“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill
This is a quote I live by everyday and has helped me greatly in my journey as a small business owner. In this 3 year journey of XVXII, I have had many ups and downs but I wouldn't change it for the world. There are 3 major lessons I have managed to pick up which helped make this journey just a little bit easy and I hope it helps you too.
Lesson 1: Don’t be afraid of failure
If you fear failure then you will never be able to start something, because you fear the outcome so much. When you start accepting failure as a mere "Stop and re-think" moment then such setbacks will never stop you. I will not sugarcoat it and tell you that you will never encounter failure. You will and you should. If you don't get comfortable with the idea that sometimes things don't work the way you want it, then you will never be able to progress.
XVXII has not always been unicorns and rainbows. From bad suppliers, faulty products, delayed shipments, cancelled orders to having no sales at all - we have dealt with it all. Yet, here we are approaching our 1st year anniversary of our first ever retail store. Things change and for the better. You need to trust time and keep moving forward.
Lesson 2: Learn to accept that not everybody will like you/agree with you.
This would be one of the hardest things a business owner, or anyone, would have to come to senses with. It’s natural for you to want people to like, and even agree with what you have to say or do. But in reality, that doesn’t come by so easily and you have to accept it.
You will soon come to realize that you cannot please everyone and the sooner you accept it, the faster it will be for you to grow because then you become unstoppable. XVXII condones inclusivity regardless of one's race, religion, gender, size, color etc. Not everyone is on board this idea. We do receive negative remarks from people when they see our models who do not necessarily fit the "societal beauty standard" of being slim , tall , fair and straight. But who cares ! You drive your brand's direction because you know what's best for your brand. Nobody's opinion should ever matter. You do you boo <3
Lesson 3: Try to help others with your platform if you can
When you come to a point where your resources and platform can be shared for the community's benefit, then you should put your foot forward,. More often than not when people taste success, they often forget that they are here because of other people. If you have the resources to help others, then you should use it to the best of your ability. At XVXII, we love providing platforms for other small businesses in various ways ~ from pop up events to interviews to even blogs, we are always here to bring light to other small businesses. After all, we are all in this together.
