12 in 12

12 things I’m holding onto after 12 years in business

This past weekend, Ranna (my work wife, if you’re new around here) and I celebrated MFM’s 12th Anniversary. I started the business “officially” when I moved to Asheville on August 8, 2014. So, 8/8. For our ten year, we threw a fun lil dinner party for my nearest and dearest. Last year, I was coming back from maternity leave, and this year, we ate mini cupcakes. lol. I feel like ten was really built up, and now, we’re just in a steady rhythm where my biggest goal (kind of) is to keep going.

School’s back in session, Fall is on the horizon, and I thought I’d try my hand at bringing this substack back to life. I really do enjoy writing, and I appreciate every single one of the 36 (!!) subscribers who are kind enough to let this take up valuable space in their inboxes. So, without further ado, since I am a reflecting on the past kinda gal, I thought I’d share 12 things I’m holding onto after 12 years in business.

• Don’t bring in help until you really know yourself and your brand.

  • Early on, I believed someone else was supposed to tell me what to do. Where my customers were, what was going to convert, how I was supposed to be talking to them, what my colors should be, whatever. But here’s the truth - no one else can solve the problem of “who are you?”, only you can do that. Trust yourself, and have patience in figuring it out. Also, the third party help you will bring in will need to know who you are, it’s a waste of money for their services if you don’t know this already.

• Pay attention to the numbers.

  • Revenue is great and all, but that means nothing without profit.

• It’s not about anyone else’s lifestyle but your own.

  • F Instagram. Sorry, I said it. I find myself in that comparison trap wayyyy too often. And you know what I think bothers me the most? It makes me think I don’t have enough. But that’s bullshit. My vision of what I would be doing at this stage in my life and business was always creating beautiful things for really great people while also picking my kids up from school every day and being a present parent. And you know what? I do that. No, we don’t go on lavish European vacations, we aren’t living in a million dollar home, and I’m not wearing designer clothes, but that wasn’t ever the dream. Who told me it was?

• Be kind and hold your boundaries.

  • Theses things are not mutually exclusive.

• Pivot.

  • Something isn’t working? You’re only beholden to yourself. Change it.

  

• The First Pancake Theory.

  • I’m purposefully not looking back on the other few times I’ve done this in the past 12 years, but I think I’ve mentioned this one before, and it still holds. The first pancake is always bad. Keep trying, and they get better. Same with design.

• Get Outside.

  • You’re not going to find inspiration on your phone or computer, hard as we may try. Go on a walk, wander an antique store, get out of your head — that’s where the magic creeps in.

• No one has it figured out.

  • Again, I’ve likely said this one before, but it holds true. It may look like other people know what they’re doing - they don’t. (Or, if they do in business, they most certainly don’t in another area of their life because it’s just not possible for one person to have it all figured out in every aspect of their life. I firmly believe this.)

• Find your people.

  • Now I feel like I’m just being an outfit repeater because I know I’ve said this one before; but it might be the single most valuable piece of information I have for anyone at any stage in their life or career. We were never meant to live alone/in isolation. Find your people, and hold on tight. They’re all that matter anyway.

• Experience a Perspective Shift Every Once in a While.

  • Similar to finding your people to do life alongside; find people who challenge you - in the way you live, in your ideas, in how you communicate and move about the world. Sometimes we just need a perspective shift to either more deeply value or make a change in our own lives. Hobbs and I have always said, we’re not curing cancer with our jobs. Yes, we both love what we do and that’s important, but we recognize that the problems we experience in our careers are, in the bigger picture, very small.

• It’s okay to change - your mind, your life, your motivation.

  • I resisted the idea “I do this for my kids” (in reference to their career or having a business) for a very long time. I do still believe I do what I do for myself. But if I said that was the only reason, that’s a lie. I do this to show my children that they can make a career out of what they love, even if it feels impractical.

• Life happens every day.

  • Life doesn’t just happen when you’re traveling, when things feel big and exciting, or even just when things feel hard or sad. Life happens in the school pickup line, at a Saturday park playdate, in the middle of the night cry. It’s happening all the time, during the exciting and the mundane. Don’t waste it.

Bonus - Find a hobby. I recently started sewing again (hadn’t touched a machine since middle school), and it’s been very fun to create something from start to finish that has absolutely no strings attached. I’m not doing it for money or anyone else’s approval, just my own (which may actually be the most annoying approval to get.)

For those of you who’ve been around since 2014 - wow, and thank you. For those of you just discovering me or the brand - welcome. It’s not always on track, but it can be entertaining to watch. I appreciate you being here.

Cheer to 12 years, my people!

Mary Frances