Summer 2024: an update
It’s been such a long time since I last wrote an update that this website doesn’t even have any news about the business! But don’t worry—I’m still working hard. Over the past few months, I’ve learned a lot—about myself, about Draquis, and about life. Okay, that sounds very dramatic, but it’s not as bad as it seems, haha. It’s just been a lot. Let me tell you what’s happened over the past few months.
The Launch
As you may remember (or probably don’t), I officially launched my brand in May 2024—that’s when my webshop went live! Woohoo, what a moment! I received my first orders from my best friends (thank you💚!), and even though these orders came from people I knew, it felt amazing! Receiving an order, packing it, and taking it to the post office—dream come true!
What Happened Next
Things went quiet in my inbox—there wasn’t much happening. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was working about 50 hours a week because there was always something to do. At first, I focused on advertising on different platforms. This meant creating visuals, figuring out how everything worked, watching lots of YouTube videos, and so on. After a while, though, I realized advertising wasn’t delivering the results I’d hoped for, so I had to try something else.
I shifted my focus to other things, like SEO (choosing the right words for the website so people can easily find it on Google). I optimized my entire website and then translated it into French, German, and Dutch. Let me tell you—that was A LOT of work. The words people search for in English aren’t necessarily the same words they use in German or French. You get the idea—it was triple the research!
The next step?
Despite all that effort, the work didn’t lead to orders. After putting so much effort into it, the lack of results was disheartening. No matter how many times I reminded myself, “It’s just the beginning; it takes time; a company isn’t built in a day,” I found myself exhausted and hopeless by the end of the summer. I knew I had to turn things around—for myself and my mental health—because I can’t go through another summer like that.
I had tried many things already, but there are still things I can (and will) try. I am not giving up. But I also realised I’m not built to sit behind a computer for hours on end, day after day. I need to be doing something—creating things with my hands. And my hands are itching to tell you about a new project I’m working on. If you’ve been following my social media, you may have already seen a glimpse, but I’m keeping it under wraps for now! There are still a few things I need to figure out before I’m sure I can make it happen. So keep an eye on my Instagram if you’re curious—more news is coming soon!
Let’s Make the Next Season Fun!