Pivots, Plots Twists, and Epic Fails: a reflection

As the year comes to a close it brings moments of reflection, on the year, on the coming year, on life itself.  I have plenty about all facets of my life, but for the purposes of this post I'll say that many of my reflections come from life as an entrepreneur.  What went well?  What didn't go so well?  What should I continue doing?  What should I accept as a fail (learning lesson?) and not do again?  What stones have been left unturned that need to be flipped?

Membership

When I launched this business I thought I was being really smart by mimicking Amazon's model with a membership offering.  Free shipping, discount on products, special promos, it was going to be glorious: the clean and green "prime".  Well turns out it was a bit of a tougher sell.  And while Amazon manages to rack in membership fees from most Americans, what I learned is that most Americans don't really want any more fees or memberships (especially when they can get just about anything from Amazon).  It hit me one day when I was picking up Cafe Rio (don't judge - they have the best queso) and I literally get $10 off every.single.time I pick up food for my family there, which I love.  It honestly keeps me going back there knowing I'll get $10 off, and then I schedule my 2xday sodium sweat session for the next day.  Enter Live Free Rewards.  Its built like the Cafe Rio loyalty model without the queso.  $10-$40 coupons emailed to you just for shopping for things you need anyway, with us.  I've watched my most loyal customers cash in $10, $20 and $40 coupons and it makes me so happy.  It's a total WIN-WIN!  

Inventory

I may look like a one woman show, but what you don't see is countless mentors, advisors, and INTERNS behind the scene.  It has been one of my greatest joys working with fellow entrepreneurs, clean living aficionados, and students who are aspiring to be entrepreneurs themselves (may the force be with you, you crazy people)!  I've had ages 8th grade through seniors in college intern in my business and they have all been nothing short of brilliant.  My latest group of interns got a full semester peak behind the curtain and let me tell you it was more petrifying than airing dirty laundry!  Turns out I may have colored outside the lines a little too boldly with some of my inventory purchases.  Enter WINTER BLOWOUT SALE!  Sometimes mistakes are fixable with discounts 🤷‍♀️  Help me clear out the shelves for new items you really really want in 2025!  (Hurry ends 1/1 at 11:11pm)  Thank you U of U trailblazers: team FLC!

PopUps

I've toyed with a retail space since I conceptualized the business but my location has made it near impossible.  Every time I calculate how much laundry detergent I have to sell each month to pay rent, it just becomes a hard no.  I still wanted a physical presence especially when I first launched, just to get the word out, so I emailed just about every business in Park City & SLC and asked if they'd be up for a POP UP.  While some of them were super fun (mostly the ones at friends' homes), most of them were just an immense amount of time, work, and shlep for little return.  In fact one in particular was an epic fail.  It was a large woman's event with over 300 guests and I was invited to be a vendor.  I had an entire table and it was right before Christmas so I brought EVERYTHING including my husband so he could help ring people up while I wrapped gifts.  I thought it would be HUGE.  We spent 4 hours plus set up and clean up and sold 1 tin of Puppy Paw Protector.  Writing this, it still makes me giggle.  Pop Ups are soooo 2024, and semi-permanent shelfs & spaces within space are so 2025.  You can find me on the top shelf at Beau Collective with more coming soon....  and of course I always love warehouse visitors!

Payroll

I had what seemed like a lifetime's worth of a career before this crazy life I drummed up as an entrepreneur and I had absolutely NO PROBLEM accepting paychecks, asking for raises, negotiating more money.  For some reason I have a really hard time paying myself.  There are always things I want to sink money into to grow the business, to improve the customer experience, to improve efficiencies, to build a better business.  However, it becomes a viscous cycle and before you know it a year has gone by with NO PAYCHECK.  So guess what - the cycle ends right here, right now - with you as my witness.  I work more hours, wear more hats, am responsible for more tasks than any other job in my lifetime - and I LOVE IT - BUT I should probably pay myself, what do you think?  Can I get a WOOP WOOP?!  💸

Patience

You may or may not know that I have been working very diligently on my first private label line of product - a skincare line for teen, tween, and twenty aged gals.  When I started this business I had no intention of producing product but as I've found gaps in the market I've decided, why not?  It is certainly 1 way to ensure the product is highest clean + green standards on the market if I do it myself.  The line was supposed to launch this past Sept and we are now (if all stars align) launching in Spring.  There have been many unanticipated bends in the road, some purposeful, some just the way it goes, and some financial (now accepting angel investors).  I worked myself into a tizzy at one point when we were falling behind schedule, then I accepted the plot twist, pivoted my attitude in a major way when I realized that a tizzy was not what the skincare line needed.  The line will launch when all pieces are in place & when it is ready to hit the market with a bang⚡️.  So stay tuned... and the good news is: through all these little delays I keep coming up with more and more exciting launch party ideas.  And if you know me, you know I do like to throw parties.

Resilience

This may be an obvious when you leave a career path that comes with titles, paychecks, benefits, and security and choose a path where failure is the majority, there's no certainty, security, or paychecks (until now 👊), and the title actually scares the crap out of you.  You have a baseline of resilience (or insanity) that many people don't.  But it still is pretty f'ing hard some days.  Trying to juggle it all, figuring out what to juggle, what balls to drop, what balls to NOT drop.  And it can be a grind, exhausting, even demoralizing at times.  But as luck or the universe would have it, there's always some little gift, whisper of magic, minuscule miracle that happens right when my resilience is withering and I start to scan the linked in job boards, or dream about bombing avalanches as a ski patrol.  Those little moments that keep me going mostly come from you!  A text about how much you love a product, an order (I still get so excited when orders come in), a new customer, a referral, a positive review, an atta girl, even a big hug.  So thank you for continuing to bolster my resilience as we flip the calendar on a new year.  I have so many exciting plans for this year and I am every humbled and grateful that you have joined me on this ride to live free.

Happy New Year!  May it be filled with high vibes, grand adventures, and all the clean living love you deserve.

Live free,
Dana

🫶