We all have our ideas of what being in business is going to look like and what determines whether or not we are successful. In the beginning there was a basket of hats, literally. This basket represented my proud achievement of bringing something to life from an idea. It was one of the strongest feelings I've ever had in my life. I can remember being little not even ten years old thinking I just needed something to sell. Now as I'm typing this it sounds sort of contrived. Honestly I can picture myself in my freshly painted lilac room in Spofford looking around for something to spark and being able to make something that everyone wanted. My dad had his own plumbing business when I was really young and I had thought that the world needed a bubble shower. No one took me serious and I must have not either because I let the idea drop.
Sue and I would often talk about our expectations for the business when we were working out of my dining room and our cars. We would make plans on the phone in between getting our kids things they needed or breaking up a tiff. Barb has always been the biggest dreamer and will always be a part of hitting the home runs for the company. I can remember sitting at my machine till 2 or 3 in the morning thinking that soon we would have enough sales that I would be able to have someone else make the hats. That came soon enough and before long we had a team of stitchers and some dedicated people figuring out the anxieties of manufacturing domestically, in South Berwick. I will be forever thankful to them and one day soon will show them how much they did for the company and its growth in the beginning. Then there came Deb, Cathie, and Kim F. They came all at once although Deb had said she had been stalking me for almost a year wanting and knowing she would be a part of The Little Hat Company. Well Deb along with the others have become a major piece of the company and the reason it is going to become a multi-million dollar company in the next couple of years. As the company grows and reaches out across the globe through direct sales it will always have its home base in South Berwick. There will be changes but it will always be a place to come and be a kid and not worry about breaking something or saying the wrong thing. It will be a place to come and play and talk about stuff - good stuff.
I'm looking forward to the day that we will purchase another building for manufacturing in town. It will be an existing building close to home that we will renovate and create an atmosphere where people like to come to work and are able to bring their children to the daycare facilities. My favorite vision comes from something Sue said, " just imagine us all sitting around in the office getting stuff done. Jen will be on the phone and we will be laughing and creating mischief" I love that work is going to be fun for us all. I love being on the phone and Sue loves creating mischief to make people laugh and feel good. Business is a state of mind. It is your attitudes and perceptions that formulate the recipe for how its formed and how its built custom to your likes and desires. Make it exactly how you want it - commit - and then experience it being exactly how you pictured it in your mind.
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