A Quick Update and Moving Goalposts

Colchuck Lake, WA

As I type this, we are in the North Cascades area of Washington. In 2021 when Koy was 12 we started taking an annual trip out west to go hiking and visit our national parks. That year we went to Glacier NP and have since been to Zion, Bryce, Glacier again, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain NP and numerous other towns and trails in between.

After that first trip, we decided that we were going to make these vacations a non-negotiable. With busy jobs and schedules and a farm that feels like a never ending to do list we have found that leaving the state is the only way that we can truly separate ourselves and completely decompress. We love our home and love our farm but realized that sometimes you need a break. We have been on some of the most breath-taking trails that few have seen and made memories that I know will stay in our hearts forever. These memories are worth every weed that grows while I am away and every flower that goes to waste because I am not there to harvest.

As my business has grown, I have definitely moved the goal posts. The world tells you that to make more money you have to go big or go home. I may have fallen into that trap for a while but now I beg to differ. I have realized that we are not all designed that way and it has felt really good to step away from that mindset. I want a business that I can work hard at everyday and still enjoy my life at home. I don’t want to grow so large that I lose the things that I love to do in my business (growing and designing) to the management of employees and my head constantly buried in paperwork. This is what was starting to happen and it was starting to slip away from me, starting to own me. I used to love writing a weekly blog, sharing tips on social media, etc. and those were some of the first things that went out the window. I was running myself into the ground from sun up to sun down and had nothing left to give anyone else let alone really look at my business and how profitable my systems were.

Last year, we had the opportunity to open a storefront and all systems were go but in my heart it just didn’t feel right. In my head I kept thinking, why add more? Is the return going to be worth the added time, stress, monetary investment? I sat on it for months and decided it was not the right time or place. Last season I made the decision to cut our subscription service. While first glance on paper it may have seemed like a crazy thing to do as the subscriptions brought in a significant amount of money, but when I really tracked the numbers, they just were not profitable. I now have an entire day back in my calendar that I can focus on other revenue drivers for my business. Sometimes doing the really hard things is the right thing.

At the end of the day, don’t be afraid to change gears. What works for your family, your business, your life is not what is going to work for everyone else even if the world and social media tell you that is how you should do something.

Also, if I may. Make sure you take that time away to make the memories.

-Katie