Happy New Year! I hope your first few week into 2017 has felt fresh n’ clean. I know it can be crazy over the holidays and the beginning of the year can feel like a shock to the system. With all the over indulging I personally love the feeling of getting back into a routine and more structured way of being.
The final 6 weeks of 2016 were pretty challenging for me in many ways. If you have been following my story for a while, you probably remember that earlier in the year I bought my brother Chandler out of Make It. The decision was something that felt right for both of us and our relationship as siblings and friends has become even closer as a result.
Although I no longer have Chandler as a business partner, I’m really fortunate to have some powerhouse ladies (Team Make It!) who allowed for the transition to be as smooth as possible. We also *finally* upgraded the website and spruced up a lot of the marketing around the show too.
In March we moved into a cute little office in Gastown and it feels really great to have a place to come to. Before I was working from home and as much as I enjoyed the commute, and not having to wear real pants, I much prefer having somewhere to go to each day. It feels more legit.
The first show of the holidays season was in Edmonton. Since the demand last year was so great, we decided to rent an extra hall to have more room for Makies. This also meant it was the biggest show to date!
Going into the show I was a little concerned because I kept hearing things about the downturn of the Alberta economy and that people were tightening up their purse strings. But, then I realized that because of the situation, many people would be more inspired than ever to support the local economy instead of going to West Edmonton Mall or Walmart.
It was incredible to see how many people came out to Make It and support our Makies! Many of them had record breaking shows including my brother’s Ole Originals‘ booth. A few food exhibitors for Vancouver even sold out by the end!
But despite some having incredible success, other Makies told me that the show wasn’t as profitable for them as it had been in the past. As a show organizer, I’m always very curious to figure out why certain people kill it and others have a more challenging time.
As I walked around the show with this in mind I discovered some really interesting correlations. The Makies who’s booth were well designed, brightly lit and easy to shop easily attracted shoppers. It mattered less what they sold and more about how they sold it.
More importantly, when the Makie made an effort to stand during the show, stay off their phones, smile and engage customers their chances of closing a sale were so much higher. It sounds like simple stuff, but when I observed it in action I was amazed what a huge difference it made.
Energy is everything. What you put out come back to you. When I saw Makies with positive upbeat attitudes they always seemed to be doing well. I know this has way less to do with what they are actually selling than it does with their ability to attract customers with their good vibes.
My understanding for this is comprehensive because for 8 years I sold my Booty Beltz at pretty much every craft fair and festival in Canada. I knew my product was cute and trendy, but what I learned more from that experience was I was completely in control of the energy that I put out.
It didn’t matter if the exhibitors around me were negative, I knew that it was up to me to exude the best possible attitude in order to sell as much as I possibly could. And it worked every single time.
There were days that I felt like crap, but I never allowed negative energy to take over because I knew it would only hurt me. Complaining was also something I didn’t participate in because I didn’t see how it was beneficial. I was there because I decided I wanted to be there and the only option for me was to make it the best experience possible.
This is something that I continue to practice. At the Vancouver show there was a pretty intense snow storm that hit on the Friday. A few people came up to me and asked what I was going to do about it. The question kinda caught me off guard and I wasn’t sure how to respond. Later I realized I would do what I always so when something challenging happens, I would remain as positive as possible.
Yes, the freak snowstorm sucked and made it difficult for a lot of shoppers to come out to the show. But, what happened as a result is many Makies had amazing online sales. We noticed that our web traffic peaked on that day too. Things always have a way of working out even though it might not be exactly how you would have expected them to. That’s why you can never let yourself get discouraged.
Even though attendance was down in Vancouver on the Friday, I knew that if I allowed my energy to dip to a negative vibration it would not only feel gross in my body, but I wouldn’t be of service to my community. I instead pulled out my phone and created a couple Facebook Live videos to encourage people to come out to the show. It was a little uncomfortable at first because I haven’t made a video like that before, but it turned out to be kinda fun! If I had taken a train to negative town there’s no way I would have been able to get on camera.
Economic downturns and snowstorms are two examples of situations that are completely out of our control. Sure, they impact my business in challenging ways, but I ultimately have full control of how I respond to them. It’s not always easy, but the more I trust and surrender, the more another force takes over that allows be to see the bigger picture.
All of this is a process and I am by no means an expert or close to proficient at it. But, I do find the more I practice the more I’m able to catch myself from going into a ‘poor me’ story. The more I call myself out, the easier it gets too.
In 2 weeks I’m headed to India! It’s a trip I’m super excited about because I know it will only deepen my understanding of universal laws. I’m travelling with some new friends that I met last fall in Bali. India has been on my list for many year and I feel blessed to have met like minded people that share my love for self discovery and personal exploration. I know we are going to have such a blast and I’ll come back with new wisdom.
One of my biggest goals for 2017 is to publish my book. I’ve already got a big chunk done and I’m SO excited to share it with all of you. Because I need to focus my writing attention in completing it you’ll probably be hearing from me less, but I’ll make sure to keep you updated on the juicy stuff! You’ll be able to checkout my India photos on Instagram too.
Thank you so much for all of the ongoing support with Make It and my own personal entrepreneurial journey. It means so much to me and I’m beyond grateful to be able to make a living doing what I love. I wish nothing but joy, happiness and love for you in 2017!