Wow, I can't believe it's already been 6 months since Fritz and Fancy officially debuted here on the World Wide Web!
When I started up this shop, I was unemployed and needed to find some sort of way to keep food in my belly, a roof over my head, and to give myself something to do because I was getting squirrely! If you didn't know, I worked a very demanding job pre-covid. Free time wasn't something I was overly familiar with...
Now here I am, 117 scrunchie variants in the shop (and growing) with no end in sight. I set out to make a store that would have more scrunchie selection than customers had ever seen - and I made that a reality.
Despite all the growth and excitement, this business is still in its infancy. September sales slumped, which gave me a little reality check. I started the search for a new full-time gig to complement this side hustle. I'm sure many of you can relate to how daunting it is to be unemployed in the middle of a pandemic wondering if you're ever going to have some kind of income coming in to stay afloat.
And so the job application process began. I reached out to former favourite colleagues and sending in my CV to everyone I could think of. The response was awesome - I got job offers, but nothing that really tickled my fancy (see what I did there).
Then the magic happened. Amidst the job offers, a tech company that I had applied to reached out to me for an interview. I knew right away that I was going to jump through any hoops I needed to to get this new job - and I did! I got a job with Shopify!
Yes, the very platform that I am using to host my store is now my employer.
Friends, it was an emotional roller coaster! On my first day on the job, I cried tears of FREAKING JOY! I've never felt like I belonged more to a company that aligns with my values that I do right now. I feel like I really belong. What makes me most happy is that I'm going to be working on helping other small business owners. Now I will be able to pay forward all the love and support you have given me.
What's best, I'm now learning the tricks and tools to deliver an even more amazing online shopping experience for you all. And don't you worry, I'll still be making scrunchies (and hopefully other things) that you will love. I'm 100% entrepreneur at heart.
Stay Fancy,
John