As we creep over the finish line of the year that will forever be etched in our collective memory as 'the year of face masks and hand sanitiser', we wanted to take a deep breath and reflect on the last 12 months.Â
It's hard to believe it's been two whole years since I quit my job and started working on Mustard full time. It's been a wild, bumpy ride that has stretched me in all directions. Let's take a look back at the highs, the lows and the twists along the way...
There is no easy way to say this. The world is we know it has completely unravelled.Â
It sounds cliched but never has it been more accurate to say that we took so much granted until now. Simply going to the shops to buy groceries feels like an extreme privilege. Never before have we considered whether we'd be able to buy pasta or not at the supermarket or counted down our toilet rolls like they were days before Christmas.Â
To mark International Women's Day we wanted to put our money where our mouths are. It's great to speak out and share stories but along with that comes the responsibly to act. We decided to pay it forward to support others whose lives are full of untapped potential.
Now seems like a just the right moment to get a little reflective. We've taken the last few weeks away from work (mostly) + there's nothing like a bit of space to reset + refocus.Â
Last year a LOT happened. Here's our 2019 in numbers...
September marked one whole year since we launched Mustard in the UK so we threw ourselves a party!!
Being your own boss(es) means it's all too easy to let the days slip by without really stopping to see how far you've come, to actually reflect and maybe even to reward yourself for your hard work...
This week we let our stockists + customers know that we are increasing the price of The Skinny. We sent out emails and we shared stories on instagram all the while holding our breath and hoping it would all be ok.
We received a message on instagram asking "why the sudden jump in price?" so I thought I'd open up about why.
The way The Midi and The Lowdown were brought into this world felt a bit more like a baby being born in the back the car on the way to hospital with heavy metal booming on the radio than a soothing water birth surrounded by candles and a chilled Spotify playlist.
Instagram has a way of making everything look easy. Yeah sure you can run a business, all you need is some motivational quotes and a coffee on a Monday morning right?
(FYI neither of us drink coffee and Mondays get way too much negativity!)Â
Once you've found your stockists you want to keep them, obviously. Think about how hard they work, how most of the day they'll be busy with customers and all the other stuff that it takes to run a shop. With this in mind, how can you make life easier for them?
This is a two part blog post where we'll talk about some of the key thing to consider if you are planning to go down the wholesale route. Think of it as a mini guide from our personal experience.
One of the scariest decisions we have made in our first year of business was to take a break from it.
Since day 1 Mustard has consumed our minds, our time + our hearts. There are days where it feels like it's the centre of the universe + it can being really challenging to separate from it even just for the evening.Â
