A Big Business Milestone, Thanks to You
Something monumental happened in my life this month: I hired childcare for my four kiddos for the first time in 4 years. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you’ve read my story, you know that a big reason I started this business (officially 3 years ago) is because childcare was costing me more than what I was making in my social work job. I built this little business over the last few years while I simultaneously cared for my kids and my partner worked full-time.
While working at home for myself now gives me a lot of flexibility in my day, as my business has grown, there have been many moments where I’ve felt over-stretched. In anticipation of doing a farmer’s marker and a lot of weddings this summer (on top of my regular orders, subscription deliveries, and garden work), I decided that it was time to hire some help.
I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to make sure that my kids and I are getting the support we need to thrive. My kids have been so busy doing swim lessons, going on hikes, doing loads of art projects, and reading so many library books with their babysitter. I get to observe, pop in for snuggles and conversations and then get back to my work with a kind of focus that I am still getting used to. With four kids, it is difficult to have one on one time with them and this month, I got to bring along one kiddo at a time to make deliveries, work the market, and listen to whatever they want to talk about as they follow me around the garden—without worrying about what my 2-year-old was up to. I have never felt such a sense of peace and balance with my work and my mothering.
The only reason this has been possible is because of all of you. You customers who order flowers from me. You couples who have trusted me with your wedding flowers. And especially you subscribers who invest in my business by buying a whole season or year of flowers upfront so I can plan and know how much to grow.
This July arrangement includes honeysuckle, lilies, roses, zinnias, pincushion flowers, bee balm, snapdragons, yarrow, echinacea, amaranth, and ornamental grass.
This month marks 3 years of Humble Bouquet. I can’t believe how much has changed in that time. Back then, it was just another business idea after a few failed ones. I was just a desperate mom trying to figure out how to have a somewhat balanced and manageable life. At that time, I thought that maybe I’d break even and at least have a beautiful garden and the satisfaction of bringing others joy. But you believed in me and supported me and my business, and we are both thriving because of that.
To celebrate, I am still offering 10% off of an annual subscription until the end of the July or until I run out of capacity. Thank you so much for supporting this little business, and for appreciating, celebrating, and caring with seasonal flowers.
This first gave me chills and then brought tears to my eyes. I am so so happy for you!