I love a good self reflection. With my 31st birthday approaching next week, I wanted to share some reflections of lessons I really ‘practiced’ this past year. haha These are in no particular order and have to do with all areas of life.

1. Saying no does not make you a bad person. I’ve really exercised my ability to say no and honor my best interests.

2. Being one of the last of your friend group to get married is amazing. Having so many bridesmaids who have already planned weddings (or been in multiple) is a blessing and so helpful.

3. Being engaged is one of the most magical times of life. Prepare to giggle a lot.

4. Joining a challenge that seems really hard (i.e. the BIPOC author only reading challenge for a year), is a great sign that it’s something you need to try. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.

5. I am so grateful for my body’s ability to move. I cannot imagine my mental health story without the ability to use cycling and running as a means of therapy.

6. Talk less and listen more.

7. I feel my best when I get to bed early and read before falling asleep. Same goes for waking up early to spend time alone reading.

8. Planning a wedding is harder than it looks and can bring up a lot of past emotions you didn’t know you needed to work through. It’s also the most fun I’ve ever had planning the day I get to marry my best friend. (aka SO WORTH IT).

9. The more nieces and nephews I am blessed with, the better life gets. If my heart can grow this much from nieces and nephews, I can’t imagine what having children feels like.

10. You don’t have to physically give birth to be a mother. You can mother your friends, your family, others’ children.

11. I love wearing a mask at the grocery store so I can be sly and get and out quickly without seeing anyone I know.

12. I also love wearing a mask for moments when I’m doing makeup and don’t have to worry if people can smell my coffee breath.

13. Sourdough bread making isn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.

14. Writing a cookbook is still hard, but we’re almost there!

15. Life is truly lived in the little moments. With each year I appreciate the tiny details more, as they are responsible for so much of life’s daily joy.

16. Being the bride after all of these years of working in the bridal industry, is a weird feeling. It’s ok if you don’t feel super bridal. Doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be a bride, or won’t enjoy it. It just might take longer for you to have it sink in. Plus, it’s about the marriage, not just the wedding day!

17. Turning 30 was absolutely amazing. If you are nearing it, embrace it. It’s exponentially better than your 20’s haha (and my 20’s were awesome)!

18. While I never would have wished the pandemic on anyone, I am grateful that it confirmed what I already knew…I can spend every second with only Mikey and still miss him the minute he walks out that front door.

19. Setting a realistic wedding budget is CRUCIAL. I cannot imagine this process without my budget.

20. You do not have to work every second of every day, to have a successful small business. Burnout is real and resting is great. Also work life balance is something you are continually striving for, so don’t be so hard on yourself if it feels like you haven’t mastered it. Life and businesses have seasons.

See you on the other side when I’m 31!!!

Andrea

I love supporting other small businesses, but especially those that are women owned. I wanted to write a post to encourage those of you who either own their own or are thinking of starting their own business. It can be a challenging and lonely area to navigate, but I do know one thing. We are all better off supporting one another.

I reached out to a few of my favorite women entrepreneurs and asked them to give me a piece of advice that they would give themselves if they could go back in time before their entrepreneurship journey began. I’ve linked their businesses so please do me a favor and support as many as you can. Check out their websites, follow them on social media, and send them love.

Amanda - Leader of Michigan Tribe

If you’re starting a business because you want more freedom, go get a job instead.

Meredith - Owner of Tiny Bits Of Happiness

Embrace being a beginner. Everything will feel new. A lot of stuff is going to feel hard or difficult and you will most likely question yourself at least a million times. You may feel like you are not enough of something, and friend, you are so so enough. Have so much grace with your heart and remember grit makes us tougher. Persist and embrace this exciting new beginning of a chapter. You will probably feel like you are lost at sea a few times, and I'm a true believer in that means you are growing. You've swam away from the shore and you are allowing yourself to get lost and you are allowing yourself to grow. Remember, growing doesn't always feel good. Seek out community. Talk about what's on your heart. And reach out and gather insights from people who are farther along. So many people have been turning around giving out advice, insight and help for free. So while this beginning is a whole lot of things, just remember you are beginning and growing and you are made to do this.

Margaret - Owner of Edgewood Place Occasions & Fortress Coffee Co.

You don’t have to have it all together and it’s okay for your business to evolve. When I started out I thought I had to have everything in place before I “officially started” and I think it hindered me in a way, because I kept pushing off just starting. I was very consumed with getting everything right the first time. Since then my business has changed about four different times and I often feel like I have no idea what I’m doing! But it’s evolved naturally and is now something that feels like the perfect fit. It’s okay to learn as you go and to start before you think you’re ready!

Liz - Owner & Creator of The Lemon Bowl

Don’t let subconscious thought loops from your childhood dictate your reality as an adult.

Kherington - Creator & Owner of Currently Kherington

There's power in saying "no" + that being told "no" is a good thing! I feel like saying "no" + being told "no" actually frees you up to focus on what's important and ultimately means you're honing in on your overall mission/vision. I can honestly say anytime I've put myself out there + have been told "no" it wasn't definite. I ended up working with those same businesses down the line or they referred me for other work that I was a better fit for along the way. + when you can confidently say "no" to a project that may come your way, never feel regret - especially if it isn't in harmony with the bottom line and future of your business. While being a busy mom, wife, + business owner - let's just say my time + sanity are valuable + have thanked me wholeheartedly for this!

Julie Wardi - Owner of 325BLVD Boutique & Blog

I started my online boutique a few years ago. I was pretty young and didn't have much knowledge going in. I think my biggest mistake then, was rushing. I was in such a rush to finish everything that I didn't take the time I needed to make sure everything was the quality that I had envisioned. I closed the site for a while and I recently re-opened it. I think that when starting a business, you'll never truly have all the answers and knowledge - those things come with time and experience. But I do think that my advice to myself would be to slow down! Make sure that things are done the correct way. If something goes wrong, that's okay, just make sure to fix it, even if it puts a bump in your timeline. In the end, you'll be way happier that your finished product is exactly how you wanted it - instead of having a half-ass product, that was finished quickly.

Thank you to all of the amazing women entrepreneurs who contributed to this post!

If you own a business and have some advice, please be sure to comment below and leave it for my readers!

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea