How do you react to change? My husband said that I embrace change. I feel the most comfortable when the world around me is dynamic and things are being created and shifted. I'm always thinking how can I do something different. I was thinking about my husband this morning and other people who don't like change. Does it mean they never have to deal with change if they go about their daily routines keeping everything the same?
In business whether you embrace it or not change is a constant. Your customers change, your environment changes, and the outside world changes around your business even if you keep everything constant. Somethings are under your control but most are not. When your business is very young you are the one that needs to affect the most change. You must constantly be planting seeds for branding, product development, internal structure and procedure, and thousands of other things. Each new day brings multitudes of decisions that you must make in order to grow and with each new decision brings vast change to your business and yourself. As your business begins to solidify as it gets established you begin to notice changes in your environment having a greater affect on your establishment then the changes you make internally each and every day.
When I first made a summer hat for Libby I had no idea it was about to become a new business. I remember showing Bobby the hat and she asked me to make them for some baby showers she was going to. Then I made two hats for Sue Page. One for Harrison's birthday and one for Sydney as a gift. I barely knew Sue at the time and I still hear her saying 'my mom thinks these are good enough to start a business.' Then Bobby told Jodi at G'Willikers about my hats and she purchased 18. I was in shock! Making hats from my dining room was a pure adrenaline rush. I took the money from the sales and purchased fabrics for the next hats.
Change began to happen quickly as I made decisions. I began to contact stores and sell wholesale. That meant larger orders and more fabric. Sue and I decided to open a retail store. That meant inventory, staffing, and bringing a portion of the business out of my dining room. We decided to let more people into the business. That meant an LLC ( red flag number 3) memberships, payroll, more time needed for management and a series of life changing decisions came one after the other.
Whether you are creating change or waiting for it to come with you, a business will need to react to change. It's best to have a game plan. I never believed in having a business plan but now after seeing the unexpected journey of The Little Hat Company I know that in future endeavors I will always begin with one - a map just in case I find myself lost along the way.
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