In 2013 two best friends decided to become business partners. To take our dreams and push ourselves to the limits - balancing work and family and a new business. And so we did. Today we will look back at some of our milestones, some of our hiccups, and some resolutions for the future.
Lesson 1: How great it feels to give.
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| door prize |
Charity: When you are part of a business like this, people will ask you to donate to their cause, to contribute, to be a part of
their dream. It is an honorable feeling; to be called upon to help, and to be a part of something bigger than yourselves. This past year we were able to contribute in a small way to a number of Cancer related charities including a fundraiser to buy a digital mammography unit at our local hospital, and to support a local family in their fight against cancer. Mary also donated countless hours and yards of material to her children's school. Our next scheduled donation will be to support a cause near and dear to both of us-
Alivia's Rainbows. For more information, tickets; or to donate to the cause click
here.
Giveaways: Aside from our charitable giving HMF also gave back a little something to our fans & followers with our first giveaway contest last Spring. With our one year anniversary coming up soon - stay tuned for details about a new exciting giveaway!
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| last year's prize! |
Lesson 2: The Social Network
Networking, in all its forms is an integral part of a small business. This year we were lucky enough to make some amazing new contacts, and dare I say, friends.
SPARK is a group of like minded women, trying to navigate the world of small-business ownership. Through this group we were able to hook-up with Natalie of
Lolabean Photography. Any of you living in the GTA looking for a photographer- look no further. Natalie is talented, driven, professional and creative. Her work is dreamy and lovely and it was a pleasure to work with her. Natalie shot our first production shoot which was a swimming success and we have used her photos time and again to help advertise our work.
And the 'other' networking: (Facebook and the like) - We humbly admit that at times we have been a little Facebook- Post -Over -Zealous. It's easy to get caught up in and when you are excited and proud of your work it feels good to show it off. A goal for 2014 will be more strategic posts. Quality over quantity as the saying goes so as not to overwhelm the senses. Thank you for baring with us flooding your news-feeds from time to time : )
Lesson 3: Hard work pays off
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| Master Business Licence |
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| Our Very First Order |
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| Our Furthest Order: From the Middle East! |
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| Balls Falls Display |
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| Balls Falls Selfie! |
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We worked our asses off this year. Our biggest goal was working towards Balls Falls fall festival which took place over the Thanksgiving weekend. It was a resounding success, but success does not happen over night. You have to work (and work and work and work) for it. While preparing product for the show we still ran our full
etsy shop preparing custom orders weekly. On top of that (and I can not stress this fact enough) Mary. Has. Three. Children. 3. Trois. The oldest is about to turn 4, and the youngest is 6 months. When Henry was born this year HMF's heart swelled even bigger than we thought possible. He bounced into the world and straight to his first craft show at
Herilooms only days after birth.
Stop and think about that for a moment. Mary had just given birth to her third child and still pushed herself to the limit this year making some of the most beautiful women and children's wear and breathtaking quilts I have ever seen. Mary, my dear, you are an inspiration and the most driven woman I have ever met. You meet every challenge head-on and have the patience of a Saint. I could not have done this year without you (or Ethan or Clara or Henry or Paul!) Thank you for giving it your all.
I do not have children of my own. But I have a full-time job logging 12 hour shifts and somehow managed to clock the most overtime this year that I have ever worked in my 10 year career... and still I knit (and knit and knit). Because of the dream and the goal and the knowledge that nothing worth doing was ever easy. Accomplishing these goals feels better the harder you work at it. My other lifelong goal I achieved this year was my trip to Kenya. Africa has left a stamp on my heart that I will never forget. I ache to go back, and will work my ass off again to get there. I can't wait to push ourselves even further this coming year.
That being said....
Lesson 4: Time Management & Creative Drive (when to say when)
One of the biggest lessons to come out of this year is the knowledge that we can't do everything. We can not accept every "rushed" custom order that comes through. And we need to stick to achievable timelines that we establish. The need-to-please that comes with being a) women and b) new business owners is a catch 22: our business is growing and customer satisfaction is high - to the detriment of our own quality of life. This year will be about selection, time management, taking time for ourselves and sticking to our guns. As artists (is it pretentious to call ourselves artists?) we have a vision and began this journey with a desire to create and to make something that we love. As business owners we pride ourselves on custom orders and being able to create whatever the client wants. There sometimes exists a disconnect between making something we love and creating something that a client loves. The goal for 2014 will be to keep falling in love with our product. To dream of new ideas, new patterns new ways to blend colour and texture and to stay true to the dream we created when HMF first came to fruition.
New Year Resolutions cont'd
I also dream of turning our small, new, blooming etsy shop into a brand. Again, this is not something that happens over night- it's the kind of thing you work your ass off for.
I want this site to be a place where there exists updated tutorials. I want to write and publish patterns for download and to evolve into more than a spot where we update photos and toot our own horns.
And so, with just one week before Christmas (it's never too late) our first, seasonal free download: a knit Christmas hat pattern, from me to you. (To download the PDF click
here). Joyeux noel...
