Looking Back

I realize that I'm pretty bad at keeping up with my blog. And it's not that I'm uninterested. The thing is though that I devoted this blog to my personal journey as a business owner, mom and wife. And "personal" can be hard to write for all to see. It was a very exciting time for Sophie Grace Maui when I put the blog together. Our Wailea location was doing record numbers, everyday there was more phone and Internet orders and on top of all of that my Mom wanted to invest in us and open a second location. I'm looking back on all of this now because it was this time last year that we signed the lease for Sophie Grace Paia.

Things are still exciting for our little company. But I have to be honest, it's been a long year. In fact when we first opened our Paia store we were extremely disappointed by the lack of business. It was probably the worst Christmas I have ever had. I was scared to death that I had just washed my Moms investment down the drain. And of course while I was busy building Paia my sales in Wailea suffered because of it. Thankfully, things have turned around. BUT it was still a very long year. I had a lot to learn about owning two locations. About making that much jewelry and delegating jobs to other people. About finances, choices and priorities. About working with my mom and my husband simultaneously because they are complete opposites. About trusting God. And about coming up with a real plan for our family. For awhile there I thought for sure I had heard God wrong. Now I know that I didn't hear God wrong but that I just didn't hear all of it. Like the part about it being hard. But hard can be good. That's how we learn. Obviously I wasn't going to know these things without doing them.

Anyway, back to my point. It's emotionally terrifying to jump on a blog and start telling the world about your business woes while you spend the rest of your day marketing yourself as successful. I studied PR. It went against everything I knew. If I talked like I was failing then that's how people would treat our business. But then I'm not being true to myself either. As I prepare for what can only be a better Christmas I will try harder to share more about the journey. To not put so much pressure on myself. And to trust a little bit more when things are hard.

This made me smile.

I found this information flipping through the Costco Connection Magazine for small business owners. It kind of made my day.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for having a lack of imagination and good ideas.

Thomas Edison's teachers said that he was too stupid to learn anything.

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4 or read until he was 7 and was eventually expelled from school.

Notes from Fred Astaire's first screen test read, "Can't act. Can't sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little."

Surprise!

So much has happened in the last few months. immediately following my last blog Sophie started a new preschool, we had three sets of family visit, we moved and then we found out we were pregnant (surprise!). We of course told all of our family and friends through a series of phone calls, text messages and then followed up with a personal Facebook post just to cover our bases. But when it came time to tell my customers I was a little stumped. I feel like so many of you are my friends and I want to share this news with you. But announcing something like that on my website/fb page just feels weird. Just like it feels weird posting photos of Sophie which is why I rarely do. I don't really know the protocol here. So instead I'm going the round about way and blogging it. This is my safe place and I know only the customers I'm closest with will actually read it.

I'll admit that we were a bit shocked. Greg and I have known for awhile that no time was going to be the perfect time for us to grow our family. So instead of trying to plan it we gave it to God at the beginning of the year. And with each month since our life has gotten more chaotic. So imagine my surprise when God chose now to multiply us, right when I already felt like I was drowning. But isn't that when God works the best? Just when your convinced you can't possibly take on any more he asks you to let go and surrender. I realize now that this is probably the best thing that can happen to me. The business has gotten to the point that I can no longer do it all. It's time to hire help and start delegating. Something that has always been hard for me. But now I have to, especially if I want to keep growing and not drive my family insane. I'm so blessed to have my husband and my Mom to help me do this. It's absolutely a family business now and I can't wait to see where the next year leads us. Baby is due in March, so it's time to get to work!

Crush it!

My brother in law recommended this book to my hubby for me. By page 3 I was hooked. The author, Gary Vaynerchuk, describes passion as this, " It means that when you get up in the morning , every single morning, you are pumped because you get to talk about or work with or do the thing that interests you the most in the world. You don't live for vacations because you'd don't need a break from what you're doing - working, playing, and relaxing are one and the same. You don't even pay attention to how many hours you're working because to you, it's not really work. You're making money, but you would do whatever it is you're doing for free."

That's me in a nutshell. Absolutely obsessed with what I do. I feel like it was written for me. What this book talks about though is how to harness that passion and get people exited about you and your product using social networking. I haven't been this excited about a book in a long time. Anyway, I'm only a few chapters in. But I will keep you posted on it's advice and how well it works. I even started tweeting again determined to give it another shot. So you knew it was coming, follow my tweets @sophiegracemaui.com (but bare with me I'm new).

Choices

This month has really given me a huge dose of what it means to be a parent. What it means to put your child first, what it means to get down on your knees and pray for them and what it means to fight for their welfare everyday. And mostly, what it means to make difficult choices.

A few blogs down you can see the post about Sophie throwing temper tantrums. That was kind of the beginning of it all. A couple weeks after I posted that (and endured plenty more of those tantrums) I got news that her daycare was closing down for a week. I scrambled to find a daycare that would take her temporarily. Thankfully I found a great substitute with an interesting rule. No sugar. No sweets, no gummies, no fruit roll ups and NO JUICE. Guess what? The tantrums stopped cold. I all of a sudden had a different child on my hands.

I think that it's appropriate to insert a great big DUH right about here. I know, I know. I mentally chastise parents all day long for feeding their children shaved ice for breakfast while on vacation and then acting bewildered when those same children grow a second head by lunch time. But I guess that I never really put it together. Greg and I had already been considering a day care switch for reasons that had more to do with the price of gas. But the sugar thing was icing on the cake. It's hard to ask any daycare to not give your child juice when all the other children are getting it. I don't want my child to think that she is being punished because she keeps hearing "your mommy said you can't have that" all day long. So we gave a 30 day notice that we would be switching daycares. This was difficult because the person in charge has been a big part of Sophie's life. And we could tell that this person was and still is very much offended. I don't want to hurt anybodies feelings, but I have to-have to put Sophie first.

And if that wasn't enough we might be needing to make that same choice again with our living situation. Or at least enforcing some uncomfortable rules. Sophie has been saying nasty words and phrases to the other kids at daycare that I promise we never taught her. But I know who did and they live next door. And again that choice will offend more people.

So I guess that's what it means to be a parent. To unapologetically (not really a word- I know) choose to put your child's welfare above the desire of others. I'm in charge of raising the best daughter that I know how. That's my job and responsibility above everything else. I can only wonder what it will be like as she gets older and makes friends, joins clubs and plays sports. I pray that God gives me the strength to make the difficult choices for her and the wisdom to teach her how to make them for herself when I'm not there.

Help Wanted!

Sophie Grace Maui is officially hiring. We are looking for somebody to work one to two days a week in our Wailea location but also be able to fill in once and awhile in our Paia location. We are looking for somebody with strong sales skills who is comfortable with customers. Somebody who loves people, jewelry and fashion. Somebody who is trustworthy, organized and able to communicate well. You do not need to know how to make jewelry but must be willing to learn. This person must be able to work Saturdays. The shift is from 10-5 and is outside by the pool. It does require setting up and breaking down of the kiosk. If this sounds like you then send your resume to jamie@sophiegracemaui.com. If you have sent your resume in the past and are still interested please send it again.

Happy Birthday Sophie Grace Maui

My plan was to celebrate Sophie Grace Maui turning three this month. I was going to make a big deal of it on facebook and have a mini champagne toast at the store and make it special. But then as I was doing my taxes and looking over my old receipts from years prior I realized something. Sophie Grace Maui turned 3 weeks ago. For some reason I always thought it was at the end of March, but in reality it was in the beginning. So Happy Birthday Sophie Grace Maui, I'm so sorry I missed it!

I decided that the very least I could do was reminisce by posting the photos we took in the very beginning...

Still do this day lighting is our biggest dilemma..

Sophie Grace Maui, actually called Sophie Grace Designs, started as a little kiosk in Whalers Village Kaanapali. Notice that it's dark in the photo? That's because I used to be open 10AM-10PM all day everyday. I'm so glad that's out of my system. At first I didn't mind being there all of the time. But after a few months it wore on me. Greg and I used to have dinner there most nights, taking turns helping customers. And on the days that we got rained out we would pack up the beads and sit in our teeny tiny ohana/garage that we rented and make jewelry together.

God has been very good to us through our little jewelry adventure and I wouldn't change any of it (even the hard parts) for the world.

P.S. We finally had a photo shoot of the new store so I will be posting those next week.

P.P.S. In case you were wondering about my last post: Sophie is back to normal not throwing tantrums and not climbing out of her crib.

Kicking and Screaming

Yesterday I took Sophie with me to the post office on the way to daycare. We got there early so I pulled her into the front seat with me and she played with my iPhone apps as we waited. When the post office opened we went inside and she danced around the people in line making friends with everybody. On the way back to the car I found myself thinking what a lovely morning I had with her.

BUT then I tried to put her in her car seat and all hell broke loose. Oh my. I had never seen her throw a tantrum like that. Especially not in public. She flailed (is that a word?) her body around like a fish doing everything she could to not go in that seat. She screamed and cried bloody murder and I think she might have even smacked me. It became such a scene I finally had to go inside the car from the other side and shut the door so that nobody witnessed our struggle. Because honestly, they probably would have thought I was trying to kidnap her by all the kicking and screaming.

I was so shaken up by it that I didn't even notice until half way to daycare that my emergency brakes were on. When I got to daycare and pulled her out of the car I got a whiff of her diaper. So I of course blamed myself for being an idiot and not realizing that the reason she didn't want to sit down in her seat was because she knew what was coming. I did everything I could to hold back my tears of guilt as I dropped her off. When I finally got to the shop I locked the door behind me, burst into tears, and called my Mom.

The thing is though that the dirty diaper ended up not being the issue at all. Because apparently she threw tantrums for the rest of the day. And then this morning when she did it again I looked at her sternly and asked, "Do you want to go in your crib?". This line normally works like a charm. I can say it anytime of day no matter where we are and she takes me seriously. Even if we are in the car on the other side of town with no crib in sight. But this morning she just looked at me and said, "OK!". My jaw dropped. I didn't know what to do. So I said,"fine, in you go!" and in she went. When I peeked in a few minutes later I caught her with one leg swung over the rail climbing out and smiling with pride as she did it!

Two days ago I had a child that behaved. Two days ago I had a child that on the rare occasion she didn't behave I could put her in her crib for a two minute time out and everything was right in my world again. Two days ago my daughter was too small to climb out of the crib. Two days ago I thought I had this mother thing down.

I would love to say I came up with some parenting epiphany since then. That God whispered in my ear that everything would be OK. But even now as I write I can hear her jumping in her bed like it was a trampoline laughing at me and refusing to sleep. I am at a complete loss.

Tsunami

When Greg called me last night and asked if I was watching the news I thought that he had caught me watching American Idol, something I promised I wouldn't do until he got home. When he started talking about Japan and tsunamis I started looking out the window to see if he was spying on me from the street. But then I turned on the news and realized that it wasn't a joke at all. It's at times like these that I am so glad I live upcountry far away from the ocean.

I immediately began calling all my friends who live in evacuation zones and offering them a place to stay. Most of them, including my Mom, hadn't even heard the news yet. Greg had the privilege of stopping by the store on the way home and standing in line for a few hours for some water and canned food. My stepson filled the cars up with gas (also a very long line) and hit the ATM machines for us. I turned the fan on full blast in Sophie's room to try and drown out the noise of the emergency sirens before they started. These are just some of the things that you do to prepare for a tsunami. And then at 2AM the news announced the wave heading our way had increased from 6 feet to 8 feet. So off Greg and Ty went to empty the Paia store of all the things I wasn't ready to see wash away.

I know that I'm very blessed it all ended up OK. I know that I'm very blessed to not be in the kind of situation that those in Japan are in. Dealing with death and loss on such an extraordinary level. I know that I should be feeling something different in my heart than what I'm feeling right now. But to be honest, to be really really honest, I'm struggling. Sophie Grace Maui has had some challenges these last few months that I haven't been able to really write about. And just like this, they were all because of events that had nothing to do with me. As a Mom trying to provide for her family I'm frustrated because I know that this too will effect us. Spring Break is our busy time, I bought supplies to gear up for that busy time. And now with the airports closed and tourism put on hold, I'm sad.

Please don't judge me. It took everything in me to admit that. In the grand scheme of things my little business is not important. I am very very blessed. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm feeling a little discouraged...

Hello There

I realize that it's been 30 days since my last post. I haven't given up on my blog. Not in the least. But you know that post two posts down? The one that talks about increasing my payroll and stepping out in faith? The one that says it was going to be hard? Well it was, and still is. I'm learning that when you step out in faith there are many rewards, but also many tests and a few attacks along the way. I had barely hit "post" when the challenges began rolling in. I won't get too detailed as there are people I love who might not want their lives written about. But let's just say this, my business was almost uprooted by circumstances that had nothing to do with me and my household has almost doubled permanently (no I did not have a baby).

It might be a few weeks before I'm back blogging on a regular basis. BUT it's Saturday and I'm not working just like I said. Through it all I'm sticking to my decision to work less. And no, blogging isn't work. Greg is running errands and Sophie is napping. So for the first time in 30 days, I can do whatever I want!

Bohemia Boutique

I posted on my facebook page last week that I have a wedding to go to tomorrow (congrats Lacy!) and that there was a dress I had my eye on for the event that I just couldn't realistically afford at the time. So I decided to try out Bohemia Boutique, a consignment store in Wailuku. And guess what? This is the dress I found while I was there. It's by one of my favorite brands, Free People. And I actually had my eye on it when it first hit stores last year. I was sad that I didn't buy it the first time I saw it so I was pretty excited that I found it for half the price this time around.

Now I'm not a huge consignment shopper. I've tried in the past but I just don't ever find anything that I like. However, my closet was filled to the brim with clothes that I didn't need. The first time that I went into Bohemia I was pretty shocked to learn that there was actually a waiting list to put your clothes on consignment! But the manager was so very nice, she emailed me an agreement to look over and called me a few weeks later to schedule an appointment. So very very professional. After I brought in my clothes she emailed me a detailed list of everything that I brought in and how much it was priced at and how much of that price would go to me. They even mail you your checks once things start selling. I have to tell you that I was pretty impressed with the whole arrangement. I've done this only one other time at a different local consignment store and the experience was so awful that I never returned. Not even to pick up my money! And besides being professional and courteous they also have great things. Designer things! So I encourage anybody who lives in Maui to check out Bohemia Boutique the next time your in Wailuku. I don't think that you will be disappointed.

Bohemia Boutique
105 North Market Street 101B
Wailuku, HI 96793

808-244-9995

Priorities

Today is hopefully a turning point for me. As of today I will no longer be working weekends. This was never important before as Greg never had a Monday thru Friday kind of job before. But he does now and if I ever want to see him or be together as a family at the same time then this was something that I needed to do. My goal is to begin taking myself off of the schedule completely. I would like to run this company from a management position. Meaning that I would spend a few hours in each store during week days. But that I would have time to do things that I can't do when I'm required to open and close a shop everyday. Like finish our website, or sit down with our graphic designer to work on some much needed advertising pieces. Or better yet, make jewelry.

I'm hoping that my new schedule will begin to better me as a Mom and Wife first but also as a designer as well. I'm hoping that in the long run it will be a smart move from a financial perspective too. But right now I know it's going to hurt. Hiring a full time staff means doubling my payroll. Which means that it's time to start sacrificing certain spending habits. It means possibly moving into a smaller home and it means being more responsible with our money.

It's times like these I'm thankful that I don't own a home. I wouldn't have the freedom that I do now to make choices that benefit our company. Like cutting our rent in half. I'm also thankful that I have a husband that though he has his own career he is still very much a part of our family business. I'm thankful that he too is willing to go without a fancy car and home-owning so that we can build something bigger for our family. I'm also thankful that I have a Mom who was willing to jump into this boat with us. Without her I wouldn't be able to step away as I'm trying to do now. And lastly I'm thankful that the Lord has filled my life with very qualified people to assist me. I used to always have a really difficult time finding a staff. Even just one person. Now I have them coming out my ears. All in the Lords timing I guess.

I know that God gave me this little business. And I also know that he doesn't want me to continue working as I have been. I don't think I was making bad choices in the past. It's just part of it. But all the signs are there that it's time rearrange my priorities. So I have faith that my efforts will be blessed. But I'm also confident that just because it's God's will doesn't mean it will be entirely easy. So maybe keep us in your prayers anyways.

EMBARRASING!

I'm a little bit frustrated with facebook. I'm not a junkie by any means. I rarely go on my personal page and when I do it's to post photos of Sophie for her grandparents to see. It's my business one that has me a bit conflicted. I was late to the facebook game. I thought it was evil and I wanted nothing to do with it. But my very smart social networking genius of a brother in law convinced me otherwise. So I thought that I would try it. I had been collecting email addresses for years from my various locations and didn't really do all that much with them. So I set up my facebook page. Or rather I had one of my employees do it for me since I was so clueless. She did and ran all my collected email address through the friend finder. Lots accepted my friend request so I was happy.

The thing is though that these email address were collected over several years. So some people who hadn't heard from me in a really long time or who didn't remember me denied my friend requests. Which is fine. BUT as far as I know facebook doesn't allow you to track that or delete those people. So every time I enter another book of email addresses that people willingly write down in my guest book I run another friend finder. And again, people from years ago decline my offer because I can't figure out how to separate those from the new ones unless I search them one by one. Which I guess is what I will have to do now in the free time I don't really have because facebook just put me on friend restriction!

I'm not sure if that's happened to any of you before. Probably not, or at least I hope not. The whole thing is kind of embarrassing. First facebook scolded me. Seriously! And then it made me read an agreement saying I wouldn't send friend requests to people I didn't know and THEN at the bottom it made me click a button with the words "I understand". I'm humiliated as I write this.

When I retold this story everybody thought it was hysterical and laughed at me. But I was really really offended. I went to bed angry and hurt! At facebook! Most people would roll their eyes and stop using facebook. But it's actually a really big part of my business. It pays the rent during slow months. So I can't do that. And I understand why they have these rules in place. And I'm glad they do. But I'm really not a creep! Oh well. I guess that I will have to get over it. But it honestly felt like JR High when the boy you like breaks up with you! It's a feeling that never really leaves you.

Read This Blog

I blogged about my graphic artist a few months ago. A friend from high school that I reconnected with via facebook. She redid my logo and all of my packaging and marketing material. I love her work! Anyway, my friend Amanda has started a new blog that's worth reading. It's called, "My Year of Faith". She started it because she felt called to do so after her husband was laid off. On it she blogs EVERYDAY about having faith. Her husband is going on 53 days now without work and still she blogs each day about her faith in the matter. It's inspiring, and kind of addicting too. I find myself wondering each day about their situation and reminding myself to check the blog to see if their prayers have been answered yet. She also posts other people's stories of faith. I would encourage anybody who might need some inspiration to check out this blog. You will immediately feel connected to her and her situation. And if you know of anybody hiring in Southern California for a sales job then let her know! Check out the blog

www.myyearoffaith.blogspot.com

Relax

Lately life has been a bit stressful. I've been going back and forth between two stores and my schedule has been less than ideal. I've been working almost everyday and not spending enough time with my family. On top of that Greg's job is taking up more time as well which has been hard to balance as he tries to finish things around the store. The bathroom still isn't working, the landscaping isn't finished, more lighting needs to be put up and the signs need to be hung. Every morning I would wake up just feeling this immense amount of pressure to get it all perfect. And then God reminded me that I have to relax. Which is funny because it's not like I found some quiet time in order to hear that. I've been pretty bad at that lately and I think God got tired of waiting for me to ask what he thought. But he loved me enough to tell me anyway. Relax. I'm new to Paia and I want our business to do well and to fit in too. I want to be accepted by the community of course. But I didn't build this store to impress the neighborhood. I did it in order to take care of my family. To do something with my Mom. To grow as an artist. To teach my children about life and faith. To provide. To enjoy what God has given me. If I forget to do all of that because I'm so worried of failing and what others think then what on earth was the point? So this is me trying to relax and enjoy the process of it all. Today I'm OK.

My Handy Man

Here's to my husband. He drives me crazy sometimes but I know for a fact that I drive him nuts too. Especially when I ask him to build me a table for the new store ASAP. What boggles my mind is that he actually turns around and does it. And he does it with style. He didn't just build a table, he stained it, painted it, pickled it and distressed it for me in one afternoon. Thanks honey. It's the prettiest table ever.

Her First

Maybe I'm paranoid but I feel like I need to address this now. Before anything else I'm a Mom to the world's most precious child. So if she is running a fever and I have nobody to work for me then yes, I will probably close for the day. If I miss her and need a Sophie day then I will probably bring her to work with me. And if on a day like today when the island is storming I will take my time getting her to preschool, open the store late and close early. And if you think that's unprofessional on my part then maybe your right. But then I really don't want your business anyway.

For Me?

I have the most amazing customers. It's almost absurd to me how loyal and kind they are. The most loyal and kind ones are the ones that I met my first six months in that kiosk in Kaanapali. There must have been something pretty endearing about me, scared out of my mind trying to make my dreams come true! I'm still scared out of my mind. That hasn't changed. But I am a little bit more aware of how odd it is that these people keep in touch with me. For example, my friend Shriley. This lady bought a few starfish bracelets three years ago when I first opened. Those bracelets have reappeared in my life several times needing repairs. Once by mail, and the other time through some friends of hers on vacation. Both times I happily repaired them because that's my job, but kindly reminded her that maybe it wasn't a good idea to wear them EVERYDAY. Do you know what she did? She knitted me this scarf. Or crotchet? I'm not sure. But it took her 9 hours! And then she held on to it for a year until she was able to make it out to Maui again! I almost cried when she showed up in our Paia shop and handed it to me. I have more stories like this, especially once Sophie was born. And it just blows me away. So I just wanted to say thank you. I believe that God purposely puts customers like you in my life to reassure me that I'm not crazy. I think that he did it very often early on because I was an emotional wreck all of the time and needed the encouragement of strangers who would later become friends. So again, thank you. You know who you are.

A Day Off

Today is the first full day that I have had off in over a month (with the exception of Christmas of course). Managing two stores is overwhelming. I know that it will get easier as business picks up and we have a regular staff in place. But for now it's overwhelming. If I'm not in Wailea then I'm in Paia and if I'm not in either place then it's night time and I'm in my office making jewelry. Thanks to my assistant I was blessed with a full day at home with my little girl. And let me tell you it was much needed. We haven't had one of these 'just the two of us' days in awhile and we really didn't have anywhere to be. So we did something that I always want to do but never can because Saturday is normally a work day. We went garage sale hopping. Maui is a pretty great place for garage sales. People either have generations of family here so they have a lot of really great old stuff, or they were only here temporarily and are now leaving the island so they have a lot of really great new stuff. I know that garage sale hopping with a toddler probably doesn't sound like fun to most. But with a child like Sophie who instantly bonds with every stranger she meets it can actually be a lot of fun. And since all the garage sales are in my neighborhood it was pretty convenient too. I didn't find anything for me but Sophie definitely scored. The pieces are old and will need a bit of fixing and granted Sophie doesn't have a doll house yet. But we can find or build that later.

It's been an amazing day. I will go to bed tonight at peace and reminded that next to her none of it matters.