Success

I had the opportunity this winter to take my business in a different direction than what I’ve been doing now, by expanding into a much larger retail market. It would have required me to outsource labour and change the model of my business.  I hmm’d and haw’d over it for a long time, and finally decided that direction wasn’t for me.  When I mentioned this to someone, I got a surprising response.  “So, it sounds like you don’t want to be successful.”

Obviously, I was a little taken aback by that response.  

I am so grateful for my parents. They taught me so many important things.  One of the first thing they taught me, is to always speak my mind.  Speak it in a polite manner, but always speak it because what I have to say matters.  So, I told that person that they were wrong.

The second thing my parents taught me is that success isn’t defined by the amount of money you make, the newness of your car, the brand of jeans you wear, the size of your house, but by the feeling you get at the end of the day.

So, this got me to thinking about how success is defined in terms of Ohhh Lulu… A large corporate entity and billions of dollars does not equal success to me. Okay, I’m not going to lie, a billion dollars would be super awesome. But, I currently do not feel in want or need of anything.

A larger business to me, is not necessarily more of a success, and in fact, I feel like it would take away part of what makes my business different. As it stands now, I get to work one-on-one with people from around the world.  I get to make them pretty things.  I get to offer something different, because I can customize and personalize things as people wish. Every day, I get to take a piece of cloth, and stitch it into something unique and beautiful with my own two hands! To me, there is nothing better than that.  Talking on the phone all day to suppliers and manufacturers and negotiating wholesale rates sounds like the worst day to me.  On the other hand, making stuff all day is a dream come true. And if success is that feeling you get at the end of the day, I guess I feel pretty successful. 

Going forward with Ohhh Lulu, I’d love to be able to hire a person or two within my own community to help me increase production.  I would also like to expand into some smaller boutiques, especially within Canada.  But, seeing Ohhh Lulu at Your Major Department Store isn’t something that I want for my brand.  Being a maker is what makes me happy, and I don’t want to change that!

Last week I had the opportunity to have a little interview with the ladies from Gallant & Jones.  They run a business out of Vancouver, and make beautiful outdoor furniture.  I talked a bit about what I do and where I see the future of Ohhh Lulu. If you’d like to read more, you can see the full interview Here.