Slowing down
The universe is telling us we can't go any faster
Last week, I handwrote a little note for Coalition’s Instagram. It resonated with people in a way I hoped for but didn’t necessarily expect; we received more likes and shares on that post than on anything else in quite a while.
Despite its wild popularity, it did not translate into the one thing my small business needed: sales. Neither did my emails or the days upon days of IG stories or my physical presence in my shop or all the planning and preparation that went into this weekend. I couldn’t work harder to turn it around.
A former version of myself would have been crying into pillows and chain smoking. This current iteration had me lying on my couch or in the bath in silence thinking about all of the possible scenarios that could unfold based on the myriad of decisions I will need to make in the coming weeks and months. I am less fearful than I would have been despite knowing that the future will be quite difficult and uncertain.
Perhaps I’m being kinder to myself as I’ve learned over the past decade that working hard or harder doesn’t necessarily get you what you want or need. (The erosion of that American myth is long overdue.)
Or is it because we’ve been through so much shit the past few years that the micro and macro influences at play, feeding the current dumpster fire of a broken economy and fucked politics and the eroding of the human soul, feels like old hat? Like OK universe, whatever, fine, here we go again. Le sigh, life.
Two-twenty-who’s counting years ago when COVID “ended,” we spent money as if it would always grow on Uncle Sam’s tree. It was his fruit that fed our relentless obsession with capitalism during COVID. But now we must ween ourselves off of that spending high. Student loan debt, high interest rates, a $6 dozen of eggs… There’s not much left at the end of the month for many of us.
So yeah, I can’t blame people for not buying $800 skis. Makes total sense. They, you, and I aren’t buying things in general. I have yet to speak to a small business owner who thinks things went well this weekend. We’re all reigning it in.
I wonder what this constriction will mean for so many of us. Will it strengthen post-growth and post-capitalism ideas? Will it ultimately be healthy for us as workers and the planet? Will it force us to slow down, get grounded, and figure out what the fuck we’re doing, not just in business but in our lives?
No one knows quite yet but now you know what I’ll be contemplating in the bath this evening…
I’d love to wake up to your thoughts in the comments below. If you’re feeling tight, how are you managing it? Are you a small business owner and experiencing similar feelings? The more we share the less alone we’ll feel.
Not a single comment yet? i came to read the comments but instead guess I'll make the first. Cuz Jen, you inspire me and I want to be bold and effective like you!
I saw your handwritten IG posts.. and I read all your emails.. and I feel your hard work bursting through those messages, your love and devotion streams through to us, striving to pull in your customer base, and a part of me feels like a let down to you for not being able to buy one of your beautiful sets of skis, or even a badass Shred the Patriarchy shirt. Its truly a goal of mine,.. to own a pair of Coalition Snow skis and show them off to the world, tits and ass bared in glory as I blaze down the mountain. LOL What a sight!... I truly hope to do this one day. ...
But I'm here to give you some love and long distance support and to say "hey gurl, I hear you, and I see you." and even though financially I must stay restrained in order to keep a balance over here.. i hope to all that is greater than us that Coalition Snow is still there for me when I am able to really be there for it in the way that you need. Please don't stop reminding us that your products need - NO, deserve! - amazing chicks to own them and that we are those amazing chicks.
I'm currently negotiating a new position for the same job/role i've done for nearly 15 years (healthcare), and I'm fighting to have a higher rate of pay than I did FOUR YEARS AGO. I get sick when I think of how, even in the face of increasing my professional experience and an ever growing demand for my skills, I actually make less and less money each year relative to the rising costs of living. Like, what I have spent the last 20 years of my life working towards is actually a path towards getting poorer and poorer... :::insert puddle of tears here:::.. So for now, I just pray my skis don't bust before I've saved enough dollary-doos to get a pair of Coalition Snow sticks.
Just as thoughts and prayers provide no relief or solution to our mass shooting and guns crisis, I know that these words and vibes live in the same boat as those stupid thoughts and prayers. I'm not delusional, but maybe, in someway, these words will help.
xo