Talking Nonsense - I Miss Trade Stands

The more eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I missed a column last week. I mean, maybe no one noticed, does anyone even read these things anyway? Who knows, but I'm back, rambling on as usual.

Last week was just a bit hectic and I ran out of time to write my column on Friday, so instead of stressing myself out and working really late I just said: "f*ck it, let's skip this week". I am the boss so who's going to give me a row if I miss my column one week? No one. Perhaps that attitude seems a bit stinky to some people but I am very much of the belief that you need to take time to rest and I place huge importance on a healthy work/life balance.

OF COURSE, I want to get all my work done, and OF COURSE, I'm passionate about my business and its success but if I run out of time to do a non-essential task I think it's okay to skip it just that once in favour of giving myself time to rest. Self-care and cutting yourself some slack when you need to is the key to a happy life and I truly believe that. Slightly off-topic but that's the reason I still buy Digestives and chocolate spread in my shopping every week; yes I might be skinnier if I wasn't devouring a pack every week BUT that little digestive sandwich (two digestive biscuits with chocolate spread in the middle for anyone who hasn't tried this little droplet of heaven yet) brings me more joy than being a couple of pounds lighter would ever bring me. So again, I say "F*CK IT, bring on the Digestives!" #SelfCareHun.

Anyway, back to my original point. I think some people look at my business and think I am Wonderwoman when it comes to ticking things off my to-do list but the truth is I just no longer feel guilty for skipping tasks, as long as it isn't detrimental to the growth of my business.

A shot from one of our gorgeous rides this week 

The same could be said for riding. Woody usually has one day off a week but this week he had two consecutive days off because I just didn't feel like I had the energy or the right headspace to get on and give him the rider he deserves. We aren't training for a competition at the moment so it didn't do him any harm, in fact, it probably was good for him to have a couple of chill days and rest those little leggy-loos after a few weeks of enjoying galloping in the silage fields. I think the point I'm trying to make is that we put so much pressure on ourselves and it is actually okay to put things on pause when you need to.

Onto my second point of the day, which I will try to make less of a rambly mess than the first one, is that I am really missing going out to do trade stands. This is something I didn't think I would ever say because although trade stands can be super fun and very social, they are also extremely draining and you come home exhausted. As well as the actual trade stand we have all the prep before and after which includes preparing and marketing for a show, packing up the stock and the lorry, driving there, setting up the stand, then when it's over we have to take everything down, rebag all the clothes and unload everything when we get back to the office. Then there is the stock counting, paperwork and admin that needs to be done for everything that was sold and don't even get me started on sleeping in a freezing-cold horse lorry for up to five nights at a time!

HOWEVER, that being said, a trade stand is also a wonderful time. It's where I really get to connect with my customers to ask their opinions and find out what is important to them. It's a time to see my collection come to life with all the clothes laid out and merchandised to look their absolute best. It's a time to see customers light up when they try things on and skip away feeling elated after purchasing their riding leggings that fit perfectly. It's hard work, there's no arguing with that, but it's also so rewarding and an essential part of running a business which I pride in being driven by its customers.

That being said, the date of what would have been Blair International Horse Trials is approaching and since our online trade stand for Badminton 2020 went down so well there might just be something in the pipeline for Blair too so watch this space...

Anyway, that's enough nonsense for now, let's get back to business.

Sarah x

#BeUnstoppable