HOLY COW! I feel like I have so many descriptions for this past year, in this exact order: HUMBLING, APOLOGETIC, FULFILLING, WTF, PIVOT, PIVOT, PIVOT, CONSISTENCY and SINCERELY TOUCHED.
Girlfriends, coming out of a 25-year career in an area you are highly trained in as a CPA to the world of entrepreneurship by launching a gift box company was humbling. I am happy to say you CAN teach old dog’s new tricks, because 50 is the new 30! Bitches, I got this now. Prior to this, I only used social media to post a few things about my daughters, connect or to post about fun times with my girlfriends and maybe throw out a dance video on Facebook here and there. Well, look at me now! All in your face! The learning process was extremely HUMBLING and satisfying.
Once I started to get the hang of things, by putting in hours all night long, I realized how amazing it was to be on my own schedule, which really meant I was at work all the time but loving every minute of it. I do not know of any business or boss I gave this much time to in my entire work life. But when you work for yourself and from home, everything changes. This is when the APOLOGETIC feelings started kicking in. Oh my God, I was that person, that CFO at the office complaining about all the salespeople or employees teleworking from home. I never believed they were really working. I had that image that they were chilling in the backyard while waiting to switch the laundry dressed in their PJs. I would like to make a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT that I am truly sorry for thinking that. You are all bad asses and probably worked way more than my 9 hours at the office.
Come February my heart was so full of joy, I could not stand it. We threw our first GIRLFRIEND THERAPY NIGHT OUT! I had a goal of inviting 50 women from the DMV area to celebrate the greatest holiday of all time – GALENTINE’S DAY. Not only did we have over 50 women, but we also had the best night ever! I saw women leave their worries at the door, Sparkle in all the décor and their fabulousness, Move to the awesome jams of a female DJ, Indulge in yummy waffles and mimosas, Laugh to the jokes of a local hilarious female comedian, and Exhale by spending time with just the girls. It was the epitome of feeling FULLFILLED and I stood back and took it all in. WE DID THAT!
“WTF Karen, who the hell is going to buy gifts for others during a pandemic?”, was my panicked call to my awesome partner on or about March 23rd. But this was when the magic started kicking in. I got a call from a friend who asked if I had a box that would work for her girlfriend who was a nurse on the frontlines and had not been home in days. It was like the lightbulb went off. She wanted to SHOW UP for her girl and I knew exactly how to help her. This is what we were all about!! PIVOT. I immediately ran to my office space and started creating the BE STILL BOX. A few weeks later, I realized Mother’s Day was coming and everything was shut down. PIVOT. This was another way I could help us SHOW UP. I created the BEAUTIFULLY MADE BOX and it was a hit. I will never forget that moment at 3am in my office, surrounded by about 25 boxes ready to go. I stopped to soak up that feeling of WE MADE IT and it is time to get a bigger space. If only this was a daily moment, but It was not, it was just a moment. but I got the bug!
Things went very quiet after that and we were deep into Wine and Zoom pandemic time when I realized connection was what we needed more than anything at that moment so once again, in the very middle of a great dream, it hit me. PIVOT. “Girlfriend Therapy In Session Unfiltered Talk” was born!
Consistency, Consistency, Consistency is what I would begin to chant to myself in the shower every morning. Keep doing what you are doing, Sondra, along with my daily song RISE UP! Girl, I am full of energy as you can see, but I am human, and the devil plays on me just like he does on all of us. There are days I wake up and think, is there anyone out there? How in the world could we not be at 25 boxes a day, when there are millions of girlfriends out there? The word “consistency” would slip into my head every time I would start to question myself. When you are in the corporate world and work for someone else, rarely do we realize what it took for them to start that company and to get where they are when we were hired. I always walked into million-dollar companies, and many times they needed my restructure assistance, but I was never there from the very start. I found an awesome support system of female entrepreneurs who have been there, are there, and provide pure encouragement to me daily. Amazon was not built in a day. GOALS are high, can you see?
But every box we do sell almost brings me to tears. You should be around me whenever the ding on my phone goes off from my WIX notifications saying, “YOU HAVE AN ORDER”. I am like a kid in the candy store. I feel this overwhelming sense of gratitude that another woman trusts me to put together a beautiful gift that will represent her SHOWING UP at her girls’ front door. When I tell you, the moment I sit down to handwrite the sentiments for each box, whether it’s telling her “Happy Birthday Bad Ass”, or it’s telling her “She’s Got This” with a Battle Box, I am truly, SINCERELY TOUCHED and so excited to know I am going to make her SMILE the minute it shows up at her door.
WHAT A YEAR! As I am writing this today, I feel on fire. Bring on the holidays, bitches. We got you! We were not ready last year, but we are now. On my birthday, we kicked off “Girlfriend Therapy Night In”, the “Girlfriend Therapy Lounge” Facebook Group and immediately created the holidays boxes for each girl on your list. When Karen and I put our heads together magic starts flowing!
I can’t thank my SMILE SQUAD enough for all the boxes you have sent, for all the engagement you have had with us and all your support to spread the word and being in the best tribe EVER!
CHEERS TO YEAR 2!