Suite Goodbyes {The Rebrand Part II}

I gave birth to my second daughter just two weeks before the doors were opened to my first successful business.  The first couple weeks were the most difficult. It was my second birth by caesarean and I was committed to breast feeding my daughter for the first six months of her life. I remember waddling in pain back and forth from the desk to a makeshift nursery in the back of the salon care of a bugaboo basinet and air purifier.  I tended to the salon in between tending to her. In a sense I had twins. They were both my babies needing constant care and attention.

Initially I worked seven days a week until the wee hours of morning, taking each and every client that walked in the door. It was par for the course because we needed the money and I was realizing my dream in real time. I remember walking up and down blocks passing out flyers with stylists trying to encourage people to visit the salon. 

I remember sending countless emails to bloggers, editors, socialites, and hair enthusiasts trying to garner attention. When I reflect on the bond that was created with my first five employees from building that business, it still gives me chills. We personified hustle. We were all committed to building the brand.

From the start, I knew that it would be successful. I'd studied the business models of some of the top salons in the country. I'd done adequate research on the area to know that my target demographic would find value in the service offerings I intended to provide. I prepared a six month contingency plan with several "if-then" scenarios that would combat issues I could potentially face. I spent thousands of hours focused on how I'd make my business work, and not a single second on what I'd do if one day I'd have to walk away.

Sometimes God has a way of wrecking your plans before your plans wreck you. And you may have the best of intentions, the purest heart, the largest will to try, you can cry, pray, beg, and plead for what you think is right. When God is ready to move you, you will move. My personal life was transitioning and my professional life needed to follow suite.

Leaving behind a business and employees I loved was extremely difficult. I wish I could have orchestrated a well put together exit strategy. I wish I could have given hugs and said goodbyes and shared how proud I was of their growth and future potential. I'm private, so I dealt with it in silence. There were a lot of mistruths and inaccuracies that I chose not to confront. I've always tried to live my life in a way that if anyone ever said something negative about me, people wouldn't believe it because they knew me and could attest to that fact that I'd never do anything to hurt anyone.

Addressing the emotion was necessary. It helped me cope with the largest business set-back I've faced thus far.  It was a very hurtful stage for me, but I made peace with it. The fact that I created something wonderful that had an impact on people was the saving grace it in all.  It also set me up for the next phase in my life... Suite Dreams...

YKW