Lessons From The First Year....

Today [12.16.17] marks the First Year Anniversary of Spoonie Essentials Box and I couldn't be more of a mixed bag of emotions. I am simultaneously incredibly proud of myself and incredibly tired. ha ha chronically ill humor. No but really I am incredibly humbled as I sit and reflect on "The First Year". It has been one--long, emotional, back breaking, inspiring, eventful--incredible year!

This is the first "milestone" I've accomplished since being diagnosed. I cannot say it was all pretty and all graceful but it is official, I have been in business for myself and living my purpose for exactly three hundred and sixty-five (365) days!

As much as I have struggled with this reality over the last year, the truth is my chronic-illnesses control the vast majority of my life. On the more challenging side of business if I wouldn't have a had a flare, I  would have gotten that order out in time sort of thing. Or even the "If I didn't have three Doctor's appointments and labs this week, I would have had more energy to answer emails or schedule social media post" has been a constant stream of consciousness almost every day over the past 52 weeks. My illnesses affect everything about my life, including my business.

But instead of being ashamed about it or as if this overwhelming fact that I cannot control somehow makes me less qualified to follow my dreams, I embraced it. Yes, I am sick. Yes, I will be sick forever. But the truth is, had I never discovered exactly how sick I really was I would have never created Spoonie Essentials Box or had the pleasure to meet so many fellow fighters.

Yes, taking the leap of faith to start a business from the ground up has been work. Long, backbreaking hard work. Hundreds of thousands of hours, blood, sweat, and tears of building the business. Not to mention almost every cent I have. There are no Department Heads or Office Managers, as a small business owner I did almost everything by myself for almost an entire year (hey Tracie, I love you girl). I have labored over every detail, I have lost sleep studying Facebook ads creation and search engine optimizations. Spoonie Essentials Box is me and I am Spoonie Essentials Box.

But looking back, every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every month lead me to exactly where I am now. I've changed so many things since the grand opening--box sizes, happy mail, giveaways, ambassadors--but I've learned so much about myself, owning a business, and exactly where Spoonie Essentials is going in the future.

Like any other business owner when you go down the ship goes down too, but over this year as I've navigated being a full-time chronic-illness patient and small business owner I do not feel my biggest success is the box itself, though I enjoy creating every box design on my phone and bringing the themes to life; I have mostly enjoyed meeting and being able to support fighters just like myself. I started this thing not knowing anyone else with a chronic-illness, now one of my best friends on the planet I met through Spoonie Essentials online community. I have had more "talk therapy" sessions than I can recall. I have cried more happy tears than I have in my entire life. I am re-inspired every single day. It has been stressful, it has been taxing, and it has even been painful but it has been worth every minute of it.

Xo Britt