10 things I’ve learnt over the last 10 years

Yep, I’ve been running Mille Saisons for 10 years now and here are some of my takeaways

1.        You need to let people know you are the maker. This might seem obvious but I don’t think I appreciated that saying it once it’s enough. You need to say it and then say it again, and again, and again. It's easy for people to assume you are selling products you buy in so if you are making it house, let people know!

2.        You don’t have to listen to everyone when they give you product suggestions. It’s definitely harder at the beginning but the more you decide the direction you want to take, the easier it will be. I'll always listen to suggestions but I also know my core brand direction and won't add products that won't align just because I've had a suggestion.

3.        Following on from 2, you can say no. Not every opportunity is a good opportunity. I’ve had my products bought for PR bags. There was no measurable return from the exposure of being in these but I was paid. I have wholesale rates for gifting packages but I only give free products to charities.

4.        Embrace your small business community of friends. It won’t happen immediately but it’s great to have other people who get it to talk to. I’ve made real life friends through the small business Instagram community and even had some come to our wedding!

5.        The hard parts will always feel hard and when you are in them, it’s hard to remember the good times. Business will peak and trough and sometimes you just have to trudge through the low parts and keep showing up.

6.        Work out your values and what is important to you. And write them down! It will help you stay true to them. I have my core values listed on my about page!

7.        Not everything has to be content. Yes content is important, but you also get to choose what you share. I’d say I’m pretty open but I still don’t share everything!

8.        Not everyone is your customer. And that’s fine. You don’t have to worry about chasing people expecting Amazon delivery time and Temu prices.

9.        It’s ok to pivot. I started by producing clothing then pivoting into sewing accessories with my leftover fabrics. It was a happy accident in the end and it’s ended up being the right move for me. I never liked working to the fashion season calendar so accessories give me far more flexibility!

10.   Not all clients are good clients. Some b2b orders are much easier than others! Some business clients just won’t take on board anything you say and sometimes the order is just not worth it.