{Handmade Business in 31 Days — Day 19, My thoughts on moving a business across the country.}

Day 19// This story is definitely mid-process, but I think it will be good for me to share even though we aren’t 100% settled here in Los Angeles.

So earlier this summer Zack + I had one of those after-dinner conversations that ultimately led us to leave the table a couple of hours later knowing we’d be moving to California soon. With a baby on the way. And no job lined up for him. We felt very confident in this decision and any uncertainties we had formed at that table, we knew they were only from the Ultimate Discourager himself. We knew this was God’s plan for our family… very much so.

But that doesn’t change that we felt discouraged at times, we’re human — it’s going to happen. Right?

Moving Gussy Sews has added a whole new dimension to our giant, nearly insane, so crazy hard that YES I have cried about living in California {do you hate me or what?} move. OK, so we are going to be raising a child four miles from the Pacific Ocean. I thought, We can do that! And, we have extremely downsized our home + belongings. Then I remembered, My friend talks about this so openly all the time, it has been a comfort to know I’m not alone in doing this sort of thing.

But changing the dynamics of our handmade business? Thank goodness for an editorial calender and Cambria, my super amazing assistant that helps with nearly all aspects of this business. I don’t think I fully accepted the realization of moving the business. BUT –> I think that’s always been His plan. If I knew I’d have struggles with moving a business, would I have been so quick to tell Zack I was on board? Perhaps not.

Moving Gussy Sews across the country has made me realize how important having patience is.

It’s made me realize how important it is to have goals, to stick to them, to work on them even when my head is spinning and I don’t quite remember where we live. Nearly everything in our life was new again and so working on my goals seemed absolutely overwhelming, not at all energizing. {Re-reading that doesn’t even make sense to me but that’s how I feel.}

Moving our business has made me realize I need to challenge myself to keep the momentum we’ve built, not slow it down. I was so sure I would do all the sewing once we moved to Los Angeles. I haven’t sewn in years, which is something I love about handmade… having a team + being able to work with other women who are so incredibly talented. Gosh, it really is an amazing thing. One day Zack looked me in the eye and said, “Why would you backtrack with your biz? You’ve worked so hard and have such a great team, you can re-build that in LA. I just don’t know why you would slow down your momentum.”

Ouch.

And so I’ve come to realize this cross-country move hasn’t only changed the big things in our lives, it has changed every small thing, too. I look at our home and I hardly recognize anything in it, which is part of why I’ve struggled with how to re-build Gussy Sews. We were able to bring a small collection of our favorite items, but for the most part everything is new to us. A few materials remain unpacked, but each day brings a little window of grace that shows me what moving a business across the country is really about: patience.

I certainly don’t have all the answers with how it’ll look later this year — or even in six months, but I do know having a ruffly shop and documenting it through this blog will remain the same.

For now, all I seem to know is this business exactly the way it should be because He makes no mistakes.

{And when in doubt color your hair because it’s now safe {hello, second trimester} and change is fun and most importantly: why not? It’s just hair. BIG FAT GRIN!}

Homework// What about your business looks different, compared to how you thought it would look, and how are you processing that?

so much to discuss ~ read the whole “31 Days” series here!