This past week has been incredibly hectic and a bit surreal. For the first time, I found myself questioning my commitment to the business. Balancing a full-time job, family time, and running my home fragrance business is proving to be quite a challenge. Just when I feel I've got one aspect under control, another seems to spiral out of balance. Sometimes, it feels like it would be easier to focus on just one stream of work.
Pity party over—Monday was a real wake-up call. I realised I had booked a spot at the Wymondham food festival but had no stock ready. I only found out because they’d sent me a pitch number. I had underestimated the festival, thinking I wouldn’t need much since it was primarily a food event. The real challenge was making new stock amidst the distraction of a week full of the Euros.
Tuesday came, and I celebrated my 31st birthday. "Woo," indeed, but I didn’t spend any of that day making stock - more just eating cake and listening to Louie sing happy birthday over and over and over. The rest of the week was a mad rush to produce as many wax melts as possible. My house was filled with boxes upon boxes of products. Thankfully, online orders were slow, allowing me to focus entirely on preparing for the weekend’s festival.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until Saturday. The First Light Festival in Lowestoft was on, and I took the opportunity to relax a bit too seriously. The sun was shining, the beer was flowing, and my son Louie was having the time of his life playing football on the beach. Not the best preparation for a 6 AM start the next morning.
Sunday proved me wrong about not needing much stock. For just £35 a pitch, Wymondham food festival turned out to be one of the best weekends we’ve ever had. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the event was well-organised. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sample food from nearly every vendor. I probably spent more time buying than selling!
Reflecting on today, I realised how much I love owning a small business. Despite the challenges and the occasional chaos, the satisfaction of a successful market day and the joy of creating something people love are irreplaceable. I just need to figure out how to fit it all in—balancing my business, job, and family life is a puzzle I’m determined to solve.
*note: this is how tired I am… my birthday was on Wednesday. Not Tuesday.
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