// SHOP SMALL - 9 Small Businesses To Support This Season

'Tis the season to be shopping for your loved ones! There are so many amazing small businesses out there that deserve your patronage this season. I've made so many wonderful friends via social media over the years and a lot of them are making it their own way by being their own boss. I've chosen 8 of my favorite independent shops to highlight below (and I threw in my little sign side biz, too. Shameless plug!). If you're looking for something special to give this year, hopefully one of these shops will have you covered! You certainly don't have to only shop small this year, but it's kind of awesome to know that every purchase you make with an independent maker means that money is going to stay with them and their venture/family/whatever. I also own at least one thing from each and every shop below so I can vouch for the quality of their goods!

Be sure to keep these folks in mind for Small Business Saturday (November 29) and Cyber Monday (December 1), too! Here you go!

Shauna and Stephen make some of the most amazing bow ties, neckties, and handkerchiefs. Mike and both of our boys have their own Forage pieces and they look so dapper in them! The quality is above and beyond, and they're just really cool people. It's always nice to know the folks behind the brand are genuine and kind!

Kelley was recently featured in one of my Rad Gal, Rad Gig segments, talking about being a candle maker! We have a few Candelles around our house and they smell so good! The Pomegranate Cider is my absolute favorite! I love seeing what new scents she comes up with.

Carolyn dreams up some of the most adorable costumes and creations for the littles ones in your life! Linden has been a strawberry, a cupcake, and a blueberry, too. Toby and Linden also have matching letterman cardigans (left) and they're so soft and sweet!

Jenny and Aaron are so incredibly talented, I can't even! They released a book earlier this year (It's fantastic!) and their paintings are the perfect blend of novelty and realistic. The three shown above are ornaments (!!!) I love their pastel aesthetic!

Nicole is a caramel whiz! She has made an entire career out of creating delicious caramels, sauce, and caramel popcorn. The popcorn is what dreams are made of, I'm telling you! We just won't talk about how many late night bowls of ice cream and caramel sauce I've had, okay?

If you've got a baby, you've heard of Little Hip Squeaks. Amy blows me away with how she's built LHS over the years. It's so inspiring to see something take off the way her business has. The prints and patterns of her pieces are so fun and perfect for babies!

Beca and Doug are unstoppable. Just when you think they can't possibly create anything more amazing, they go and do just that. They're the creators of the original wood veneer sunglasses, and now they're whipping up these adorable "tiny knives" and camping utensils.

 

Elizabeth is the creator of yet another super fun kid (and adult friendly!) clothing line. Those pants in the center are by far my favorite pants of L's. I'm so sad he had a growth spurt and has almost outgrown them! She's the whiz behind the super popular "As Seen on IG" shirts, too!

And of course I had to throw in my custom painted signs. I mean, they are kind of perfect for the holidays... I'm down to just 3 remaining sizes though so if you're interested, check out a sampling of paintings on Instagram (#kbsigns) and give me a shout!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you're looking for special gifts for your loved ones, this is a great place to start! I promise you won't be disappointed by any of them! Do you have any small businesses or shops you'd like to suggest for awesome gifts?!

// On Being Married To Your Business Partner

Some of my friends think I'm crazy... and probably for good reason(s). One of my very best friends in the world finds it absolutely mind boggling that Mike and I can have a happy, working marriage all the while being business partners in every. single. venture. together. I get it, because it does seem a little much at times. But truth be told, I honestly believe the positives greatly outweigh the negatives (at least in our situation).

This was never really our plan - to be business partners. I think at the beginning of almost all new relationships you want to be with your significant other every waking minute of every day (well, within reason). That's never how we envisioned our future. Over the past four years we've been together, my career path has shifted, stalled, and changed directions more times than I can remember. My "passions" in life have been fairly stable, but the journey to get there is still ever changing. Mike was lucky enough to sort of stumble upon his passion (photography) early on in our relationship, so for the past several years I've been able to watch that fire grow inside him. I'd watch him day in and day out, hunkered over his computer, trying to fit as much new information into his brain as possible. The way Mike throws himself into things he loves truly inspires me. I felt motivated and excited just by being around him. Granted I've always been a little jealous at his ability to quickly pick up almost any task at hand, but that sort of aptitude for learning is to have around!

Over time our interests and passions just started to meld into one. He'd take photos for the blog and I'd benefit with blog content while he'd benefit with photography practice. He'd learn a new trade and then teach me. When I expressed my interest in starting a mobile shop here in Nashville, Mike was all about it. Honeybean would not (and could not!) exist without him. Then I picked up my wooden sign paintings and he got all handy with his ways to make them better (He's also the most efficient shipping expert!) We'd each just lend a helping hand whenever and wherever we could. It was convenient and it was effective... and that's sort of what we've always been going for. Once Mike expressed his interest in film photography, we both dove in head first, and because of that we've found something that we truly, truly love. It's another thing we get to share together.

Maybe we really are crazy, and maybe it can't last forever (who knows!), but right now I absolutely love being married to my business partner. It's not always easy, and it's not always fun, but we make it work. One of the drawbacks (for us) is that we're a lot alike on the surface. We both get inspired really easily, and we can often act hastily, but sometimes we need a good swift kick in the butt to get things finished. It's like we suffer from inspirational ADD, if that makes any sense! Another drawback is that we can often find ourselves unmotivated on the same day. Those days usually end up full of naps and Netflix... Or we experience the polar opposite: We can't stop working. Some days at our house are full force from 6am until 1am, and even then it's hard to pull away. I think every self-employed person has those rushes and lulls, but it can get a little messy when it's the 2 adults in a family/household ya know?

The ability to make our own decisions regarding everything business/family related is amazing though. Not to mention we can "take off" or go on the road whenever we'd like. We have no one to answer to but ourselves (Well, and clients!). On one hand I can see how terrifying and "dangerous" (for the lack of a better word) it might be to marry your business partner, but on the other it's the perfect scenario because our priorities are always aligned. We get to celebrate our successes together, and we can help console each other through the failures. Plus the comfort and ability in being able to tell someone when they need to get their butt in gear is nice, too. We're very open in our communication, which is something I think a lot of business partners sometimes lack.

This week was a really productive one for us, as husband and wife, and as business owners. We were able to sit down on multiple occasions and really hash out what we want out of our businesses, life, marriage. We were able to set goals, make lists, and get stuff done. It's days like that where I realize that we truly have the best of both worlds. I can't say there aren't days where I want to punch Mike in the face because he frustrates me (and vice versa), but weeks like this one really put things into perspective. I want to make this last as long as possible. He's not just my husband and he's not just my business partner... he's my life partner. I'm probably just getting mushy at this point... but I feel like I don't get to brag on him enough. He's such a big part of everything I do, every single day. Sometimes I just want to shout out how amazing he is from the rooftop. I thank my lucky stars every day that we haven't grown tired of each other yet. There may come a time when we need more of a break from each other, and if that's the case I truly hope we're able to acknowledge it and take action. I'd never have imagined that I wanted to be with my husband 24/7, but sometimes we surprise ourselves. At least we're always happy to go do our own thing, too. That's basically vital at this point!

Choosing someone to invest time, money, energy and faith into when it comes to business ventures is difficult. You hear the horror stories of friends living and working together, and they always say never go into business with family. Mike is the one person I trust more than anyone else in the world... doesn't it just make sense to be partners? I guess this has just been on my mind a lot lately since we've really been trying to plan ahead. Again, that's not to say that this is the best decision for every relationship, or that it'll be the best decision for ours forever. I don't think we're special snowflakes for making it work because every partnership (in love and in business) takes a lot of work. Right now I'm just really happy with where things are going.

How about you? Have you ever entered into a business venture with a significant other? Or even best friend? I wanna hear about your experiences!

// Mastermind Sessions + Best Friends

On Saturday I met my friend Elle at Baja Burrito for a delicious lunch and a business chat. Elle is one of those people who just have it so together when it comes to life/career/basically everything. You can't help but be inspired when you're around her. Her work ethic is totally enviable (and somewhat contagious luckily!) She's currently working her way through Marie Forleo's B-School and man, the work load is crazy! She shared some of the exercises with me as we talked about her business and I was so impressed. In case you don't know, Elle is a paper/wedding stationery designer under the name Jam + Toast! Anyway - we chatted for well over 3 hours and by the end of it I just felt so motivated and inspired. She called our meeting a "Mastermind Session" and that was totally on point. We agreed to try and make this happen every 2 weeks or so that way we can both work our way through business blunders and help each other see a fresh perspective for whatever problems we may be facing. She's getting ready to move to Wilmington (!!!) at the end of May so our sessions will be via Skype, but I'm already looking forward to them! It was so so incredible to sit and just talk about ideas. "Is this a good idea? How do you feel about this? What do you think about ____?" 

I really feel as though it was just the kick in the butt I needed to really really figure some things out. I've said it a few times (too many) now but I've just been teetering on the verge of something awesome (or so it feels!) but haven't felt the nudge I needed to just go full force. And as silly as this may sound, I think part of it has to do with the fact I don't feel super inspired by my office set up. We only just moved in but I think that paint switch needs to happen and something has gotta give with my clothes/shoes. I think I'd rather downsize all of those and have a more dedicated work space rather than it just be pretty. (Yikes! Just don't tell that to my husband who spent all those hours drilling holes in the ceiling haha I'll keep my wardrobe rack but I think the shoes might go? IDK! Getting sidetracked here!) 

I keep thinking about all of our "businesses" (this blog, Honeybean, Him + Honey, design work, etc) and I want to consolidate them as much as possible. I want to rebrand certain aspects of stuff, have a dedicated work site for each one, and streamline everything on this blog. I wanted to redesign the  LCH layout, but every time I go to try I get hung up on the beautiful flowers and I just can't let it go. Until I feel comfortable with a full redesign, I'm just going to tweak the navigation and clear out the sidebars, all the while making it about 200 pixels wider. It's so cramped right now! I also want to launch some surveys/polls and get (anonymous) feedback from all of you. 

I feel so blessed to know Elle and be able to spend time with her and chat about life, business, etc. She's one of my very best friends and she's such a great person to have in my life. I'm excited for her next chapter in North Carolina (We can't wait to visit!) but we'll miss her and Bryan so much! Saturday's meet up really made it obvious to me how much it helps to have someone you can talk to about things like that. We can relate to each other and help each other out along the way. Sometimes being a solo entrepreneur or small biz owner can be so daunting and stressful. You feel like you have nowhere to turn and no one to talk to (I mean, there's Mike but I'm talking about someone not directly tied into the success/failure of the business) -- we get to see each other reach goals and milestones. We can celebrate those small victories along the way. 

If you have your own business (or want to start one), I highly recommend finding someone you can confide in and learn from. Almost like a mentor, but a peer. It's amazing how one little afternoon can make you feel so revived and inspired. I can't wait to put these new goals and ideas into motion.  While I know it's a flexible schedule and only a foundation, I already have all of April laid out. Here's to hoping it's beneficial to be back on the scheduling wagon! Thanks, Elle! 

Do you have anyone like that in your life? If so, do you feel like it's helped you succeed?

Small Biz Saturday - Holiday Gift Guide

Happy Small Business Saturday! I'm excited for holiday shopping this year because we're buying almost all of our gifts via small businesses (well, aside from those that we're making). I think SBS is one of the best new traditions our economy has and I'm so stoked to be supporting some amazing artists. Today I wanted to celebrate by sharing a gift guide that could appeal and apply to so many of those people you may be buying for! I've worn/purchased/received or used something for each and every one of the people below, and I stand by them 100%. The quality, the craftsmanship, the experience. I'll just let you see for yourself!

Crystal makes these amazing state illustrations where she went in and drew each county in it's respected shape. We've had the Tennessee ones in Honeybean for a bit now and people just love them. We also have some Nashville map prints with the candy! She's happy to customize to suit any city, and she can even make the state prints any color (or combination of colors!) It's a simple gift but it seriously says so much. We love having something so sweet for Nashville. ---> Click here to shop!

I've talked about these collage prints a hundred times I'm sure, but I love the ones we have on our walls. We have 4 (I think!) and I adore them so much. There's something so playful and sweet about them. They come in a variety of sizes so there's a little something for every occasion. ---> Click here to shop!

We also carry Molly's line ViviDot in Honeybean! I love the variety of fabrics she uses for her fabric covered button pieces. One of my favorite sets is the cheeseburger hair pins! (Seriously, come see Honeybean today and pick up a pair!) I think I really do love silly novelty prints + accessories! (The coupon code was borrowed from PaperNStitch's big annual sale post!) ---> Click here to shop!

Of course I'll include my own best friend. But not because of that alone -- mainly because I love the little products she creates. This fox earwarmer piece is no exception! She just listed tons of new styles + pieces in her shop so head over and see what she's got! ---> Click here to shop!

Another dear friend: Beca! (and Doug!) I've had a pair of their sunglasses for well over a year and they're still as good as new! Toby likes to wear them when we're in the car, even though they swallow his head haha The heart shaped Lolitas are so dreamy, but my favorites are the cherry oversized round ones! They're offering a nice little discount for the holiday so see if any tickle your fancy! ---> Click here to shop!

If you don't follow Lauren of Emerging Thoughts on Twitter, you should! She's a total hoot. She also runs one of the most successful independent online boutiques! Always full to the brim with dainty dresses, ridiculous accessories (I love my Kanye quote necklace!) and pretty bits, it's a one stop shop for all things independent! ---> Click here to shop!

Love the bohemian style with a little bit of an eclectic edge? Moorea's jewelry is just that! I love my Galaxy ring. It's the perfect amount of "spunk" for any given outfit. She's been molding her own arrowhead rings as of late, too! The free pair of earring deal is good for today only so head over and stock up! ---> Click here to shop!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Hope all of you fellow small biz owners have a happy + successful day today! If you're having a sale in your shop, leave a comment below with the details!

Business Books That I (Seriously) Swear By

I love business books. I don't know why, but I do. Even in college, if it was a book about graphic design or business cards or anything like that, I had to have it. (Sadly I lost that entire collection in the flood. Boo!) Over the past couple of years I've been stocking up on indie-biz related books and I seriously can't get enough of them. I love to read them because they provide a valuable, unbiased insight into what it takes to run several types of small/handmade shops. Each one features multiple guys and gals in the industry, and you can't help but feel inspired when you flick through the pages. I thought I'd share my favorites today! Maybe you have a small handmade biz/hobby that you'd like to grow. If so, consider picking one of these up or seeing if you can borrow from a friend! I can't tell you how many times I've cycled back to them.

Craft, Inc. was one of the very first "crafty" business book I picked up. Along with Creative, Inc. I have found it to be an invaluable resource for so many little things you may not even think of when you consider starting a business. I really love that Craft, Inc. also had a Business Planner you could purchase to have all of your ideas in one place. To this day, years later, I still haven't used pen to write in it. I think that's because I'm fickle and I like having the option to switch things up. It was seriously a great tool to jumpstart the whole thing though. (There is a new revised version of Craft, Inc. available)

Creative, Inc., like I said, was one of the very first books I picked up. I remember that I let it sit on my shelf for entirely too long before finally delving in. Once I did though, that was it! This book is great because it doesn't limit it's audience to just craft show vendors. It's a great resource for freelance designers, writers, and illustrators (just to name a few!). Blog, Inc. and Mom, Inc. are both pretty new to the market. You may have caught wind of Joy's book tour which has been happening here in the past few weeks for Blog, Inc. Mom, Inc. is for the mom who works from home and juggles both children and a professional workload, no matter what that may be. I haven't finished either of these yet but I'm already loving what I've read since bouncing back and forth. The Inc. books really provide a boatload of information and insight without feeling like they're going to overwhelm you. I think that's my favorite characteristic of them.

The Boss of You was recommended to me by Beca last year. I quickly picked it up off of Amazon and much like Creative, Inc., I let it sit around and gather dust. I finally found myself with some spare time one night and I blew through it. I love the spin of it being a female-aimed book. Granted, all of the others have a definite feminine spin, but with the exception of Mom, Inc. they could all be written for guys, too. The Boss of You is written to inspire the inner business woman in you to take charge and make things happen.

These two books by Kari Chapin are goldmines. The Handmade Marketplace came out a few years ago and I remember first seeing it when I lived in NYC. It's a great starter book for a wide variety of handmade artisans. Regardless of whether you sell at craft fairs, flea markets, Etsy, or your own brick and mortar. You've probably noticed the plethora of tiny post-it notes on the Grow Your Handmade Business book, yeah? Well, you know I love post-its! I ordered this one at the same time I picked up Mom, Inc. and Blog, Inc. Without a doubt I think this book might have to be my favorite. Kari packs in a bunch of "exercises" for you to brainstorm and work through your ideal business plan. I think it's such a valuable tool and I've been taking full advantage of it. 

Are you a biz-book reader? Do you have any you'd like to recommend? I'm always on the hunt for books that will help expand my mind and aid in growing my businesses. I know it really comes down to hard work and smart business decisions, but hearing how other ladies have gone about it really inspires me. All of these are truly wonderful in my opinion! Happy Wednesday, friends!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

PS; If you look under the main part of the Amazon page, you'll see options to buy these books in different "packages"... that'll save you quite a bit of money! You can get bath Kari Chapin books for only $21, rather than the typical $26-$33)

* Disclosure: This post features affiliate links from Amazon. If you'd prefer not to purchase through me, that's totally fine! Just go to Amazon.com :)

Honest To Blog : Fortune Favors The Brave

This lovely image from Saturday's post really got me thinking about work, goals, and my quality of life.  Okay, so it can't all be attributed to the illustration since those topics are literally the only thing on my mind 99% of the time, but I really really think the sentiment was a strong one. (And I'm kicking myself for not buying the print, but maybe I'll do that as my "100% self employed" treat?) I've written about it sparingly here on the blog, but if you follow me on Twitter or Tumblr then you'll know one thing: I'm ready to quit my job. Like, beyond ready, drowning in misery, frustrated with everyone and everything, done with it all, quit. I feel like I'm giving my bartending job too much credit. It's not actually the black hole of karaoke and rude people that I make it out to be always, but time has wore on and after 6 years, I'm exhausted. It's not where I see myself long term, so why am I allowing it such a large portion of my life? While you may know just how badly I want to quit, something that I've been a little bit less vocal about is this: I'm terrified. Scared like you can't even imagine. I don't even know where to start when it comes to leaving behind a secure, yet insufferable, job that has paid my bills for more than a half decade. But I did a big thing Saturday... I told my manager that my "retirement" from bartending was imminent. And I told her with a smile on my face. (Then I maybe started crying just a wee little bit at one point but that's just an awkward add-in so disregard). 

It sounds so silly to say I've upset myself over a bartending job, doesn't it? It's not exactly a noble or worthwhile cause, but it is a lot of work. I've had many people over the years try to make me feel "less than" for my job title, even while accomplishing what I had in the meantime. I'm a firm believer that the job doesn't make the person, but so many were hellbent on making me feel that way. Bartending has taught me a lot about people. More than I sometimes wish to know. I'd like to say it's made me a more patient person, but it hasn't. If anything in that regard it's just made me more irritated. But at the same time I've had a few life lessons that I otherwise would've missed out on. I'll save you the "bar-piphany" spiel though. I didn't give her a timeline really, aside from saying at the latest I'd like to be done by the wedding. Aka the last weekend of September. I really don't want to stay that long, but if I choose to then it'll help knock out Honeybean's loan, and maybe set up our savings so I don't have a breakdown on my first weekend sans bar. It'll be like starting new... a married woman, with a new last name, and a new job title. 

I've loved building our little businesses from the ground-up. Growing as a business has been one of the best things to ever experience. I've always referred to myself as self-employed, but I've also always had that safety net. Only 10 hours a week but you'd be surprised at how lucrative it can be at times. Especially when you're 18 years old, living with 2 other roommates, sharing all of your expenses, etc. Living arrangements have changed a lot over the past 6 years and, my frustrations aside, that bar was the reason I was able to focus so much on college. It's easy to run your own business when you have something to constantly fall back on. Lulls in clients or sales just means that I work a little harder on the weekend, no big deal. But I'm ready to go at it alone. I think.

I try not to question myself, but I've never been more scared in my life. Maybe that's a good sign though. A really good one. For once I feel uncertain and 100% in control of my destiny. Cheesy much? It's true. I'm finally able (and required) to pursue things that spark my heart and excite me. I just wish I felt more at ease. I think with all great game plays come great risks. I never want to feel like my decisions put a strain on our family life, especially with a toddler. But I guess at the end of the day every single decision we make really does. It all comes full circle. 

If I told you how many hours a day I spend a day obsessing over our business' future, our shopfront, our next move, our life... you'd think I was crazy. I know in my heart of hearts that this is supposed to be scary. Even with a solid business plan, even with everything charted out, it's supposed to be scary. It's so hard to know exactly what you want out of life but be a little bit unsure on how to get there. I think the fear in me is slightly exciting. It's a rush of something, anything, that I have never felt with bartending. Tending bar never empowered me or made me feel in control. Now everything is on my shoulders to make happen. My profit and gain directly correlates with my work ethic and output. Starting today my to-do lists are three miles long... and I'm looking forward to it. 

I still have a few weeks/months to sort everything out and get a lay of the land, but I want to start preparing now for the major switch. I hope the wake makes its way to the blog, too, because I want to be 100% transparent about this shift in my life. I know so many of you are small biz gals or aspire to be, and there aren't a ton of resources out there for female-run business owners. It's definitely a time of protecting how you've accomplished everything you have in fear that someone else will use it and beat you at your own game. I don't want that. I want to share the successes, the failures, the broken times, and the triumphs. I tend to be the kind of person who likes stress (to a certain degree) so now I'm just asking for it. Crazy exciting things are buzzing around our little hive so stay tuned. I can't say it'll always be exciting, but it'll be real. Here's to preparing for my real switch! I may have only taken the (tiny) first step to freedom, but it's been one I've thought about for a long long time. I've gotta go through with it now, right?!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Honest To Blog is a weekly free-writing feature where I share whatever is on my mind. No edits, no filters. Just unapologetic, sometimes offensive, always truthful thought. Click HERE to read all of the past posts in this feature.

Honest To Blog: Porter Flea + Our Small Business

Two weeks ago we set up Honeybean at the 2nd Summer Porter Flea market, smack dab in the middle of our crazy insane work and travel schedule. I had been dreading those few weeks for months... not because of Porter Flea, but because of everything else we had to do around it. During a 36 hour span of  Friday + Saturday, I had worked 33 of those hours (39 of 42 if you want to get really technical). 3 hours of sleep Friday night left me feeling a little bit lethargic and stressed when it came time to set up Honeybean. I won't even go into the whining and complaining about running the bar by myself that week (I'll save that for my "I quit my job!" post... you know, if that ever happens). 

This photo shows a decent variety of the indie designers we have in the shoppe!

 

We pulled Honeybean into Marathon Music Works a day early, on Friday the 15th, so we could get her partially set up. She's a bit of a beast in comparison to most people's table booths so I was glad we were able to take care of that. We spent several hours setting up before having to rush down to work, so this allowed us to show up about an hour and a half after most people the day of the event. The doors opened at 11am and I was amazed at how many people flooded in. This was my first time attending Porter Flea, let alone vending, so it was fun to see how it all worked. Within seconds Honeybean (who was directly across from the entrance hallway) was overrun with people who appreciate handmade and independent designers. I remember looking over at Mike and saying "This is what it's all about. These people just 'get it!'" I've loved setting up Honeybean each and every place we have. Even when the rain threatens to strip me of my sanity, I've loved meeting people who totally get our vision. But Porter Flea was just perfect. The demographic was exactly what we were shooting for, and we were over the moon.

@ngelpoon

The event was from 11am til 6pm, but I had to leave Mike at 3 so I could rush back down to the bar and open up. In the 4 hours that I was there, I met so many people! Blog readers, internet friends, Nashvillians who loved Honeybean and had seen her around town, and even potential designers to stock the shelves. When I eagerly exclaimed to Mike that "this was it", I also told him that my heart had never felt so full. Running your own business, especially a retail shop, can be truly testing of your patience with people (and yourself). We've had snide comments in the past like "That is too expensive" and "I could make that" (what handmade business doesn't get that?), but at PF we finally felt like we had found the demographic that our business spoke to, even if it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Each and every time we make a sale, I'm reminded at just how much I love Honeybean, yet how badly I want to expand and grow with her. Owning my own brick and mortar storefront only became a "dream" of mine in high school, but it is as strong as it's ever been today. It's an exciting position to be in to be able to pick out beautifully made pieces in hopes of sending them home with a potential customer. Am I waxing too poetic for you? Sorry, I'm getting mushy!

@crashwagon

@chelsgriffith

I also told Mike that I would run on 3 hours of sleep every single night if that meant I was able to live out the Honeybean dream on the daily. While it's always been our plan to really try and put plans into motion after the wedding, I was in full force "Let's get this ish done!" mode and it was on. Since the flea I've charted out pages and pages of decor, shop interiors/displays, potential wholesale designers, and even gone as far as to buy the first major piece of furniture for display. Whether it's 2 months from now or 2 years when we sign a contract to open Honeybean's (permanent) doors, it's something that I will not slow down in thinking about. 

I try not to let the little annoyances like local caravans painted the exact same, claims of being the first "fashion truck" in town or weather (insane heat/rain) get the best of me. At the end of the day I'm doing something I love to do, with someone I love to do it with. Mike has without a doubt been the very best partner I could ask for. It goes without saying that absolutely zero of my small biz ventures would pan out the way they do without him. He's invaluable. I know it's a bit crazy to live with someone, work with someone, and basically be 110% invested in something like we are, but it works for us. And I hope that's always the case. We just make sure to have separate lives/friends/activities to enjoy in order to keep us sane haha Everything else is just noise in the picture.

The lovely Elizabeth from Stockroom Vintage! She and her hubby helped string up the pretty lights you see attached to Honeybean. She also styled the event! (Thank you, E!)

My very own Matron of Honor, Elle, set up for her stationery biz Jam + Toast!
 Acorn + Archer
 Cordial Kitten 

NashPop

To the fab people at Porter Flea (Katie, Jessica, Brent + Friendly Arctic Printing and Design), thanks for letting Honeybean be part of the event last month. It was so much fun and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'd do it every single month. We didn't get a chance to fill out the vendor survey afterward (I forgot to tell Mike about it!) but we'd do Porter Flea if it were a seven day event ;) We definitely hope to vend come the Holiday Flea, too! To everyone who came out to see the 'bean, stop by the booth, and/or say hello, thank you! Thank you for making it so incredibly obvious to me (even in times of doubt) that this is exactly what I want to do. A few shoutouts to some people who came by to see the 'bean for the first time (that I can recall!): Corinne, Lauren, Jenna, Allis, Zoe, and I'm sure there are more! If you were there, let me know in the comments. Introduce yourselves!

When it's all said and done, I just need to prioritize my life and make Honeybean/our businesses my main goal. I think I've let crappy dead-end, yet well paying, jobs (I'm looking at you, bar!) keep me in some kind of comfort zone. That job doesn't force me out of my element, to risk anything. But at the same time it doesn't spark any of my passion or creativity... Here's to finding the power within myself to say goodbye before too long! We don't set up every day, or even every weekend, but hopefully once I figure out my work situation and where I hope to take this little trailer, we'll have a steady set up. Until then, I'm just happy doing some fun events around town. 

PS; Sorry I don't have more pictures! Or any of the event/other vendors. Our booth was so packed the entire day that I only got to walk around for about 10 minutes, and even then it was just too much to try and snap photos! The Instagram photos are courtesy of the fine folks sourced underneath, and the rad digital photos are courtesy of PF photographer, Emily Spence! Peep the Facebook for more photos!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Honest To Blog is a weekly free-writing feature where I share whatever is on my mind. No edits, no filters. Just unapologetic, sometimes offensive, always truthful thought. Click HERE to read all of the past posts in this feature.

24th Year: Make Yourself Proud

I was feeling a more personal post today so I hope that's alright...
(edited to add: my birthday isn't actually until friday, but thank you for the sweet birthday wishes already :P)

When I think back on the past 12 months of being 23, I feel like I've grown by leaps and bounds in terms of maturity (well, sometimes) and finding myself. I've always felt like I kind of knew what I wanted to be/do, but the past year has really solidified some of my life dreams. 

Last March I turned 23. I wrote a 23 before 24 list, half of it was silly, the other half semi-serious. Little did I know that so very very much of what was in store for me the following year wouldn't even make it's way to that paper. I had these ideas for myself, and Mike, that I didn't think we'd even touch on until a year or two down the road. Honeybean is a shining example of that. After being inspired by so many wonderful ladies and friends in so many cities, we decided to take the plunge. 2 weeks after the thought we had a business license, and 3 weeks later we had a full renovated camper. That was already almost 8 months ago! Just 3-4 months into my new list and I was already tackling bigger and better things. It's an awesome feeling.

Not only that, but we signed the lease to the loft on my birthday. What a birthday present that was! We lived there for almost 11 months and absolutely loved it. Then we took a chance on the other side of the river... We've only been here 6 weeks but we think it's so great. We love our little house, and we're making it into more of a home daily. Then there was Toby... oh my stars! This obviously is the most recent (and biggest!) adventure we've embarked on, and it's without a doubt been the most rewarding. It was like our priorities all of a sudden shifted when came into our lives. 

I tend to keep the "big important secrets" under wraps for a while, just to make sure they don't fall through before speaking publicly about them. But because I've found so few women who are willing to share their journey, failures and successes, with a small business, I wanted to try and speak about mine. We've been looking at brick and mortar spaces the past little while. A few "oh we're interested in hearing more" phone calls made, and a much more serious one as of late. We found a space... nearby our home and a great size for starting out. The price and situation seem great, too. The only thing we're not sure of: the location is ~eh, even though it has 30,000 cars passing by daily (!!!), and the "Are we ready?!" freak out. I thought by having Honeybean it'd help satisfy the need for a storefront. It'd give us a few years to get things ready and to plan... but it's done the exact opposite. It's made me realize how much I loved owning my own business and it makes me eager to move on to bigger and better things (all the while keeping the 'bean of course!)

We've talked with some friends and showed them the space. We've gone over it in our heads, and aloud. We've weighed the pros and cons and when we still couldn't really make a decision, we decided to re-prioritize yet again. I honestly do feel so incredibly lucky to be in the situation I'm in. To have a partner who is as interested in making this a "family business" as I am, and to have all of you to share this journey with. While our initial thought process was to put our money toward opening up a brick and mortar, then think about buying a house, we're thinking we may flip that. Or at the very least take baby steps. We won't be signing anything for that space soon, but to know that we're at that point... the looking and planning... man, it's terrifying!

One of the things I find so alarming about the blog world is how "effortless" everything seems. The perfect life, the perfect babies, the perfect jobs and opportunities that fall into laps. Life isn't like that. No matter how much we try to sugarcoat it to make it seem like a fairytale, there are real struggles there. Daily ones. I know I mentioned a handful of posts ago that I find it so disheartening that there are so many women out there that refuse to speak openly (and honestly) about their journeys. Even privately! It seems as so many just want to keep their secret locked away so they're the only ones who are successful. Maybe it's a little naive of me to think of blogging as a community, because I'll gladly be the first to admit that not everyone is nice. But to be fair, building a business from the ground up isn't something that happens overnight and it's not something that everyone can get lucky on. It takes planning and budgeting and maybe even sobbing here and there. It's a little bit bigger than just starting a blog. The idea that you can "wish" your way into a successful business is kind of foolish. And maybe I'm just slightly bitter that there are women out there who operate under the 'guise of "helping you" and "teaching you what they know" because it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize who is self-motivated and who isn't. Of course this isn't meant to point any fingers (and if you think it's about you then you should have talk with yourself), because it's about no one specific. Just the general air of blogging and owning a business. 

I've found so much support from so many ladies through blogging. Vanessa of Wanderlust, Punky from Haberdash, and even some rad ladies here in Nashville. The girls at Old Made Good here in Nashville made a great point: "Commerce breeds commerce." I feel like the stinky air of competition drowns out so many potential partnerships and friendships. That can be even said for just blogging! Stop competing so much and just make friends! 

Anyway, I've gone on a tangent! That wasn't my intention! I guess my whole point was to say that I have big plans for 24. For me, for our family, for our business. Whether they all come to fruition or not is something to discuss in 52 weeks, but it won't be for lack of trying. I have to constantly remind myself that it's okay to start small. You don't necessarily have to throw yourself overboard to be successful. Businesses take time to build. And I'm slowly but surely learning some patience. The motto for my 24th year starting Friday: "Make yourself proud." That's the plan! And we're moving in the right direction!

What have you done to make yourself proud?

( 1 // 2 // 3 )