THANK YOU and business stress

I have been crunching numbers all night and preparing for my first official encounter with taxes as a business and I am telling you it is has been so scary. After going through all the receipts I have crunched up in draws that are half faded, collecting scattered material receipts via various email accounts, and calculating my profits via paypal and etsy I feel a bit of relief. I am still scared because I have no clue how all this will crunch when it comes to taxes but I feel a lot better after finally seeing what the numbers actually come to when I minus expenses. You see I am actually really good at math and I have no issues when it comes to calculating things but this tax thing is something I am trying to wrap my head around. I am slowly getting there but tomorrow I will know a lot more when I meet with my new cpa. Basically I know I am making money because I can easily calculate the cost of a project and price accordingly but it worried me that when I finally sat down and actually crunched the numbers I might find a different story.

When you become an entrepreneur and your broke and your doing it alone you encounter a ton of weight in the beginning. It's exciting when you make that first sale and you think oh that was easy but when you start relying on this for your living that measly 20 dollars you thought was profit has to be poured back into more material. You spend crazy amounts of hours working toward this dream without knowing if you will get reimbursed for that time and so much of that time will not be profitable money wise. You have to constantly take risks and you have to deprive yourself from living a life of excess because every penny has to go back in for growth. I alone take care of product design, photography, advertising, social media, production, inventory, accounting, shipping and a ton of other jobs that should have a team to complete them. I want to grow and I know that to do this I have to share the work load but I also want to be sure that the team I create for Run 2 the Wild is as dedicated as me. The reason I am saying this is for you all to understand that this is everything to me. This is my dream. I have no other things going on in my head besides this and my family. I love it no matter how hard I have to work and I love to watch it grow.

So now here is the reason for writing this post and that is to tell every single one of you who have purchased from Run 2 the Wild... THANK YOU.... from the very bottom of my heart. I sit here and think it wouln't be possible with out you all. It makes me want to cry. Your support and your decision to buy from my little business means that I can keep at this dream. It means that I can take that money and use it to keep growing my business and to make it into something great. I only wish I had a way to send each of you something special (this will happen one day). It takes a lot to go out of your way and spend your hard earned cash for small business because you ultimately don't know what your getting into. So THANK YOU for remembering my business and sharing it with your friends. I love you guys sooo much and I want you to know that you are special and you make my world go round.

Love,
Courtney

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY SALE / PEEK AT WINTER COLLECTION

We encourage you to shop small this holiday season and if you can shop local. When you shop small with Run 2 the Wild you get an experience and product that is unlike any other one you will get this holiday season. We currently have two people including myself who put together your product by hand to make sure that each one is well crafted and unique to that makers touch. We also take pride in wrapping and including a special note both free of charge to make sure that each gift is as special as the person receiving it. Instead of running around the malls and stores to find a gift that has been mass produced and shipped overseas shop small with us and we will deliver something so special to your door at the same price. We pride ourselves on making memories. Happy Holidays and thank you for your support this holiday season!

SAVE 20% OFF YOUR PURCHASE IN THE SHOP WITH COUPON CODE SHOPSMALL CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Busy busy... after my 3rd year experiencing the realness of christmas rush sometimes I wish I had a real job that allowed me a break. The balance between life and a small business is tough but I can't complain this is what makes me excited about my business. As for the winter collection I am proud that we have several very special well planned pieces that have been slowly rolling into the shop along with a few more tomorrow. Putting a new piece together involves coming up with the idea, investing some cash and then a whole lot of trial and error especially when it comes to wear ability. It looks simple when I roll out a new collection but the behind the scenes are much more complicated. This month and for the past few months I have set higher goals for Run 2 the Wild than I normally do. For me everything must continue to grow or boredom sets in and I am not very good at settling for less.

I am soo happy that tonight I checked my stats and saw that the goal for today's sales was reached and even surpassed. This was a much needed lift of excitement after a early almost meltdown. Why a meltdown? Because I wanted it that bad and it was scary if all my work didn't equal my expectations. Sometimes they don't and sometimes I take that and turn it into more wheel power but it's scary when you don't have the security of knowing that you will get paid for the hours you put in. I can guarantee that I work a lot of overtime without pay but this is my dream. This is what I want. Just wanted to say that. Each and everyone of you who helps supports this dream becomes part of my dream. I am thankful for you! 

here is just a bit of the pictures I have taken for the winter collection...

Fall Collection Gypsy Dreams 2014

I have been so wrapped up in instagram I forget to blog about the things that are most important to me. It takes a lot to put a collection together every season but it's something I really enjoy. If you read my post A year of Collections you will notice that for this new collection I succeeded in my goal to expand my model selection. I have to say it was one of the best experiences I have had in my business thus far and I really loved the idea of collaborating with my local community.

This lovely little lady Jessica Holly has become a good friend of mine even though we have only hung out a handful of times. I met her over the summer at a first friday I was set up at and was shocked that she had actually gone to the same high school as me and was a art class favorite like myself. Strange because I had never met her before but I am so glad I finally did! We took a hike up the pinnacles and chatted all about art and I knew this girl was what I had been searching for. She was the exotic looking brunette open to making beautiful work that I needed for next collection. She hadn't modeled before but I don't consider myself an expert photographer either but it worked out sooo beautifully. I am so in love with the photos from the collection. My finest work yet!

As for the collection I was going for the idea of layering for fall like a gypsy with different materials and textures. Authentic was the word of choice when it came to materials I chose wood, leather, coins, glass, crystals, stones and even 24 kt gold for special one of kind pieces. In fact this collection was full of truly one of kind pieces that couldn't be duplicated exactly. Like I said... I am proud of this collection it is going to take a bit to top it but I am up for the challenge! Winter collection her we come!

Be sure to see what is left of the collection in the shop  here... 

Photo Dump: Gatsby Gala and a Vintage tour of the Elmwood Mansion

Last month I got to set up a little booth of my jewels to sell at the Richmond Area Arts Councils annual Gala. It was an extravagant event with all the high society folks of richmond gallivanting about in their gatsby attire. Did I mention the theme of the gala was GATSBY? Yeah it was awesome! I sold some jewels, enjoyed the conversation of smart beautiful ladies and gents, I also got to enjoy a free tour of the Elmwood Mansion which is something I always wanted to do. Plus free fancy treats. 

The event was so glamorous and perfect! The ladies that put it together did a great job!

You can read more about the history of the elmwood mansion here.

I am in love with old mansions... if I ever become rich I will purchase one just like this to live in. 

Ok now that you have seen the booth lets take a little adventure back in time and pretend were at Gatsby's mansion!