As many of you know, I am a co-owner of a small online business with my best friend, Sammy. Sam started Fineapple last year and I thought it was a great idea and sounded like so much fun! I soon hopped on with her and Fineapple officially launched in July of 2016.
I won't say this entire journey has been easy for both of us. Many days we are discouraged, we can't find the time or we feel like we're stuck, but we do a really great job at being each other's encouragers. My favorite thing about our partnership (and friendship) is that we get excited over the little things. The littlest victories keep us going. Every sale, rockin' product picture, Facebook or Instagram tag/post, handmade piece of jewelry, inventory delivery, office decoration, pop-up shop, and post office trip is celebrated. There's not a day that goes by that one of us doesn't text the other something positive about the business, even if we're frustrated with one another or the world.
My biggest pieces of advice, and I think Sam would agree with me, is to always have fun running your business and be each others' biggest supporters when things start getting a little cray. Fineapple has been more fun than I ever thought it could be. I think a huge part of that is because Sam and I work really well together. We know when something isn't right, whether it's personal or business related, but most importantly we know how to fix it, or at least how to help. We balance each other out because we are so opposite.
We are always bouncing ideas off of one another and trying to figure out how
we can better the business as a whole. Since it is the two of us running the show, our opposite traits really aid our decision making. For example, Sam and I have very different styles. You can usually catch her in jeans, a t-shirt, and checkered Vans. I love a good pair of boyfriend jeans, simple sandals, and a flowy top. This helps in giving us a variety of clothing in the shop. We are close, so it's no big deal for one of us to say, "I don't think that will work" or "That doesn't sound like a good idea." Most of the time we bust out laughing when we disagree, but some days we need to take time to individually think about the tougher decisions or how we feel about something. That's okay too. We're not afraid to tell each other exactly what we're thinking and I think that has worked wonders for Fineapple.
These things help to make Fineapple successful in it's little corner of the internet. All-in-all, I'm so thankful for Sam, her business partnership, honesty, and her friendship. I couldn't imagine pulling this little business off with anyone else. Each high-five, 'YAY!' text message, disagreement, lunch coffee date, conversation, business meeting, joke, happy dance, photoshoot, and "You're my best friend" line is appreciated more than you know! Tough weeks and decisions happen, we get frustrated, but we know how to turn it around.
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