The power of intention…. There is a lot of talk around at the moment about setting intentions, manifesting and gratitude.  I would say that whilst I feel the words are overused, I am someone who believes in the power of those things from a practical and pragmatic perspective. 
Having had a tricky few months, with equipment and home breakdowns, at the end of 2022, I set an intention to go ‘onwards and upwards’.  I’ve always loved the quote ‘What’s Next?’ from The West Wing, and to me it signals not wallowing, but positively moving forwards.  Which of course is not always easy… but I did it..

Firstly, I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and some well earned rest ahead of the New Year onslaught...

At this time of year, I usually write a year-end report.  So, I sat down this week to think about what I would share with you through my experiences of running The Garden Roastery in 2022, what were the nuggets of things that really stuck in my head that might be of interest?  If I’m honest, I really wasn’t sure whether I wanted to write a year-end report because it’s been an up-and-down year.  With the last few months being more stressful than usual.  There have been some challenges but there have also been some real highs.  So don’t stop reading at this point, it gets better I promise.  
 
Having mulled it over, I started to wonder, is there such a thing as Small Business Imposter Syndrome?  Why is it that we often think that we need to be perfect before we are legitimate in business?  Surely, it’s the journey that’s the thing that we should be enjoying rather than search for that elusive, perfect business.  Surely, it’s those lows and challenges that we overcome, the items that were unexpected that, when we finally look back, will be the ones that we remember.  Of course, business is about sales figures but it’s about so much more.   It’s about fulfilment, providing amazing customer service and giving something back.  It may be a single customer being delighted with their purchase, a snippet of unexpected positive feedback, or being able to support a local supplier, which gives you a sense of achievement. 

Then in July 2022 something not related to the business really had an impact at home, we came back from a few nights away to find a swimming pool on the floor in the kitchen. Well, not a real swimming pool of course.  The hot water tank in the loft had kindly decided to leak through to the upstairs of the house, through the bathroom and into the kitchen before depositing itself onto the downstairs floor.  To be honest in the scheme of things it’s a very basic problem and should have been relatively easy to fix.   The volume of water, compared to some leaks or floods was insignificant, but what followed felt like six months of constantly being let down by suppliers which meant by Christmas we had just concrete floors and no furniture in the downstairs of the house and no confirmed sign of resolution.   

​Trying to sort out the repairs in the house at the same time as running a small business along with my busy corporate role wouldn’t usually phase me, but in addition unfortunately my wonderful Daisy, my beautiful retro coffee roasting machine, was really starting to feel like she was reaching her twilight years.  She started to show signs of needing a lot more TLC and on several occasions, I was unable to roast due to break downs.   Hopefully all the issues for Daisy are solvable, but they’re not the sort of things that you can do in half an hour squeezed between other priorities.  You really do need to allocate time in any business to plan in those maintenance schedules, make sure you’ve got every part in stock, make sure that you’ve got additional stock in case of a breakdown.   The good news is that Daisy has been receiving some much-needed TLC in the Christmas shutdown with some shiny new parts on order.  

This year, with more experience and understandingly of my customers, I have focussed on recognising what people want.  I have been so pleased to offer more eco-friendly options, like refillable tins and larger bag sizes, give better flexibility for customers with my new secure out-of-hours collection point, and a broader range of gift products.

I have reached out to a wider customer base and at the end of the year, I diversified with my new CoffeeSpa beauty boxes, providing innovative homepsa skincare, which harnesses the amazing benefits of coffee.  All of these aspects have resulted in 3 times as many sales in the last quarter of the year, compared to the same period last year.  No wonder it has felt so busy, and the need for Noelle The Elf - Christmas Intern.

​​As you know I’m always keen to give something back, and I have been so pleased to be able to support a number of charities through the year, including Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Primrose Hospice and the Alzheimer’s Society. 

​From the end of a great year to the start of the next chapter I wish you all the very best for a happy and healthy 2020.

​Lisa x

Roaster by Passion

The biggest lesson that I have learnt from all of this is the importance to go with your gut. Life is short, don’t get hung up on ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’. If you believe in something take the first step, otherwise you will never know.

Check out the awesome Roastery build video on The Garden Roastery Facebook page. Follow my progress and coffee updates on Facebook and Instagram @thegardenroastery

Love Lisa, Roaster by passion x