Happy New Year Y'all! 

Well, as we all take on a new year, the obvious sets in... Resolutions and all that other goofy stuff. I've never really been one for New Years Resolutions, but I will say, as many of you already know, I am one for planning. So lets just replace "resolution" with "planning". And boy. do I have lot of planning to do, and I kicked if off yesterday with a big 'ol bowl of black eyed peas and cabbage  

First I'd like to recap 2018, it was a big year for us. We hit the ground running and we stumbled a few times, but got up and continued the journey in our craft. 

2018 was a great learning year. We launched our website in February, and thought we were going to kill it in the online space, how hard could it be? Well, I subscribed to Shopify January 1st. and it took me a month just to figure out how to build the darn thing! Online sales were not consistent, and I have struggled to learn to better that outlet. 

We had great success and great loss at shows this year. We took on some new shows that were great, and attended many of the same from the previous year. 

We also began reaching out to build our wholesale side of the business, pushing custom marketing materials on large scale quantities. This is an area we are hoping to expand in the coming year. 

We also kicked off the blog along with the website. interestingly enough, I have really enjoyed working on the blog, and hope to hit it hard this year as well. 

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So what are we planning for 2019? As mentioned above, I hope to expand on our wholesale bulk and private label products. We were fortunate in 2018 to have the opportunity to make some great products for local events and companies such as custom Logo key fobs and coasters. While I was thrilled to get the orders we received, we also lost out on some big opportunities on items we quoted. While we did not win those bids, I was able to refine my skills in quoting jobs and learning more about doing so. 

Additionally I hope to launch a "Signature Series" of leather goods. These will be items that are higher end, such as hand-stitched watch straps utilizing exotic ostrich, alligator, croc, and the like. I have a few items in mind, and hope to get busy on them very soon, so keep an eye out! 

Content: I tested the waters in 2018 with more content creation. Starting with the blog, I feel that we had some very successful articles. I also attempted a how-to video for YouTube, which left a lot to be desired in the production side. I even attempted an interview series for the blog. These are all areas I want to continue to work on and refine. 

While, this isn't the most exciting blog to date, I hope that you all will join along with us in 2019 and see what we're up to. The first couple weeks of January are going ot be dedicated to planning for the rest of the year, so hang tight as we start bumpingour IG & social media content back up in the next few days!

Cheers! Remember, only you can change the outcome of each day. You have the power to find joy in each situation. Do it, don't pout, don't put it off, be kind, and find your joy daily!