Saying yes when you feel like saying no

“I know this is beneath you but…”

This is how my neighbour started off our call to ask whether SoYoung would participate in a holiday vendor market at her son’s school. 

Those words really triggered me. 

Because in a way, it felt true. The last time I did a holiday craft show was 15 years ago when SoYoung was just me, I was 8.5 months pregnant and I stood in front of my table for the whole day surrounded by my kids' lunch boxes and backpacks and sold almost nothing.

I learned that moms at those shows weren’t looking for what SoYoung was offering at the time. 

So I decided that I was done with these types of shows. Not worth the time and effort.

Fast forward to the present, and my neighbour is saying something that brings up feelings of shame. But not because I felt the show was beneath me - it was actually because the last show I did made me feel like a loser. It’s hard to stand there and have people not be interested in what you’re selling.

But I recently made a commitment to saying yes to things I would normally say no to. Not in every case, mind you, but in some situations where the no comes from a place of fear. And when I really thought about it, the resistance was about not wanting to experience that feeling of being rejected again.

What if, after all these years and so much growth since then, the same thing happened?

But I know something now that I didn’t know then. And that is what moms are looking for - gifts for themselves and their loved ones. Not lunchboxes for their kids, who wouldn’t consider them real gifts anyways.

And we now have products for these moms - our Lunch Poches, our Charlie Totes, our new silicone meal containers, and the incredible hit of the show - our Beauty Poches and Petite Beauty Poches - especially our Velvety Beauty Poche collection, which sold out completely.

But the real magic was the feedback from so many moms who came by and knew our brand well, who listed off which collections their kids had carried over the years, and who knew my story. So heart opening.

And such gratitude to my neighbour, Deedee, who acted on behalf of the Universe in helping me to overcome an old fear.

XOX Catherine

Ps. a BIG thank you to you for all of your support of our BOGO sale. I am so touched by the response. We are incredibly grateful.