy Factory is officially a GMP certified manufacturing facility.

Then I went on my apology tour with my kids, husband, friends and family. Trying to squeeze as many fun dates with everyone that I missed over the summer before school started back up. Once I celebrated and rested a bit, it was back to business trying to catch up on product development projects that I put on the back burner all summer.  One client with 4 products to replicate existing formulas, one client with one formula that was a replication, but I had to figure out the formula. And then a pet project of my own, body wash for sensitive skin. *phew*

I looked up and it was October and all of my private label clients were ordering to restock for Black Friday. I was balancing work with navigating my kids being in two different schools and attempting to maintain consistency with my self-care routine. But I hadn't caught up with Fancy Free inventory from the summer. And then it was November and I promised one of my clients I would go to Germany to be their right hand for a tradeshow. Came home from Germany mid-November and tried to prepare as best I could for Black Friday sales. But with sales being slow all year, I wasn't sure what to expect. 

Personally, I've been doing some internal work. Figuring out who I am outside of being a wife, mother and entrepreneur. That mirror reveals some interesting things. The figurative mirror and the actual mirror.

If you follow me on social media, you probably know that I am pretty regimented with my fitness routine. So, when I noticed that my weight was creeping up in spite of me being in the best shape I've been, managing stress, getting more sleep and eating right, I made an appointment with a nutritionist. My routine bloodwork revealed that I am pre-diabetic. Possibly brought on by perimenopause. Chiiiilllleeee....a mess. However, now that I know, I can implement more effective solutions than just changed eating habits (which are already healthy) and adjusting my fitness routine. While the nutritionist suggested that I qualify for weight loss drugs because of my BMI and Hgb A1C being pre-diabetic, I opted to add a few supplements to my regimen instead. *phew*

Overall, 2024 has been a blessing. I know that the things that I complain about are First World Problems, so I continue my daily practice of gratitude and being present.