The Time is Now

Bon Lemon is now over a year old. Can you believe it? How the time flies.

Over the last year, Bon Lemon has grown and expanded and we have invested and reinvested. Being the lone proprietress at Bon Lemon can be a daunting task at times, even with great support from our team, The Lioness and 6 Par Farmer. Sometimes, I think working for the state or really anyone who would pay for health insurance and give me a paycheck at the end of the month sounds mighty nice. Regardless, of how much I love being the master of my own destiny, there are days when the load seems like too much to carry.

There are days when I wonder if we will ever reach the tipping point. If we will ever get past the "start up" phase. If I will ever start collecting a paycheck, move out of my parent's lake cabin (yes, I am 31), or get rid of my over the hill car. Sometimes, I think I bit off more than I could chew. These moments aren't frequent, but they do occur sometimes. And this week, there was such a moment. (Good thing is was quickly followed by a fabulous champagne tasting at Fat Cork. Yippee for bubbly!)

I am inspired by the success stories of my sister at Spruce Skin and Wax Shoppe who went from having one client, my mom (whose skin is quite lovely these days), to having a bustling shoppe with a waiting list and a full-time employee. I am inspired by my friend Courtney Fullerton of Glacier County Honey whose honey is now available all over Glacier National Park (along with outlets in multiple states) and who was just featured on the front cover of the most prominent bee industry magazine. Woot! Woot! I am inspired by the idea that all businesses had to start somewhere. Without risk there is no reward. And the reward of being on the other side of success, looking back on the road Bon Lemon has come down and smiling, motivates me.

At the beginning, when I had a weak moment and wondered if all of my efforts with Bon Lemon were in vain, I would chant in my head, "If you build it they will come." (Hey, if dead baseball players show up at a cornfield in Iowa, I should be able to sell some jewelry, right?) I truly believe that Bon Lemon is a great platform and what we are building has the potential to be so much bigger.

"If you build it, they will come" was a great motivator. But now I have moved onto thinking, "Mmmm. K. But, when are they going to come?" How much longer are we going to have to wait? We have so many great clients and Lemon Lovers, but when are we are we going to break through to the next level? My new mantra is, "The time is now." We have laid the foundation. We have the right pieces in place. And we are ready. We are ready to be swamped with orders, to have new Independent Shoppe Owners and Spas coming on board to sell our products at a rate we can barely keep up with, and we are ready to continue investing our profits into the community (the best part of our job!). We have built it. They are coming. And I believe: "The time is now." See you on the other side.


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I borrowed the image from a creative Etsy artist. Check out her stuff.

Blogger Daily Dose

The whole blogging world is still a bit of a mystery to me. I continue to come up with thoughts of interest (or that I think might be of interest), pictures that will make you laugh, and rants and raves about places I've been or heard about. One trend in blogging I have come to like is a daily theme. One day is "Yummies" the next is "Fashion Flash." One day is "Dream Home" the next is "Love It or Leave It." And "Wordless Wednesday" seems to be a popular one, if only because it lets people take a short breather from their writing duties.

The best blogs usually have a theme, such as modern home decor, having a child with autism, or cooking chicken 1,000 ways. But then there is the Pioneer Woman, one of the most successful bloggers of all time, who just says what's on her mind at any given moment.



People love pictures, and some of the most popular blogs don't have much text at all. Just pretty pictures.


(How's this for pretty?)

Some people find my website, because of my blog posts. One of my photographs is being used for an interpretive display in a state park. Some of my other blog posts go largely unseen. But overall I think blogging is good for me and good for Bon Lemon.

I am not a master novelist, nor do I aspire to be. Once Bon Lemon has "gone big time," (starting later this year and really hitting it hard next year) people will read this blog just because we will be that cool. Until then, I am going to continue to incorporate ideas I think will make this blog better. This week, I am going to start doing a "Daily Dose." Each day, you will get a daily dose of something different. I hope this helps you all know when you want to tune in.

Mondays will be "In the Know" (News, politics, and other facts. I know I am supposed to stick to style, but I can't help myself.)



Tuesdays will be "I Want That" (Self explanatory. I want that. Fabulous dresses, chaise lounges, trinkets, and treasures.)



Wednesdays will be "Hump Day Special" (50% off one item, for one day only. Available on our Facebook Page.)



Thursdays will be "Something Tasty" (Food, travel, and experiences that are good enough to eat.)



And Friday, Saturday, Sundays will be whatever I want. Whenever I want. Just because it feels fun to say that.

Hope you like the new format. Would love to hear your feedback.

Transparency: Lying to Ourselves?

At my trunk show last night, we were talking about transparency. The hostess, Raven Grace, had commented on a blog I wrote last week where I discussed feelings of failure. I had subsequently deleted the blog entry, because I started to think it sounded pathetic. When I originally decided to publish the blog I debated whether it was too much for the public airwaves. But I decided if you are going to have a blog, you have to say something of substance, because nobody wants to read your sugar coated version of life.

I published the blog and there was some good discussion about success and progress. I think some people found the blog thought provoking. But there were others who just seemed concerned about my well being. I definitely don't want people feeling sorry for me. So, I took the cowardly way out and deleted the blog. I am sure this is against some sort of blogging code. And I would suppose those people who actually read the blog and appreciated it's honesty and transparency were disapponted I woosed out and deleted it.

Raven Grace, last night's trunk show hostess, has a beautiful baby growing in her belly. Most of the other guests have multiple children and jobs they are juggling. It was interesting to hear the circular discussion between best friends about how relieved they were to hear the other was not totatlly put together all of the time. They were relieved to know one broke down in tears the other day after feeling she could not be in two places at one time, the other's house isn't always clean, and another has to control her environment so it doesn't control her. This transparency between best friends seemed to help ease concerns of inadequacy. We want people to think we have it all figured out, but truly, we all fall down sometimes, and sharing that with those we are close to helps us get back up.

I hope those who read my blog about success (or lack thereof) were inspired by the fact that everyone has bad days, not depressed by my feelings of failure. Being an outgoing, bubbly individual who likes to give off the impression I have the whole world sitting on a platter ready to eat, most people are completely unaware of my insecurities and failures. I am not transparent. I would rather have a facade of greatness than share the real face of saddness. My Norwegian upbringing has taught me when something negative happens you get back on the horse. You suck it up. And my late twenties and now early thirties have taught me, sharing our negative experiences along with our positive ones can help us deal. One reader might relate to my blog and feel less isolated. Another reader might grimace at the realities of my life. But being transparent inspires some reaction, where a facade inspires a nap.

I am going to try and be more transparent with my (millions :) of blog readers. This blog is supposed to be about all things pretty, so I won't turn it into my private therapy session, but I will try and call things like I see them. I will try to avoid sugar coating reality. And I will try and be transparent, because we all have shortcomings and weaknesses. We are sure to feel more isolated if we never get through each other's crusty facade of success. And we can grow closer if we are brave enough to share our feelings of failure.