I always find myself reflecting on the year behind us as we enter December and the holiday season begins. And this year, much of that reflection involves starting this business.
These past 3 months since starting GCO have been an incredible whirlwind, but I’d be lying if I said it’s been an easy journey. I’ve spent many sleepless nights combing over never ending to do lists, wondering how I’d get everything done. Obsessing over perfection in the detail, wanting everything I put my mark on to live up to the high standards I set. At times, I’ll admit, I’ve needed to readjust my visions to the reality of my current bandwidth, and other times I’ve wondered if I’m entirely crazy for launching a business within just a month and a half of its ideation. But the truth of it now is this: there hasn’t been a single moment I’ve regretted or doubted starting this journey, and I am so excited to keep moving it forward.
Because for every sleepless night I laid awake with worries, there were far more moments of inspiration that have kept me grounded and motivated. Inspiration that hits at 11 PM and keeps me up throughout the night, mornings spent waking up to pages of iPhone notes with ideas to make GCO everything I dream it to be one day. Ideas that live in a floral patterned compartment in my mind and come to life as block print linens are paired with delicate china plates and iridescent glasses. I’ve been searching a long time for an outlet to express the contents of this creative compartment in my head, and I am so lucky I’ve finally found a way to let it loose.
My key takeaways from this year and my first 3 months as a ~small business owner~ are this:
If you have an idea that keeps you up at night, you’re right to explore that journey.
You’re going to make mistakes – just don’t let them wear you down. You wouldn’t be giving it your all if you weren’t messing up along the way.
You have to learn to walk before you can run (repeat this 10x in the AM and 10x before bed).
Don’t let the fear of not getting things perfect keep you from trying at all.
Delegate, delegate, delegate. If your friends and family offer to help when you need it, take them up on it. Your support system wants to see you succeed.
I invite you to come along and join me on this wild entrepreneurial ride, and I hope your presence finds its way to our tables next spring. Until then, we’ll be sharing lots of hostess tips and daily life takes from me and my hot dog, Midge, the official mascot of GCO.
Which brings me to my next point…our first ever giveaway 🙂 As we gear up for what we anticipate will be a full schedule in 2022, we thought we’d sneak in one more occasion before we close the books on 2021.
Over the next month we’ll be sharing our best holiday hostess tips and tricks, from elegant napkin folding to our favorite make ahead entrees to impress a crowd. To kick off our first day of our “12 Days of Hosting” blog series, we’re skipping right to the good stuff by offering one Instagram follower a cozy, fireside picnic in the comfort of their own home. Order take out and treat your partner to a date night in the living room, or invite your girlfriends over for a potluck. Maybe brunch is more your thing – we can make a festive tea party happen. Or a Christmas movie and baking marathon? (trust me, I could go on and on…).
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