This month marks my seventh anniversary of owning this company.

SEVEN YEARS.

It’s crazy how quickly those years have flown by. If you’re new here, WELCOME! I’m so glad you’ve found Travel Patterns and hope that you now consider yourself part of our Take Heart Tribe.

For a little background, Travel Patterns is a rebrand of a global goods business I founded in 2014. I shared part of my business transition story on the Rank & File podcast and magazine article, on the Beyond Rockets Podcast, as well as the journal entry from my visit to the Viking Museum in Oslo. Can you tell that I love sharing about it?

Establishing and running a social impact business has been an ever-changing and challenging journey for me; one I hope to continue to shed light on and share with you. As I’ve reflected back on the past seven years, I wanted to share seven lessons I’ve learned along the way.

These are of course not ALL of the lessons I’ve learned as a small business owner. But as I reflected on themes that have stuck out to me the most; these are the top 7 Lessons I’ve learned from 7 years of Running a Social Impact Business.

1. CULTIVATING COURAGE WILL TAKE YOU FURTHER.

You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both. – Brené Brown

Running a small business is scary! In the last seven years, there have been many moments that I found myself standing at the edge of a decision that felt overwhelming. In those moments, I had to learn to stand up tall and leap, even when I didn’t know what the other side would hold. Now, after all these years, the leaping is never easy but the courage I have cultivated allows me to trust my gut. Ultimately, courage allows me to leap quicker on each decision than I did when I first started my business. 

2. SACRIFICE ISN’T OPTIONAL.

Like anything in life, in order to say “Yes” to small business you will say “No” to something else. Over the last seven years, I have had many of these moments -- especially while I was running Travel Patterns in addition to a full-time job. But for every hard “No” there have been so many great “Yes” moments. The sacrifices don’t always get easier but often our discernment on which sacrifices to make will increase with time and experience. 

3. GROWTH DOESN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

Dreams are packaged in decades, not years. - May Patterson

Have you heard the quote, “It takes ten years to become an overnight success”? Sure, there are probably a few stories of companies that were literally overnight successes, but more often than not a company’s real story includes years of work before they become household names. 

Social media has changed the landscape of how we view the world. In this instant culture, it’s easy to assume that companies are successful overnight or had it together from the beginning. I encourage you to put blinders on to where other companies are on their journey, and focus on where you are currently. Keep your focus on your mission and take one step at a time. 

When I need encouragement in this area, I love to listen to the stories told on the How I Built This Podcast. It gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of how huge companies started and grew. 

My favorite stories are:

• Sara Blakely of Spanx

• Stacy Brown of Chicken Salad Chick

• Eileen Fisher of Eileen Fisher

• Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia

4. YOU WILL ONLY BE AS GOOD AS THE TEAM SURROUNDING YOU.

When you’re running a small business, it can feel incredibly lonely. You work so hard to accomplish your mission, but day to day your efforts can go completely unnoticed by anyone but yourself. I personally thrive on affirmation and encouragement, but when there’s no one else in the “office” but me, it can get really lonely. I’m incredibly grateful for the people who have directly or indirectly supported my vision and this company from the beginning. They have helped to keep me going over the years. 

Surround yourself with people who can be that support for you. They don’t have to be employees; they can simply be a friend who checks in, or you could join a mastermind group to help keep you on track. 

5. ALLOW FAILURE TO BE YOUR SPRINGBOARD.

Success is not final. Failure is not fatal: it’s the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill

There are so many times when I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing; like I’m throwing things against a wall to see what sticks. This can be completely maddening most of the time. But, if you don’t try for something, then you’ll never learn what does and doesn’t work. In my experience, the first plan is rarely the one that actually works.

Here are two book resources on the topic of failure that were helpful to me:

• Rising Strong by Brené Brown

• Failing Forward by John Maxwell

If you need someone to walk with you as you navigate your own journey, I highly recommend joining my dear friend Kari Enge of Rank & File on the Year of Uncomfortable Mastermind. She has challenged herself to fail regularly, and often, in an effort to propel herself and her business forward. I definitely think it’s a challenge all business owners should try. You can hear Kari talk more about the Year of Uncomfortable on this 100 Degrees of Entrepreneurship Podcast episode. 

6. STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT.

Don’t freak yourself out by what others have. They don’t have what you got. - Simon Sinek

No one knows your vision, mission or target market better than you. What doesn’t work for someone else, could be the exact strategy you need in order to propel your business forward. And vice versa, what does work for others might be a terrible idea for you. It’s great to lean into others for support and advice, but ultimately trust yourself when making decisions for your company. That is what makes your company unique. — You are your own best asset!

7- THE RISK IS WORTH THE REWARD.

Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it. - Chinese proverb

I would do it all over again. Sure, there are a few things I would do differently now that I know better and have more experience. However, all of the sacrifices and risk has been worth it. Every day as our company gets to support artisans around the world and uplift the stories of others, I am reminded how beautiful the work we do is. When we say that “we envision a world where every woman understands her unique value - is connected to her own story and the stories of others - and is empowered to boldly pursue her daring life adventure while enabling others to do the same,” we mean it and will continue to live it.

Thanks so much for being a part of the last seven years! To every person who has come to a pop-up (and the brick & mortar) and has purchased pillows, and rugs, and jewelry, and blankets, you have helped to support not only my family and my dreams but also families and dreams across the globe. To every person who has shared, liked, commented, and encouraged me through social media, your words have gotten me through on even the hardest days. To my family and friends, both near and far, who have supported this small business of mine by hauling, packing, hot-gluing, running the cash register, and cheering me on, thank you for believing in me.

These last seven years have been a wild and beautiful ride and I can’t wait to see what the next seven hold!

Take Heart. Take Flight.

-Lauren