Starting a business sounds exciting when you say it out loud.
You have an idea. You create something you believe in. You put it out into the world and hope that people love it as much as you do.
And parts of it are incredibly exciting.
But there's another side to starting a business that I don't think people talk about enough.
It's hard.
Not just the long days, the money, the mistakes or the constant learning. It's the emotional side of putting something you've created out there for everyone to see.
When I started ada and belle, I knew there would be a lot to learn. What I didn't realise was how much starting a business would teach me about myself and about other people.
You Become Everything, All at Once
When you're building a small business, especially in the beginning, there's no big team behind the scenes.
You're the person answering emails.
You're creating content.
You're packing orders.
You're working on the website.
You're thinking about products, marketing, photos, numbers, packaging, customers and approximately 47 other things at the same time.
And while social media might show the pretty packaging, the new collection or the exciting order notification, it doesn't always show everything that happened to get there.
There are days when you feel like you're absolutely smashing it.
And then there are days when you question everything.
Sometimes those days happen back-to-back.
You Learn to Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
Putting your own business out into the world is strangely vulnerable.
Suddenly, something that used to exist only in your head is sitting there for everyone to see.
Your ideas.
Your designs.
Your decisions.
Your brand.
And, whether you like it or not, a little piece of you.
You have to become comfortable posting when you're worried about what people will think. Talking about your business when you feel awkward promoting yourself. Trying something new knowing that it might not work.
There isn't always someone standing there telling you you're doing the right thing.
Sometimes you just have to trust yourself and keep going.
Sometimes, Strangers Will Root for You the Loudest
This has probably been one of the biggest surprises of starting ada and belle.
You naturally assume the people who know you will be the ones cheering the loudest.
And sometimes they are.
But sometimes, they're not.
Then someone you've never met places an order.
A stranger follows your page and comments on your posts.
Someone shares your business with their friends.
A customer comes back and orders again.
Someone sends you a message saying they love what you're creating.
And suddenly, these people who owe you absolutely nothing are choosing to support something you built.
There's something incredibly special about that.
Starting a business teaches you that support doesn't always come from where you expected it to.
And instead of focusing on the people who aren't cheering, I've learnt to appreciate the ones who are.
Because every order, share, comment, message and recommendation means more to a small business than people probably realise.
Comparison Can Steal the Fun Very Quickly
It's incredibly easy to look at another brand online and think they're miles ahead.
Their content looks perfect.
They have more followers.
They're selling out.
Everything seems to be working.
Meanwhile, you might be sitting at home wondering why the video you spent two hours making has 300 views.
But social media only shows a tiny piece of someone's business.
It doesn't show how long they've been building it, what they've invested, the mistakes they've made or what's happening behind the scenes.
I've had to remind myself that ada and belle doesn't need to look like anyone else's business.
I'm building something of my own.
And that takes time.
The Small Wins Become the Big Wins
One thing starting a business has taught me is to celebrate things I probably wouldn't have thought twice about before.
A new order.
A lovely customer message.
Someone wearing something I designed.
A repeat customer.
A piece of content doing well.
Someone recommending Ada & Belle to a friend.
When you're building something from the ground up, those moments mean everything.
They remind you that somewhere out there, someone chose your business.
And I'll never take that for granted.
I'm Still Figuring It Out
I don't think there's ever a point where you suddenly feel like you know exactly what you're doing.
I'm still learning.
I'm still changing things.
I'm still making mistakes.
I'm still having ideas that work and ideas that absolutely do not.
But I'm also incredibly proud that I started.
Building Ada & Belle has been exciting, exhausting, scary, rewarding and everything in between.
And maybe that's what starting a business really is.
It's choosing to believe in something before you have proof that it's going to work.
It's continuing when things are quiet.
It's learning not to measure your progress against somebody else's.
It's appreciating the people who choose to support you, especially the ones you never expected.
And it's looking back every now and then and realising that the thing you once only imagined is now real.
So, to every person who has ordered, followed, shared, commented, messaged or quietly supported ada and belle from the sidelines:
Thank you.
You might think it's a small gesture.
To a small business, it's anything but.
With love,
ada and belle x
