Someone with a lot of fancy business accolades once told me that I should never post a picture of my warehouse looking empty or like we weren’t doing TONS of business. If I did, people wouldn’t want to order from or support us, as it would reveal that our company was small. But, we are a small business, I thought. I sit here now and realize how horrible that advice was for a small business owner. You have a company because of your customers’ support, and they should know when you are struggling. They should know that you are in business because of them and that every single order counts. Otherwise, they might just assume you are continually crushing it and spend their money elsewhere. If this past year has taught me anything in business, choosing transparency and honestly is never wrong. Then, the people who have supported you over the years at least have an opportunity to step up and help you if they love what you bring to their community.
While we may have survived 2020, it’s clear that 2021 will also be a long, hard road for small businesses like ours. We’ve taken the loans, unsuccessfully pleaded with our landlord to lower rent, let go of employees, but still, more must be done. Many of you have been writing me asking if we are closing our business because we are having a warehouse sale. The answer is no. Instead, we are doing what is necessary to survive, as there is no pretending that business is ok. And, to do that, we must downsize, create more efficiency in our operations, outsource when necessary, and reexamine what kind of company we want to be in the future.
For so long, we were fortunate to experience growth, year after year, and most of the time were just trying to keep up and say yes to everything that came our way. Even though it has been challenging and stressful these past few months, I’m making a conscious effort to view this change as a gift. For the first time since we started it all, an opportunity to pause, reflect, and make thoughtful choices about the future of Valleybrink Road. Rather than feeling like we are back at the beginning, maybe we are just at a crossroads that will lead us to a more stable place where we can experience growth once again.
So, we will be moving all of our gift box fulfillment back to our garage for the first time in years. Luckily we have this space and can work out of it until things start to get better. We’ll be packing and shipping from there, focusing all of our efforts on shipping gifts nationwide rather than in-person delivery. With covid and all the risk messengered delivery presents, this is the smartest choice for us right now. In addition to that, we will start partnering with an amazing local florist, so we can still offer our customers beautiful blooms. Many exciting and new things are coming, and we promise we are not going anywhere.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us during this time and always. From the orders to the messages to the generosity on so many levels, our hearts are full, and we are forever grateful for each and every one of you. x