Bridgett Edwards

This year has been a lot about reflection for me. There have been huge changes in our lives, from having a baby to leaving my corporate job, that has taken me awhile to get used to. I still feel as though I’m in that transition phase. But I have wrapped my head around A LOT and have managed to find the ground and start making traction.

Next year, I want A LOT to change. Not because I’m unhappy with anything, but because I’m growing to be the person I want to be. It’s time to shed the past and move forward.

Can you believe in February it will be Perideau Designs’ four year anniversary? In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a very long time but yet it does feel like an eternity. And every year for my business I’ve made goals. Selfish materialistic goals. But as I thought about how I want next year to shape out I threw those type of goals out. I want need to focus on what I can control and not what’s out of my hands. I cannot dictate which magazine will publish my products. I cannot dictate the amount of profit I will make each month. I cannot dictate how many sales I’ll have next year.

But what I CAN control is the bigger picture for this little baby.

It all began when emails started to flood in saying how much my customers loved my products and how they come back every year. I AM SO SO GRATEFUL for all of these emails! But there is one from a long standing customer that wrung my heart that I want to share with you.

I received an email from Jenn during the end of my Christmas rush inquiring about the status of her order. Unfortunately it had gone to my spam folder so I didn’t respond right away. But when I did, her order had ironically gone out the day before. She responded so sincerely that she received my status update email and that she was hoping to use our muslin bags for her children’s teacher gifts, but the next day was the last day of school and her order wouldn’t arrive in time. Mortified I responded asking what could I do to rectify the situation? I didn’t want to respond with a here’s a free product or a discount on her next order, I wanted her to feel as thought she is my.only.customer. I left myself vulnerable. Albeit naked. She could’ve easily taken advantage of me and demanded something outrageous. But instead she replied by saying hey, it’s ok, I’ll just be ahead of the game next year.

WOW! I was beyond floored. It’s customers like these that make my heart sing and make me wake up every morning ready to work. It’s the reason I started this business to provide stylish gifts to the world. I’m here to help a budding entrepreneur begin their business with a strong brand. I’m here to design custom invitations that are like no other on the market.

So next year I’m going to focus on what I can control and live a meaningful and intentional life. Don’t get me wrong, I still have HUGE dreams for this little business but my focus has just shifted to what really matters. It’s not about the press. It’s not about the numbers. It’s about the people who make your business grow.