The beginning is always full of joy.

It’s been a year since I began my sustainable fashion business/blog and today, I look forward to the last five months of the year. Why? Maybe because I just finished my vacation. I was vacationing in San Diego (where I live). Although I had expectations on being in a different phase of the business I am currently ok with being in this place right now. Why? So many reasons but it boils down to three reasons. Then, I will share a bit about my story.

Reason 1: Great product

Rome was not built in a day! No really, I take building my business like building an empire. It’s a lot of work. Day in and day out you wear many hats. The workload is tremendous. Also, the beginning phases includes mostly building your product and the business. This takes time. Although we live in a tech age where start-ups are built everywhere you turn and growing fast, I believe in building things gradually with a solid mission, product and people you like to work with along the way. Being kind is an important trait in my book.

Reason 2: Finding a great team

What’s that saying? Time is money. Well, I’d like to think people are an investment, too. You must find the right people to build your business. I am in a place where I am looking to gather my people: production partners, community, pattern-makers, suppliers, designers and photographers, assistants, etc. These are the first people you will begin to hire as your team. I take those decisions seriously. Then, you build upon that with the right close knit team, co-founder perhaps, assistant and any other key partners. This is significant when you begin your business and you cannot rush into it. Right now, I am in no rush to hire for the sake of hiring and getting the job done.

Reason 3: Cash flow

There’s another expression: you need money to make money. Well, this can be even more of a challenge when you are building a product made within the United States. Sustainable materials are costly, labor rates are higher than abroad, and that makes for tighter margins. In the end, the mission of the company and quality of product with sound business strategies remain the cornerstone of my process.

My story in sustainable fashion began a year ago when I moved to San Diego with no job and decision to begin again. This time I was going it alone with my mission and my way. I am confident this path will have some detours, long hours, learning curves, problems to solve and wonderful people along the way. Is it a challenge? Yes, but I love my work and it gives me great satisfaction to pursue that with my mission: to build a global travel women’s handbag business based on ethics and sustainable practices & methods. I am not going to rush the process but respect and trust it most of all. In the end, I am grateful to have this opportunity to build a global sustainable travel handbag business for today’s woman.

Stay tuned for another glimpse of my story. I give more of an inside scoop with specific production partners, women lead businesses and their profiles and how I solve problems in my e~newsletter. Feel free to sign up below to get a peek into my daily schedule, and the community I am building online as well. Plus, I have the funniest stories I share exclusively with my newsletter readers. I am passionate about sustainable fashion and even more passionate about business. Place those two interests together and I am seriously loving my job. Watch behind the scenes as I create my first product from raw materials to finished product. Catch the discounts there, too. Can’t wait to see you there. Feel free to comment below to tell me how your business is going or what you think about sustainable fashion.

Progress not Perfection