Big day for me and my business tomorrow. After pretty much two straight days of moving and reorganizing, Sweet Emotion Boutique and Why Not Boutique are officially opening in one location, all but legally, one cohesive boutique.
I've been feeling one of two ways for most of the weekend - first incredibly optimistic towards our future together. I have no doubt that it's going to be wonderfully fantastic. I can already point out a dozen different, little instances over the last few days where Monica and my skills, knowledge, lack of knowledge, etc has both complimented each others and inspired each of us in different ways.
And the second I think is the inevitable sadness. Not for my business - technically I still have my business and I can truthfully say that I think this little merger of ours will breathe new life into both boutiques. And I really couldn't pick a better non-business partner than Monica - she gets people and she gets me - two incredible important things right now for us. I think it's really more of a sadness for the loss of my ideals. The loss of the ideas of what business ownership is supposed to be like. As we all know - rarely do our ideals match up with reality - reality is often so much harsher and more...well, realistic...but I think I always believed this would be easy, that I could go it alone (or sorta alone), or that it would be a success if I just willed it hard enough. The reality is that if small business ownership was easy...everyone would do it, that going it alone is incredibly lonely, and that there is no amount of willing that will make up for a cruddy economy, and...let's face it...a less than stellar business model during those cruddy economic times.
So here's to the successes of the future and the dramatic crashing and burning of my ideals. May the next chapter of boutique ownership be richer and more laughter filled than the last!
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