It’s mid-February, and I’m finally starting to feel like things are settling back into something manageable. January was absolutely nuts — receiving the largest restock I’ve ever produced and then shipping all the pre-orders. It was a whirlwind.
Now that I’m slowly returning to a rhythm, I finally have the headspace to look ahead.
Except… I feel stuck.
When I try to visualize the map forward, I draw a blank. At the start of KAEIU, I had a clear vision of what I wanted it to be. I could see the milestones ahead of me. But now that I’ve reached many of them, and it’s time for the next leap, I’m not entirely sure what I’m aiming toward.
As I’ve sat with that feeling, I’ve realized it’s not that I lack vision. It’s that I don’t know how a leap happens when I already feel maxed out. The end goal is not the problem, its the stepping stones that I have difficulty mapping.
It becomes this perpetual loop:
I need to sell more bags.
To sell more bags, I need to do more marketing.
To do more marketing, I need help.
To get help, I need money.
To get money, I need to sell more bags.
And around it goes.
For a while, I convinced myself that what I needed was expert advice. Someone with more experience. A consultant. A strategist. The person with the polished framework and the perfectly labeled roadmap.
Until I read a newsletter from another small business owner who suggested something different: we often overvalue information that feels out of reach. We assume the answer must come from an “expert” because it feels more legitimate. But very often, the most meaningful progress comes from the peers already around us. The people in the same trenches asking the same questions and navigating the same waters.
So I picked up my phone and started reaching out.
This week, I focused on something that has always felt especially vulnerable: finances. It’s an area I struggle with more than I like to admit. It's my kryptonite – the part of the business that feels too exposing to let anyone see. I imagine someone taking one look at my books and gasping, She has no clue what she's doing.
Well, I've booked a time to make this happen so there is no turning back. I think this year will be about the willingness to look at the parts I've avoided and inviting others into them. Cheers to me, airing out my shame! 🫠
I'm not sure when I'll have the full road map. But one thing I know is this: I’m not building in isolation. And that alone makes the next step feel less intimidating.
With love,
Maria