What 2020 taught me about running a small business

Let me give you a little back story…

In February of 2019 I was spending most of my time home with an infant, tired, in desperate need of motivation to go to the gym. In retrospect, I was still feeling the effects of post partum depression yet couldn’t see through the haze of new mom life. For so long, I had my identity in my career. My blog, my interior design business, my books, my online business…It was who I was. It was my “thing”. To be quite honest, it gave me my confidence and purpose.

So when I had my little baby and all of that went to the wayside, part of me felt a bit displaced. And after several months of being a stay at home mama…I needed a return to me.

I knew I couldn’t go blazing back into interior design, I needed to do something that was a little bit more slow paced and something to where I wasn’t beholden to the schedule of other people. I needed something completely free. I had always felt a calling to launch an e-commerce site and sell things I love, online. It began with ritual candles, feng shui tools & sun-catchers…all things to raise the vibration in your home.

As I was creating things at home, I began playing around with making crystal jewelry and one magical evening a woman bought a stack of bracelets right off of my wrist. I knew I was onto something…

March 1st 2019, Love Ashlina Jewelry was born.

The moment when I put up my jewelry for sale in my online store, there was a feeling inside of me I can’t quite explain. I felt such a connection to the jewelry that I was making and with every bracelet, my confidence was coming back to me. I had a renewed sense of purpose, focus and alignment. I was fortunate enough to have an incredibly successful launch of my crystal jewelry line, far beyond what I had thought going in. I attribute much of that success to not letting fear of what others think get in the way and fully allowing my passion to fuel my drive. If I could give any advice to someone starting a small business, it would be to GO ALL IN, FULL SPEED AHEAD. The last thing you should do is think, especially if you tend to be an over-thinker. Just go for it.

MY BIGGEST LESSON…

Always trust your gut. Last December, I experienced a lull in my business. What is usually the busiest time of year for retail/product based businesses for me was really slow. Instead of powering through the lull, I decided to put the jewelry business on hold. I didn’t really take it that seriously because I almost looked at it like a “mom hobby”. Part of me doubted the jewelry making was enough of a career. So, I switched gears and put my efforts in to building a real estate career. It felt like more of a natural progression from interior design and I saw it as more of a serious and stable career.

However, the week I started real estate, the country shut down.

Never doubt yourself or your dreams. I was fortunate enough to get on a super successful team at a great firm but my beginning months in real estate we exhausting! I was working more than 40 hour weeks and while it was very glamorous and exciting, I got very little time with my boys, not to mention time for myself. I remember writing in my journal one morning while doing my Miracle Morning routine and this inspiration came over me. I thought to myself “why not put up all my jewelry inventory for sale” and just see what happens. That very first week I put my jewelry back up for sale, I tripled the income I was making at that time in real estate. I felt like it was a sign from the universe that building and growing a jewelry business could actually be a viable business.

I was reminded that so often we get caught up in what we “think” we should be doing or what other people might expect us to do. However, that should NEVER be our guiding light. I started a blog in 2008 when nobody even knew what it was and made a career path out of it. I started an interior design business from nothing in New York City and made a thriving career out of it. Why on earth would I ever doubt that I couldn’t flourish in ANY kind of business I wanted to create. NEVER EVER UNDERESTIMATE OR DOUBT YOURSELF OR YOUR DREAMS!

Pivoting in business is key. As we got deeper into 2020 and the quarantine, I noticed a huge spike in online shopping. E-commerce sales were over 700 billion dollars last year and growing at a rate of 129% year over year. The growth in online retail businesses had an incredible boost, anyone who is willing to pivot their business to online is sure to thrive in 2021 and beyond. I’ve been in the online space for over 12 years and I have learned the secrets to growing a brand and a business only. I teach the EXACT process I use when I launch a product or start a new business. To learn more: Check out my business courses here.

WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE…

You are your brand. It used to be that you would hire a sales rep to get out there and promote your brand or business but in todays world, you are your best sales person. People are attracted to the art of you. So the more you are tuned into living your brand, the more successful you will be. The more you share your story behind your brand and your business, the more of a loyal tribe and following you will have. These days, people are craving connection and craving the kind of connection that leads to a lasting relationship. Building your personal brand helps you communicate yourself and your business in a way that connects. I wrote an e-book about my personal brand formula I have used over the past decade in business. Feel free to download it here.

A peek at my table at a local pop up shop. I absolutely love being front and center of my brand and business.

Entrepreneurship is for everyone. Gone are the days that a successful business person is some top executive in a suit. Now there are children with thriving youtube channels, college kids with successful start ups, housewives with multiple streams of income and teens with bustling social media channels. Massive success is truly available for anyone who really wants to create something for themselves. We have to get out of our own way and dare to dream bigger! Anything is possible!

I wrote this post to help inspire anyone who is in the middle of launching, building or growing their own small business. Feel free to leave a comment below so we can discuss more. Also, I love to talk about this topic on my podcast, Blissfully Ambitious. Listen to an episode here: