Unique LA Holiday Market 2016 – Stuff we Like

We’re honored to be participating in Unique LA’s Holiday Market again this year!

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been selling at Unique LA since 2012! Time flies! We’ve made some great friends and relationships while showcasing, and it’s always great to see our customers in person.

Now, let’s prep! Lots to do! šŸ™‚

xoxo,

Kissa

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Owning a Business is Hard – No. 3

owning-a-business

Ain’t it the truth.

Ugh, on the real guys. Entrepreneur life has not been great for me lately and I could not figure out why. All businesses are growing, I’m getting help with the work load, can’t really complain.

For the past few weeks I’ve just felt a little blah and burnt out. I didn’t feel like writing, working, creating product..nothing. I was harboring it because I felt like I shouldn’t be complaining when good things are happening. And then one day it just spilled out. Charlie and I were eating dinner in our living room when I suddenly said, “I feel burned out.” He asked why and it forced me to really think about why I feel this way. When I put it out into the universe, the universe responded. It was negativity. It slowly chipped away at me and I didn’t realize it until I was negative too.

Being in the business of customer service is hard. Those that have never worked a job in customer serviceĀ consider yourself lucky lol! Especially the retail or restaurant industry, WOOWEE! Any type of work place where you are serving a large amount of customers in a day(I imagine working in a place like a hospital is the exact same thing) boy oh boy, it takes a toll on you. People can be very critical, totalitarian, and really mean. Our job in the customer service industry is to try to add a little positivity to your day, and I really try to do that every day I go to work. Really, I do. Customer or employee I try to be a positive person to everyone I’m around. There isn’t one day that I walk into work saying, “My goal is to make people mad at me.” I’ve never said that, ever. I can’t please everyone, I get that and I try to remember that every day.Ā But what about when you don’t feel like beingĀ positive? What about when you’re having a bad day? When you get up on the wrong side of bed? When something bad happened to you or your family? Doesn’t matter in customer service.Ā We have to beĀ on (those in customer service will know what I’m talking about)Ā regardless of our personal lives or how we feel. That’s what happened to me.

Working in customer service has helped me to mask my real emotions. I’m starting to get good at it and it’s not a good thing. The more I let it simmer, the more I push it down, theĀ harder it is to snap out of it. But you know what? It’s getting better. It’s not going to happen over night, but slowly it is getting better.

Every business owner goes through it, the discouragement demons are real guys. And when it hits it’s no joke. If you’re there like I am just remember:

  1. You’re awesome
  2. You’re not alone
  3. Don’t quit
  4. Don’t focus on the bad
  5. Recognize every victory, even the small ones
  6. Give yourself time to snap out of it

As for me, I’m taking it day by day. I’m taking time every morning to pray, I try to write down little victories throughout the day, but most of all I’m giving myself time. So if you’re where I’m at right now don’t get discouraged guys. It happens even to the best of them. Just keep your chin up and keep working through it.

xoxo,

Kissa

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The iPhone 7 – Stuff I Like

I’ve been waiting for this day to come! Tomorrow, hopefully, I will be the proud owner of an iPhone 7 šŸ™‚

You guys know how much of an Apple Fangirl I am. Yeah, I said it. I don’t care šŸ˜› I’ve got almost everything that Apple sells – an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Macbook Pro, 3 Apple TV’s at home..see what I mean?

I’m really excited for this phone to release. Mostly because I can upgrade without having to wait thanks to Tmobile lol. But also because a couple specific reasons.Ā As an entrepreneur, I can’t live without my phone. I know everyone says this but honestly it’s the truth.

  1. My phone gives me the freedom to leave my office and still be able to conduct business. This is extremely important to me especially because at Ninong’sĀ I manage a team of almost 15 people. If I need to go buy groceries or run an errand I can see what the sales are like while I am away in real time.
  2. I use my iPhone to take all my product photography and (of course) manage my social media. Needless to say this is an extremely important source of marketing. I can’t tell you how much growth we’ve experienced with the help of Instagram alone.
  3. I can communicate via email with clients and vendors while on the go. As a business owner I have a laundry list of errands I need to run and things I need to buy. In my opinion, email is THE way to communicate professionally with fellow colleagues, vendors, and customers. Text just doesn’t cut it for me. Having my email at my fingertips is great because I can check it throughout the day or while I’m sitting in the car (don’t worry Charlie is driving) so I don’t have 100 emails by the time I get back to my computer. Not only that, but having things in writing (even virtual writing) is very important.

If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram (@cartel_co) you’ll find out if I’m able to get my phone tomorrow lol. Wish me luck!

xoxo,

Kissa

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