Vol.4: Labor Of Love

Happy Labor Day! Today’s blog pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of hard-working people. For me, hard-working people are ALL OF YOU who devote so much of your time to make a living. For example, an employee who contributes to the company, a business owner who devotes so much energy into their business, a wife/husband who makes the best living environment, and as a mom/father who dedicates themselves to their precious kids.

As a small business owner, I take on every role in my company. In large corporations, different departments handle different tasks, but I take on all. My entire schedule is solely dedicated to my business. Every spare moment, I think about how to grow my business. I think about jewelry designs. I think about design for paper supplies. I think about production. I think about packaging. I think about where to sell and how to operate. I think about revenue and costs of sales. I think about my website and SNS. And of course, I always think of you, my loyal supporters to be able to experience a fun shopping environment and enjoy wearing my jewelry. I usually start at the break of dawn and end in the late evening. I work until I am tired and exhausted. Most people stress about work. Since I’m doing what I love, I stress when I’m not working. My brain never stops thinking of my small business.

The pandemic forced me to change my business model to incorporate more online business. I struggle with this. Online presence is not my strong point. Making content is hard for me, especially since English is not my first language. More than often, I am not sure what I am doing. Am I doing this right? Am I on the right track? Am I doing enough to create some excitement for my customers? But I keep going. I make mistakes but learn from them. I continue to break through barriers for myself. I remain flexible and open. More importantly, I continue to work hard.

However, because I do everything my own, it is easy for me to overwork myself. When it comes to my business, I am terrible at finding a balance, despite my last blog about how balance is important in my life. If I am not careful, I can easily burn out. Labor Day also reminds us of the poor and unsafe working conditions people use to live with. Being my own company, I need to make sure that I do not create poor working conditions for myself either. This is one of my biggest challenges for sure.

Balance is key. This is something I strive for and am constantly working at. I love designing jewelry. I love being creative. I love having my own business. This is my life and my everything. When you love what you’re doing, it’s not strenuous at all. But it is also easy to overdo it. I just need to remember that I, too, need breaks.

On this Labor Day, let's reflect on your accomplishments. I am so proud of every single one of you that you work so hard in your jobs and careers, with your children, with your families, and with yourself to lead the most fulfilling lives you possibly can. And I’m so proud of myself for what I’ve done to be where I am now! I don’t mind doing the labor if it’s something I love to do. It is, after all, a labor of love.

XOXO,

Mai