Year One: The Good, The Bad, The Gratitude
With the first anniversary of the expansion approaching, memories popping up on the social media feed, a bit of self reflection, and a touch of nostalgia for a year that went by so quickly, I thought this blog would be easy to write. The truth is, I don’t know exactly what to say because when I think about the past year and everything it entailed, I honestly don’t even know what happened. Now you’re probably thinking, “She’s lost her mind, how does she not know what happened?!?” I most likely have lost my mind a bit, and I’m sure business ownership has likely played a significant role in that.
It would be easier to talk about 2022, I was in my comfort zone with well laid plans and a knowledge for executing them, and then November came. The decision to expand really wasn’t a decision at all, but a necessity, and things went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. I ordered equipment without having actually secured anywhere to put it, but knowing if I waited it could negatively impact plans later on. Then came flooring and lease negotiations and before I knew it, January 2nd arrived, and we were stepping foot in a space, that while so familiar, suddenly felt so new. It was immediately overwhelming, which would quickly become the word of the year. I have never worked harder in my life than I did in those first 21 days in January before opening; Literal blood, sweat, and tears - did you know that painters tape works really well to hold cuts together after your box knife goes rogue? (I would like to point out to certain people, that I did not in fact need stitches!) Also, if I have to move another horse stall mat or 600lb roll of rubber flooring in the next 10 lifetimes, it would be too soon, but we did it, and sometimes I have no idea how.
This past year handed out its fair share of challenges and life lessons, but it also made sure I experienced a fair number of positives as well. The positives? That’s easy, DOGS! and their humans; We welcomed many new students to the Supernova community this past year and it was my favorite part.
Things I learned in 2023:
I have a tendency to become obsessively focused and driven, which while productive, can also be my downfall. This quality also seems to lead to insomnia.
Insomnia is great for writing blogs and designing graphics, I did some of my best work at 4am.
I never thought I would ever spend so much time vacuuming, cleaning vacuums, thinking about, or discussing vacuums than I do on a regular basis.
If I don’t answer you until tomorrow, the business will survive. While it is important to me to be responsive, often as quickly as possible, it does take a toll. So I need to make sure I prioritize myself over the business on occasion. I have to make sure I schedule days off and silence my phone sometimes, I’ll call you back later.
There are never enough hours in a day but there is always tomorrow, and there won’t be enough hours then either, but it will get done eventually, or not.
Wing it, be flexible, let chaos reign on occasion. I can’t predict or control everything all the time and it would only drive me crazy if I tried. I need to let it go, move on, and survive to fight another day.
I can do it, I might not think I can and I might not want to, but I can and I will.
It’s ok if I don’t know how to do something, I’ll figure it out, or I’ll ask someone else for help. Also, it’s ok to ask for help, even if it feels like a burden to ask, they can always say no.
It doesn’t really matter what anyone else is doing or saying, especially if it’s something negative about you and it hurts your feelings, it’s more important to stay focused on your mission and your goals.
While much of the past year is a blur of chaos and never ending to do lists, there is one thing I can tell you with complete certainty, I am so grateful. First, for my husband, who provided financial support and a lot of manual labor to allow me to pursue my passion. For my team, who provided encouragement and massive amounts of emotional support, especially during the tears portion of this adventure. They were there for the deliveries, cleaning, painting, and power washing, and to drag, roll, and fight with thousands of pounds of rubber. Now, they are the ones that help keep it going, sharing their knowledge and passion with every one of our human and dog students on a daily basis. For great landlords, who went above and beyond to help us out during renovations and who have been responsive to all of our issues and requests this past year. Most importantly, for the students, many of whom have not only followed me through multiple moves over the last few years, but who have continued to show their support time and time again. Many thanks to those of you who showed up during renovations, helping us clean and paint, I will forever be grateful for not only your physical assistance but the boost of morale that your presence provided. To those of you who joined us in 2023, thank you for choosing our community and for helping us grow, we are so happy to have you with us!
As difficult as it was to sit down and write this one, at a reasonable hour I might add, I’m glad I did. It has been an emotional rollercoaster of a year and many times the lows have overshadowed the highs. Running a business is really f*%&ing hard! There are days when I'm exhausted and stressed, caught up in the daily grind, thinking “why did I choose this?”. But then I open the door to another day, welcoming in the dogs and their humans that have become such an integral part of my life, and I am once again reminded of why I fell in love with this in the first place.
Happy Year 1 Supernova, Here’s to 2024!
