May 6th, 2024 marked 8 years since I started Tea Thoughts shop! I don’t always celebrate the shopaversary but this year’s came after a super busy weekend and I just had a feeling I couldn’t skip over it this year. Eight years, when I say it out loud it sounds a bit crazy! Since it’s been so long, I wanted to share some information and thoughts on running the shop. I’m celebrating in my shop with 30% off through 5/12 with code 8YEARS
CELEBRATE
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CELEBRATE
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CELEBRATE ✨
How It Started - The BlogMany of you have been my friends and supporters since the very start of the shop so you know how I got started but this is for anyone who doesn’t know. I started a new job in 2015 with high hopes but instead, I felt the creative spark I always had being wasted and even drawn out of me but not put to good use. I decided that I needed my own outlet so at the end of 2015 (December), I started a blog and I called it Tea Thoughts! I wrote about tea, sometimes “reviewed” teas I bought and eventually started making recipes with tea because I love to bake and cook!
How It Started - The ShopA few months later in May, I decided to take the leap and start an etsy shop because I had always wanted to. I started doing paintings, calligraphy and cards. Some of my items related to tea but not everything. After a while I decided that I wanted my shop and blog to compliment each other so I changed all products to tea themed products. This put me on the path that led to today.
Why Tea Themed Products?I grew up drinking tea so tea has always been a part of my life. I mostly had experience with black tea though and when I started my blog I had the opportunity to explore other types of teas and other tea cultures. I was sort of bummed to never be able to find merch for tea lovers beyond british tea culture themed items like just a teapot or maybe something related to afternoon tea. What about all the other tea cultures? Who would put something out into the world for them? I decided I wanted to ! One of my goals which I think I’ve been able to reach recently is to have several tea cultures/wares represented in my designs and products!
Going Full TimeAt the end of November in 2021, I decided to quit my non profit job and try to run Tea Thoughts full time. Most people’s story is that their business blew up so they had to quit their job. Mine was more out of necessity. I had worked at my other job for 7 years and while I did some wonderful work there, many parts of the job had really taken their toll. This was the first time I had experienced physical symptoms of stress and I had enough. I took a leap and while it’s been very hard at times it has also been so rewarding. When you run your own business there are lots of benefits like being your own boss but then you are also your own boss meaning everything is on you. I also work way more hours now but I have more flexibility to go meet my mom for lunch in the middle of the day or attend market events that are monday through friday.
Last YearThere have been many times in my business journey where I wanted to quit but last year was probably the hardest of any year running the shop. There are many factors that went into this but I just didn’t get enough traction each month. There were definitely some bright spots but it wasn’t enough. I would have some good product releases but it wasn’t consistent. As far as running this shop, it’s not just enough to make some sales, the sales have to cover costs of business, future products and my own bills as well. I am trying to be more cautious with what I bring to the shop and what I spend on in hopes of recovering this year and hopefully doing better. It’s May and I am feeling cautiously optimistic.
This YearThis year has been ok, not much different than last year yet but I’m hoping to have some big wins this year like this past weekend. I did a tea festival and a market at a museum and both went well. Selling in person is always a hit or miss depending on the event but I was pleasantly surprised! I think I will be sticking to some tried and true products that I know everyone loves and try to slowly condense my offerings so it’s not so vast. I also would love to be able to publish a short story about tea that I’ve written and take advantage of an opportunity near my home to host a workshop in person.
What I love about running Tea ThoughtsI am a self taught business owner which includes design, marketing, product development etc. This can be very difficult because I’m never sure if I’m good enough. But I do truly love designing for the shop. I love hearing feedback online and in person that people enjoy my work. I love the response to my teas and the countdown boxes. Even though I have a product based shop, it seems like I have been able to bring joy and new experiences to my customers and that’s probably the best feeling in the world. Last, but not least, I have made connections with some of the most wonderful people through Tea Thoughts.
What’s the toughest part of Tea Thoughts?I notice when I vend in person that people do like my stuff. Even if they aren’t a tea lover, they enjoy my designs. Reaching people online can be so difficult. Low reach on social media and even through my newsletter is really discouraging. I have even done ads in the past but it’s not the huge success that everyone always shares about. I have some of the best customers in the world but it had been difficult to grow my customer base.
What does success look like? I see success as being able to keep customers happy with what I’m bringing to the shop and make enough money to pay for bills and some for myself. I got pretty close to this in 2022 which was a really great year and I want to get back to that!What else do you want to know? Ask me in the comments and Ill reply!
Vending at the National Museum of Women in the Arts
