Next Chapter

Little over six years ago I embarked on a start of an interesting journey; designing and making embroidered wares to sale. It happened slightly on a bit of a whim and also a pray that it could work and I am pleased to say it did. It was never expected to be an overnight success but slowly over the years I've moulded it to what it is today.

But I am ready for the next chapter, and sometimes you have to end your association with something in order to look at things with a clear perspective and in my case, the focus needed to actually push the business onto the next level.

Yesterday, I undertook that first step towards it. I am being mentored by a very good friend of mine, and very successful self-employed business owner, in order to do the same but in my field. My friend, whilst she is only now starting to shout about it is at the top of her game, one of only twenty at her level in the UK and to break that down even further one of only four in the South of England, she offers advanced clinical massage (you can view her blog here - http://cornerstonetherapies.blogspot.co.uk/). I am going to plug her because frankly she has been the biggest support, aside from my family and her mum, in my creative endeavours, and to boot she is a great inspiration. I'll forever be thankful for the chance meeting in a previous life (working in retail). In fact when I think about it, she was there at the start, even if she wasn't aware of it.

So over the coming years, she is going guide, and no doubt prod me, along my path towards being self-employed, well actually my goal is to be 50:50 and I think for me personally its not only achievable but for me its ideal and its flexible. Nothing is ever clear and least of all when you look to the future, you have to expect a fork in the road or the odd fallen treet.

The first step was to identify everything I do, connections, relationships the type of business it is and where I want to go. This is but a precis of what I, along with her and her husband talked about yesterday afternoon. I have always undervalued what it is I do, the things I have done to get it to the stage it is at the moment and well it was an eye opener. Its not going to be easy and its going require a lot of thinking, leg work and more but at the end of the day I want this to happen, and to use that well turned phase; no pain, no gain!

I have to identify things I have to do or want to achieve in the next six months, most of that will need my brain in gear, but there are some things I can do now, and they are:

- Rebrand - company name, logo design, website etc.
- Removing old stock

So I am pleased to announce, that over the course of the coming months I will be saying goodbye to LAMdesigns and saying hello to Mason Bee. You might wonder why I am choosing to change my shop name etc. Well, LAMdesigns served me well, but it was such a spare of the moment decision to use it and frankly not original, I used my initials and stuck designs on the end. I've never really being a 100% happy with it and I am ready for a change. And as I said earlier I need a new focus, and holding onto the past which was a hobby its time to let go. This is why I am giving away some of my older stock to friends and family (I can hear some happy cheers for that), I have no reason to hold onto it, I made it, it didn't sell so its time to also let go of the things I no longer make (jewellery, bags..)

The changes will be slowly happening, I am going to ease myself and everyone who follows me into this. No sudden alteration overnight. Too much to do for that to happen. So please bare with me, and I hope you enjoy the new path as much as me.

Laura x