Feeling 2022

Every single end of year I feel that “I can’t believe the year is over already!” feeling and honestly, I think it gets compounded every year. It’s kind of scary to me because the years pass by faster and faster and I get this existential anxiety every so often where I feel like I don’t have enough time to do everything I need to do, much less everything I want to do. Add to that the seemingly never-ending threat and uncertainty of a global pandemic and you get a very mentally exhausted me. So as we approach the new year, it’s hard for me to be reflective about the past or excited about the coming one, but if I stop and think about everything I’ve done this year, specifically as it relates to this little business, I’m pretty proud of 2021!

At the beginning of 2021, I was feeling good after receiving a good amount of orders over the holiday season. I’m sure a lot of small businesses who operate online can relate, as we now know that the 2020 holiday season was a record-breaking one for online shopping and people really showed up to support small businesses. So this was around when I started thinking…”oh, maybe some people are genuinely interested in what I’m making and this could potentially be something I can continue to grow.” So I did. I kept making and learning and growing and I took some big steps this year that made me feel like a legitimate small business owner.

This year I incorporated Mazapan Paper Co. and I actually completely rebranded from my previous shop name - Pam Crafted. Sitting down and strategically planning my branding and business values/goals was a fun and necessary first step in making a clear voice for MPC. Although I’m still nervous about taxes and daunting administrative shenanigans, I’m confident that I will figure it out along the way, even if I stumble through it for a little bit.

I also participated in my first in-person market this year! And then I did a couple more and a couple more. In retrospect, this fact might be the one that past me is proudest of me for. I dreamed for a long time about one day having my own booth and selling my own cute things at a market like CraftHER (now Front Market) or participating in an EAST Studio Tour weekend, and now I’ve done both! In some ways, it was easier than I expected, because of how self-critical and socially incompetent I can make myself feel sometimes, but I also came to learn how much hard work goes into every single market and how exhausted it can leave you feeling afterwards. I have so much admiration for any artist and small business who frequently participates in markets and vending events - y’all rock and I am so honored to have joined you for a few of those events this year. The vendor friends I made this year and the customers I got to connect with face to face have definitely been a highlight of my business journey so far.

Another big step that I took this year was getting my feet wet in the wholesaling world. When I decided that being a greeting card and stationery manufacturer was the route that I was going to take my business, I quickly learned that besides selling directly to customers via my personal online shop, there was a whole other side of the biz that I knew little about. Soon after learning what wholesaling entailed and starting to do a little research, I realized that everybody in the paper industry had one go-to resource to get started on or solidify their wholesaling journey: Paper Camp. I was lucky enough to be selected as a scholarship recipient for Paper Camp and I enrolled in Katie Hunt’s Fall 2021 course. I can’t express enough how invaluable this course and all the information I gained from it have been, even just a few months after finishing it. I received my 5th wholesale order this week; my products are going to be in 5 stores soon! That is beyond what I could’ve imagined a year ago and I am so excited to keep building this side of my business! To top it all off, I met some amazing people through Paper Camp and it makes the journey so much more enjoyable to be doing it alongside someone in a similar path.

All this is to say, it’s easy to get caught up in the slog of day to day tasks. Always trying to get through a never-ending to-do list and constantly worrying about the next big hurdle to come. But it’s worth it to stop for a second and reflect on how much you’ve accomplished. A bunch of little victories can really add up over time, and even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes, if you’re following your passions, life will take you to where you need to go. It’s been a rough couple of years but I’m thankful for my health, my loved ones’ health, and for the community that I have discovered through this semi-accidental small business journey that I have embarked on.

Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst, and honestly just going to take whatever 2022 throws at me with this resilience that life has taught me I posses. Best wishes to you! Feliz Año Nuevo friends!