It’s our birthday! Here’s (nearly) everything we’ve learnt.
It's our birthday! TGS is 4 today, which is absolutely wild. I remember registering the business and thinking, I'll give it a year and see what happens...
Well, little did I know that
A year is not long enough for a business to even start being successful.
A year is well and truly long enough to have something so ingrained in your being that you know, no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to shake the feeling that this was meant to be.
It's been a wild ride, so here's the debrief of my biggest takeaways from the last four years.
On perfection
Perfection is not achievable, so stop striving for it. I hold myself to a very high standard, so I'm a perfectionist and everything needs to be pure perfection before sharing. BUT perfection isn't real, and sometimes done is better than perfect. And that energy can be put to better use elsewhere.
On rest
Taking a break is so (x100000) important. In my book, it's not a nice to have. However you need to make it happen (and this always varies), whether it's scheduled or spontaneous, done sole or with friends, a grand getaway or a simple walk in nature, however you can, rest helps to
clear your brain fog
gives you clarity if you're stuck on an idea or way of working
clear the stagnant energy
keep your mind refreshed and engaged
create new pathways in your brain, leading to more creativity and innovation
On saying no
Saying no means you're saying yes to something else that is more aligned and right for you. And a part of this for me personally, is trusting my instinct and feeling it when I think something's not aligned. I've said no to clients, and a better one has come along. I've said no to rest (when I should've said yes) which led to burnout, poor outcomes and a general downfall in the business.
On trusting your intuition
As a woman, my gut instinct is real and it knows when something is aligned, and when it isn't. Just always keeping that front of mind and leading with intuition to ensure my business is growing in a way that I want and that I can be proud of.
On emotions
Now to play devil's advocate, remove the emotion. As a designer, I learnt to detach myself from outcomes a long time ago, but those pesky little emotions can still come up and cause a lot of imposter syndrome, and can cloud your judgement. When things get niggly with clients or there's an emotional situation, you need to remove the emotion. Don't let how you're feeling get in the way of what you want/need. You're a business owner and you can't let people walk all over you. You get to choose how you react and respond. Do it with compassion and empathy if required, but you can always be assertive and stand your ground too.
On experimentation
As designers, we want to know that our clients come to us for our style, our aesthetic. Like any business owner, you need to find your style, but how do you do that? Experimenting. Explore new trends, make it your own. Find inspiration, then mix it all together. Combine two completely different things. We all have our own experiences, values and mindset that has shaped how we view the world, so lean into that and create from a place that is you, not externally. Post the photo, draw the picture, rip the painting up and glue it back together. It takes time, but it will be worth it.
There's so much more, but for the sake of this not being an essay on all the things I've learnt, I'll leave it there. It's been fun to reflect and revisit the last four years. This has been a major turning point in my life and I've personally grown so much in that time, and so has TGS. It really proves that there is a younger version of you that is so proud of what you've done and are doing.
So, here's to many more birthdays, many more learnings and so much more growth!
Excited to see where it takes me. 🥂🥂