entrepreneur

Sometimes, to grow your business, you need to take a step back… As business owners, we easily get caught up in those mundane tasks we need to do to keep our business working. But when you’re in the trenches of your business, day after day, it can be hard to see the bigger picture. But […]

So, what exactly is procrastination paralysis? It’s usually when you’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious about starting/finishing tasks, that often results in delays (or even avoidance) of taking any action. It can affect your overall productivity/progress, and even lead to missed opportunities. And yes, increased levels of stress, frustration and guilt are usually included. Sound familiar? […]

The Rested Entrepreneur. Is it a mystical creature or does it actually exist in real life?! Haha, yup they really do exist! I know I’ve been talking about rest a lot lately and for a good reason – when you’ve been in business for as long as I have (30+ years!) I’ve learned a thing […]

It’s not you… Has this ever happened to you – a customer comes into your store or booth, looks around for a while and then when you ask them if they have any questions, they say “no thanks” or even a “there’s nothing here for me”?! Ugh. Customer rejection can feel like a gut punch […]

You can call me the Queen of Procrastination* *sometimes ;) Some days I’m killing it, getting stuff done, really knocking it out of the park. But then on those “other” days, dang, not even close. So, I wondered why that was, why are some days so damn awesome and others are total duds? Sure, there […]

REST for entrepreneurs. Is that even a thing? I think rest gets a bad rap from us entrepreneurs – we seem to see it as a sign of weakness or some sort of luxury that we simply can’t afford. Do you find that small business life gets to be a bit much some days and […]

A lightbulb customer is someone who gives you a moment of sudden inspiration or realization. In the early years of Essential Packaging, circa 1995, all of our packaging products came in cases of various quantities. For our first Christmas, we brought in this line of matching gift bags and boxes in assorted holiday patterns. But they […]

The future of small business… There was a day last December that just sucked. I was feeling weighed from all these negative things piled on me. Never-ending product shortages, shipping delays, vendor price increases, holiday season stress and a bunch of other stuff had really worn me down on that particular day. In addition to […]