Novremember 2014

As winter approaches and the darkness descends, I find my energy stores are hard pressed to allow efforts beyond simply staying warm and happy. The life I have built for myself is not that simple though, creating products for a business makes me happy but it IS work. So I'm beginning to create a more structured environment for Branch & Beak, or trying to. As one might well know, if they have read previous blog posts, I have had this same struggle the entirety of Branch & Beak's existence. I struggle with the aspects of business that do not interest me, the obligations: the consistency of numbers and filing, receipts, taxes, social media updates, organization of all these things and so on and so forth. 

So I am working toward creating brain space for all that, creating "work time" for Branch & Beak, so that it is separate from any other time. In order to further refine and get closer to my vision for this endeavor I need to simplify, and right off the bat that means phasing out the products that don't serve the vision. 

To be blunt, since I haven't put extreme effort into blog-outreach and little to no effort into advertising, I think I can safely say that this is as good time as any to be doing this. My customer base is growing and the feed back has been heart quakingly kind and thoughtful, positive and honest, and while that excites me and causes me to pause in gratitude, it also scares me. It's hard to admit that, and maybe I shouldn't be admitting it, but I'm a wildly impulsive and passionate person who wears her heart on her internet sleeve. I want people and especially my customers to know that I care about the process, that I care about every aspect of my business. The issue lies in the fact that I do not excel in certain aspects of the business, so they get neglected and the business does not move forward when it should be flourishing. However, I'm ready to flourish, damnit. I've got an actual office and work-space now, and it screams: FLOURISH! It belts out: THRIVE! It has a swivel chair! 

So, I've admitted I get scared when it comes to running a business, but if those Young Entrepreneur Society meetings back in 1999 and field trips to Manhattan taught me anything, it's that a little fear is healthy and a lot of courage is crucial. When it comes to the bigger picture, my wider view on life and the choices I'm making, I feel brave and bad ass and humbled all at the same time but I must continue to improve. Because, what else? 

Before I continue rambling about being my own boss and pushing myself to do things outside of my interest and comfort zone; let me talk about the reasons I'm sure you are reading this: the phasing out and discontinuation of products. Like the mission statement says; I'm here to create magickal tools, to create beautiful and useful products that help you as the customer to access your confidence, your ability to heal and mend and nourish yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. I want to do lean more toward those purposes. While I enjoy the heck out of creating botanical perfumes and will continue to do so, there are certain ones that I will not be offering anymore, I need to narrow it down and make room for new scents! Same with all purpose salves, I think I may rid of them altogether. The intention here is to refine my products down to JUST magickal, or at least magickally and herbally influenced products. 

Products that will no longer be available once they are sold out:

-Balsam Fir salve

-Lavender salve

-Drunk At Tea solid perfume

-Josephine solid perfume

-Rose & Jasmine Green salt soak

-Moon's Breath salt soak

-Glad Rose salve

-The Divine solid perfume

-Bruised Wing cut + scrape salve

-Flower Face oat scrub

-Faerie Hair conditioning treatment

-Gentleman's Moustache Styling wax

...so far those are the cuts, I will continue to make Basic Beak and Fancy Beak lip balms simply because they are regular sellers at the brick + mortar shop where I have B & B for sale, and I have received such great feedback on them.

To hopefully soften the blow, I will leave you with a list of products I have on deck to be for sale in the near future:

-Brighten Your Lights: Auric Energy Cleanse salt scrub

-Astrologic anointing oil/perfumes

-embroidered patches of all kinds

-oil versions of all perfumes

-salt soaks that are more specific to spell work, ritual and ceremony

-smudge bundles of all sorts (these will not be available until probably mid to late summer 2015)

-single note scents with choices from all essential oils I carry

-spell kits

-cone incense (and further down the line; incense holders that I have crafted)

____________________

Wouldn't it would be silly of me to stay bolted to the ground when I have all that expansive galaxy to explore!? I've got amazing support network and lots of ideas to make realities, so there is no telling how far I'll take this adventuring caravan.

I am a fish and I must swim, whether it is up or down stream or lost in a tide pool of my own making; I must swim. So I will.

Get ready!