09/08/2026
✨
This is my story of doing a straight 9 days of a pop-up event without additional staff. The long hours, the preparation, the travel, the setup and being at the booth for hours every single day honestly took a little bit of my sanity.
As a small business owner, you learn as you go. There are things you can only understand once you actually experience them yourself. But sometimes the real lesson comes from being in the middle of it and realizing that your time, energy, health and peace of mind are also part of the cost of doing business.
This 9-day event was definitely a hard lesson for me. I learned that just because an opportunity is available doesn’t always mean it’s the right opportunity for my business or for me personally. Sometimes you have to experience something once to know what you would do differently next time.
Would I do 9 straight days of 14- hour days like this again?
Probably not.
Unless I have additional staff, a setup that makes more sense and a plan that allows me to actually enjoy the experience instead of simply surviving it.
At the end of the day, being a small business owner is a constant learning process. You make decisions, you try things, you sometimes get it wrong and you adjust. There’s no perfect formula.
And maybe that’s what this experience was meant to teach me, NOT EVERY OPPORTUNITY HAS TO BE REPEATED JUST BECAUSE YOU SURVIVED IT ONCE.
I’m proud of myself for pushing through, but I’m also proud enough to say, I learned from it and I know what I need to change moving forward.
Still grateful.
Still learning.
Still building.
And most importantly, still choosing to build a business that works for me, not one that completely drains me.
THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THIS JOURNEY WITH ME. On to the next chapter!!!!
Hey, it’s me ❤️,
Joan ( The Founder Jemstone Destiny )
