Top 5 Surprising Things
It's hard to imagine what life will be like when you first start a new business - particularly if it's the first time you've ever done it!
It seems that I come from a bit of an entrepreneurial family - in the past, both my parents and my brother have had their own businesses. Even my teenage nephew is in the process of developing his own side hustles.
Despite that, a few things still came as a surprise to me with Falling Leaf...
1) You guys🧡
The enthusiasm that complete strangers would have for my wee brand, and how many of those complete strangers would become friends. I see you, and I appreciate you!
It's so gratifying when you put so much time and effort into something, and other people just...get it.
2) That I still enjoy markets The 5am starts. The carrying around heavy boxes. The wind, rain, sleet, snow, hailstones... The long drives, and quiet days. Yes, markets are tough. This year in particular has been a challenging one, with people tightening their belts, more events than usual being rained off, and footfall in general being down. I thought that sacrificing most of my weekends (and some evenings), the shine may have rubbed off any love I had for markets to begin with. But the community you build at these events - the camaraderie, friendships, support and healthy competition - has possibly made them even more magical! Sitting at my desk alone, developing new designs, dealing with the endless admin and second-guessing my website for the 100th time, things can get quite lonely, and doubts can creep in about my life choices. Getting out to markets and events, hearing your feedback - how you love the designs, how well they wash, how soft they feel - is the boost I need to keep going. |
3) That I still have no clue
I've been doing this for 5 years now. I launched this website on the 5th of November 2021, and every day since then has been the steepest learning curve.
With how much I've learned in that time, how am I not some sort of small business expert? I've done discussion panels at universities, held workshops online, supported students with their projects.. even won awards! But each of these generally only serves to highlight to me the areas I still don't understand.
I have to admit, while frustrating, it's also one of the things I love the most about Falling Leaf - it certainly never gets boring!
4) How many other cool small businesses there are
It can sometimes feel like the world is being taken over by big conglomerates, and I suppose it probably is, and the system is certainly designed to support them way more than it does small enterprises.
However, when you go to these markets, or your high street, or you even go online and put in the right search, you'll find loads of really amazing independent makers, bakers, cooks, services and brands. It's really impressive the imagination, creativity and skills that some people have, and I sometimes worry that we don't value them as much as we used to.
5) What success means to me
When I was starting out, I had two goals.
Goal 1 - to see someone I didn't know, out and about, wearing Falling Leaf gear.
Goal 2 - become the next SuperDry (in its heyday).
Goal 1 I achieved after about a year. It was really gratifying, and since then I've seen loads of people around Scotland proudly wearing their Falling Leaf stuff with pride.
Goal 2 may have been a bit more of a pipe dream, but I did have the audacity to picture selling out at markets (LOL to that - as though three people of each size will buy every garment on the stand!) and making loads of money in the process.
Although I have had markets where things have flown off the shelf and I've made great sales, even 5 years on I'm not really in the position to pay myself any sort of regular wage from Falling Leaf sales. The taxman put paid to that idea.
Somewhere along the way I've realised that having the ability to reinvest in my next cool design, be super creative, try new marketing ideas, and learn loads of new things is much more (or at least as!) rewarding.
I've seen more of Scotland in the past 5 years than I did in the decade before then. I've tried new things, like wild swimming, that were initially to create content and have now become part of my life. I've met new people who have become good friends.
The value of Falling Leaf for me is the life it has built for me, and for that I'll be eternally grateful.
What has surprised you most about the career you've chosen?
Share your thoughts with us here, or...
Thanks for reading :)
Linds x
😊🧡🍂
Founder, Falling Leaf Clothing
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