So you want to own a small business?

Let me start by apologizing. Things have been crazy hectic here the last couple of weeks and I have not been keeping up with News4You. I'm going to try to do better.

We are fully into our busiest time of year now. Except it's not been as busy as hoped. We have participated in 4 weekend vendor markets in the last 5 weeks (busy). Three of those experienced low, low, low attendance. I don't have hard numbers, but I suspect they are the three lowest attendance events we have seen in 18 months of doing weekend vendor events. Other vendors we talked to expressed similar thoughts.

Sales for the first weekend in October were expected to be brisk. It is, after all, our sweet spot on the calendar, and the last weekend in September was better than expected. Maybe its the government shutdown, maybe its a lot of things, but sales this weekend were not good. We did see good transaction volume, but transaction value was very low, with most staying under $10. Hopefully things turn around soon.

In other news, our medium skull jars have been sitting at the Port of Los Angeles for weeks waiting to clear customs. We have no information on why they are still there, but it is impacting our ability to deliver products that our wholesale customers have been actively asking for.

Why am I sharing all this?

When I started News4You I wanted to share the journey with everyone in our Sugar Skull community. Up to this point I've stayed with good news, trying to keep things positive and fun. Anyone who has ever run a small business will tell you that's not the full picture. Small businesses have their ups and downs and challenges everywhere you look. There are some days you just question why you do it.

So, my advice: Unless you fully believe in the long term good of your business, don't start it. There are times when the mission is the only thing that keeps you going.

If you have ever read the About Us page on our web site you know that I started this company because I wanted to bring people joy. THAT is the thing that keeps me going. I truly hope everyone who has supported us on this journey has experienced joy from our products. And I believe that if we power through these tough times we will continue to bring joy to more people. For that reason, we keep going.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Some days we need it.

Greg