My Very First Blog!

My Very First Blog! 

Well, here I am 50+ years old and doing my very first blog.  A year ago I wouldn’t have had a clue what a blog was never mind writing one.

However, a year can bring so many changes in our lives. Changes and challenges that if we embrace them can help us to develop our potential and face the huge learning curves we so often retreat from - or if you are like me, run a mile from. 

Since my daughter, Nicola and I decided to start our online home and gift boutique – Noah Home and Gifts -  I have had to overcome a fear of the dreaded internet; google, facebook, seo, keywords......... and all the other words that were once a foreign language to me and made me feel like a stranger in a strange land. A novice with no skills of interpretation.  I can think of lots of other phrases but daren’t put them down in black and white!  Of course I have many other transferable skills that I have developed over the years from various jobs, mainly in customer care that I could bring to the table but I’m sure we’ll all agree that the world wide web has changed the world as we know it in the recent past! 

So, I am now sitting in front of my laptop contemplating my development over the past year and hopefully encouraging anyone else who may be reading this virgin blog to follow their dreams!  When he was three years old, my grandson once gave me some good advice!  He had asked me to fix one of his toys. After 5 minutes I gave up saying, “I can’t do it”. He replied: “Never give up gran, you have to keep on trying”.

I asked, “Where did you hear that Ryan?” He said “From Granny Murray on the telly”.

 

Yes, you’ve guessed right those words of wisdom outweighed all the positive thinking training, online courses, self talk etc, etc, etc, to get me to the position I am in now, a gran doing a blog, a mum in business with her daughter and a woman with a belief in herself to reach her true potential.  My motto is, “Never give up and keep on trying”.  So thank you Ryan (now 7 years old). 

A post I saw on facebook also had some good advice, though not as good as Ryan’s: 

 

                   Making a big life change is scary.

                But know what’s even scarier?

                REGRET.   

 

Think on it!

 

Florence

x

 

click here to see what we have achieved with Noah Home and Gifts so far!  This is just the start! ...

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Business

Back to business! 

The summer holidays are well and truly over with the kids now back at school.  Weather wise I don’t think the summer has begun but I’m hopeful that we are in for a toasty August and September!

My youngest has just started school with her brother now in P3 with a move to the ‘big playground!'  We have had a great time during the holidays having enjoyed a caravan holiday in the most beautiful surroundings of Drimsynie Estate, Lochgoilhead, a camping trip with friends to Millarochy Bay near Balmaha on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, caught up with friends and just had a fun relaxed time.  On the days spent with their gran (and sometimes granddad) while I was at work they enjoyed trips to the park, trips to Troon in Ayrshire and lots more! 

I have mixed feelings about them going back to school.  The carefree days of the summer holidays are nice as there is no timetable to follow and the kids get to stay up a bit later.  It’s also nice getting to spend so much time with them.  My youngest starting school is a reminder that time flies by all too quickly and we really should take stock and appreciate our children as they grow up all too soon. 

On the other hand ….. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking this but it can be hard work keeping them occupied.  If stuck in on rainy days they fight like cat and dog, turn the house upside down so it looks like we have been burgled and just don’t let me get anything done! 

As a result I now have about 10 to do lists for our business (yes – I’m one of those people who has lists for lists!) of things that I just could not get near over the holidays. 

My mum (who is also my business partner) and I have kept things ticking over and made sure that we have still provided top customer service but we have been frustrated at times having not been able to work ‘on’ the business as much as we would have liked. 

We have now had a chance to sit down together and work out our strategy, where we are now and where we want to go with Noah Home and Gifts. 

We have loads of ideas for the future and are really excited about where they will take us.  This is just the beginning! 

We also realise that we still have loads to learn but then who doesn’t.  I’m a great believer in lifelong learning!  If anything it will exercise our minds! 

Talking about exercise, that’s another area that has been lacking lately.    I really do need to get myself into a better routine and look after myself a bit more with exercise, healthy eating and relaxation!  I’m sure I would have more energy as a result and help me to focus on work and being the best mum I can be!  (Or so I’ve been told anyway!) 

Back to our business.  We feel strongly about sticking to our original plan to offer handcrafted, fair trade and recycled gifts and unique home accessories.  We will offer these alongside personalised gifts and other gifts from ethical suppliers including East of India. 

We have fine-tuned our business plan to ensure that we stick to our core values (We are:  evolving, ethical, honest, friendly, reliable and collaborative) while we try to build on our supplier base and product range that we offer. 

It’s exciting times for my mum and I, (and of course our family) and we can’t wait to get stuck into the hard work that’s ahead of us while trying to get a good work life balance, having lots of quality time for our families and friends and having ‘me’ time too!  Can a woman really have it all?......