Not Just A Sale: What I've Learned About Business

I'm coming to the close of my first months as a launched small business, which makes my company an infant and not a newborn anymore.  This means I am still not getting much sleep.  ha!  And that I have tons and tons to still learn and need to facilitate lots of growth going forward.  At this stage, I still cannot see what this business is going to grow up to be. But it also means that I'm out of the haze that entrepreneurs enter when they first launch and I can reflect a little bit now on the experience so far.  Here's what I want to tell you.

There is no better feeling of professional achievement than someone spending their hard-earned money on a product you created.  One of my favorite business gurus (and favorite "shark" on ABC's Shark Tank), Robert Herjavec, wrote in his book Driventhat the experience of a customer buying your product or service is very intimate, and I could not agree more.

Think about it; a Sarah Wells bag is not a candy bar.  It's not a mortgage, but it's also not a greeting card.  Our customers work hard earning their money and choosing to spend it on my bags is an honor.  I believe passionately in my product, its style, quality and purpose in helping moms feel fashionable.  But I do not take for granted that there are a lot of ways one can spend $145 and choosing my product and to support my small business is nothing short of incredible.  

Because I take the commitment of purchase by customers so seriously, I feel it's my obligation to treat each purchase with the respect it deserves by: 1) delivering an excellent product and 2) providing amazing customer service.  The product, my stylish, functional breast pump bags, were poured over with years of careful thought and consideration.  I believe we are delivering an amazing option to moms who want or need a bag for their pump equipment.  There is always room for improvement and the market changes, and we'll evolve with it as a direct result of mom input.  

Every person who buys a Sarah Wells breast pump bag, including all of my Amazon customers, receive a personal email or phone call of follow up from me.  Every customer receives a completely handwritten note of thanks in the box with their bag. When I reach out after a sale, sometimes I do not hear from you at all; and I just imagine you out there rocking motherhood with your bag in tow.  And other times I get the MOST incredibly supportive responses that feel like love letters; it's so touching to have someone praise you and your creation, so intimate, as Herjavec said in his book.  Other times, I simply get a quick reply of thanks and here are some suggestions for future bags.  I appreciate all of you.  

I have a chalkboard in my office where I write down the number of sales I've had to-date.  It used to say "X number of sales."  I just changed it to "X number of moms," because what these three months have reminded me is that there is a person behind every bag purchase; and the buyer or recipient is likely some hard-working super mama who, among all hundreds of obligations and decisions she has to make, chose to buy and/or carry my product.  Simply amazing.  Thank you.