When we talk about starting a new business or starting anything that requires time and traction. You know, the dream that doesn’t work immediately but might if you stick with it. We talk about the excitement, the opening weekend, the press article, the novelty. No one talks enough about month five. Or month eight. Or the first slow January after a phenomenal December. Or about what happens when you do start to get validation of your idea. When things do start to work. Everyone ends to story at "and then they were successful the end".

Our journey has been similar to other new businesses. When we opened in March of 2024, the response was incredible. The Loveland Reporter-Herald ran an article. Vendors were excited. The community showed up.

Then April slowed a little. May and June slowed more. We had nothing to compare it to.

There isn’t really anyone around us doing exactly what we’re doing — a combination of drop-in art classes, studio memberships, and handmade retail. We were building something without a benchmark. And when you don’t have a benchmark, you start borrowing expectations from other people.

Some vendors expected explosive success immediately. When that didn’t happen, they were disappointed. Some were frustrated. And if I’m being honest, I took that personally. Even though, objectively, the shop was doing well for a brand-new business. You don’t just manage growth. You manage other people’s expectations of growth. And if you’re not careful, you start managing your business through their expectations instead of your own reality.

The December High

After months of self-doubt December came. It was phenomenal. Growth beyond what I expected. And then January and February hit — slow again. That drop from momentum to quiet was harder than the original slow months. Because now I had seen what was possible.

When you are building something new the first-time things are slow, you wonder if it will work. The second time, you wonder if you’re losing it. That emotional swing can mess with your head if you let it.

Month Fourteen

Around month fourteen, something shifted. I could see real year-over-year growth. I could measure it. October took off. December was strong again. January, February and March this year have been phenomenal. Now I find myself staring at possibility. More classes. More product lines. More expansion. More ideas. This is the stage no one warns you about. When the thing you built starts to work — and suddenly restraint becomes harder than effort.

Excited Isn’t the Same as Overloaded

People tell me all the time, “You have so much on your plate. You must be overwhelmed.” I’m not. I’m excited. There’s a difference. I don’t mind long days when the work matters. I don’t mind sleepless nights when they’re driven by vision instead of anxiety. 

My brother told me at Christmas he was worried I had no personal time. But who wouldn’t want to build something people love? Who wouldn’t want to create a place where people bring their friends, take classes, join a studio, come back again? The work is real. But so is the meaning.

The Real Risk of Momentum

Here’s the honest part, momentum can be intoxicating. When you finally see proof of growth, it’s tempting to accelerate everything. Layer more. Move faster. Say yes more often. Because now you have validation. And validation quiets the early doubt. But validation also lowers your filter. And that’s where mistakes start to compound. Speed amplifies everything — the good decisions and the sloppy ones.

The middle stage of growth isn’t about survival anymore. It’s about discipline. Not slowing down out of fear. But choosing what deserves to grow.

A Few Questions I’m Asking Myself Right Now:

• Does this actually move the business forward — or just make it bigger?
• Who owns this if I’m not the one driving it every week?
• What breaks if this works faster than I expect?
• Am I saying yes because it’s aligned — or because it’s exciting?

I used to think the hardest stage was the slow months. It isn’t. I am finding that the harder stage is when things are working and you have to decide what to chase.

Just because something is working doesn’t mean it should expand. And just because something is struggling doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue it.

If something in your life has finally started gaining traction — are you accelerating out of clarity? Or just because you finally can?