The business of owning a business is neither linear nor incremental….it tends to lurch in different directions when you least expect it to change.
You make your plans, but if there is anything I have learned it is that adaptability is the name of the game.
There are a couple milestones in my mind right now: November will be the 10th anniversary of the launch of Kindred and this summer marks the third anniversary since I closed my beautiful spa…
We will delve more into the amazing journey of the past ten years in another blog. Today I want to talk about the events that led to my decision to close the spa in Chadds Ford.
I feel that I have seen posts from so many small business lately about closing, downsizing, restructuring, and being very honest about the challenges of the current market. It makes me think about my own decisions, and how grateful I am that I made them when I did. The hand of God is an all things from and He was gently guiding me down a path I was not sure about, and the most beautiful thing is that I think He used my beloved horse Chateau to deliver the message..
Because in my world it seems that EVERYTHING, and I do mean EVERYTHING is a mere two degrees separation form a horse…my schedule, when I eat, when I sleep, when I meet with family and friends, is all around the schedule and well being of my four horses….yup, it is just as crazy as it sounds, but I frigging love every single minute…I am living in technicolor the wildest dreams of my little girl self…
So back to the story. If you know me, you know about my horse Chateau, my husband called him my boyfriend…He was saved at a barn where I rode by some friends, who then gifted him to me as I was recovering from a fall off another horse. He was recuperating from an injury himself and together we healed physically and emotionally and taught each other interspecies trust again. Love at first sight that blossomed into a deep and protective love.
Chateau is the reason I have this farm, I wanted to bring him “home” to a place where we could be together daily, in the moment to moment tasks that make the best memories. Because I wanted a farm with a barn and some land to ride, we landed in our Xanadu…the place that inspires, protects and provides in so many ways.
So not long after we bought the farm in 2019, I realized how many of my local customers wanted a place to visit, try and buy in person and generally be a bigger part of the Kindred story. So the first brick and mortar place was born in Yorklyn, Delaware in the former office space of House Industries (a dynamic design studio). The energy was great and with the incredible Jessica by my side we launched in December 2019 to rave reviews.
Immediately people started asking for a more hands on experience…not just the retail opportunity but to have a literal hands on Kindred experience with facials, etc. We decided to have an acupuncture and esthetic specialist fly in from Texas in early March for an immersive weekend of Kindred and healing…it was a huge success and was incredibly inspiring…the plans were exploding…until the world shut down a mer FOUR DAYS LATER….
Remember what I said about business plans “lurching” instead of calmly plodding along…
So when we reopened in late June with masks and 6 foot distances…believe it or not, people were still asking about facials and treatments…now more than ever people needed the surge of oxytocin that comes from a hug or gentle touch. Four months of no touching was starting to erode people’s mental health (we had no idea what was coming 🙃). So we started experimenting with an occasional facial here and there in a makeshift room behind our shipping area with several estheticians…but it did not feel special in our space beside a post office with trucks limbering in and out multiple times a day…we needed the peace and harmony of a true spa experience so I started looking for a new place.
When we found a converted stone barn in Chadds Ford, the most beautiful and peaceful two story bit of magic…we knew we needed a permanent team member for facials and the spa was born when Alexandra joined. We were creating community, healing, beauty, wellness and all the good vibes you could imagine…our hearts were full and inspired!!!
We moved in January of 2021….a huge opening…people were so relieved the chaos of 2020 was behind us. The door was revolving with people coming in and out, smiling, drinking Baba’s kombucha, eating Jody’s scones, relaxing, mingling and filled with joy….then covid reared its ugly head again…as more shut downs and restrictions started growing we saw people devolving…anger, fear, frustration changed the joy that people had felt just a few months earlier to a palpable malaise that infiltrated our beautiful space. Questions about skincare regimens and skin issue problem solving conversations were replaced with covid tests, vaccination demands/requests and frequent cancellations…
In mere months a source of joy became a bit of a struggle. I also realized that a 35 minute commute twice a day for 5 days a week was cutting into the time I needed for production…I always felt like I was behind even though Jessica and Alexandra were doing the bulk of the bottling. Running a store/spa is a full time job, and being the sole producer of all the products is also a full time job!! The add running a farm…another full time job….
I was never riding (a true source of joy) and my creativity was dwindling.
On top of that we realized we needed to revamp an outdated and clumsy website….so if you are going to do all that work, isn’t that also a good time to rethink packaging, labels, bottles… you know everything???
Holy cow we were upside down with things to do, but the clients were still afraid to come in and use a spa…covid panic was still circulating….the website sales were keeping us going, but the whole point of the space was to experience Kindred together…we did not need a spa for a website.
2022 rolls around, we launched our gorgeous new website, bottles and labels…I still marvel at all we created…people are trickling back but the energy was still a little fragile…cancellations are easy to make…claim covid and no one questions the motive…
So we started brainstorming about making videos, marketing, new social media campaigns…how do we highlight the absolute magic of Alexandra in our beautiful oasis?
But to be honest my heart was not all in…I was losing myself in all of this…
I felt my time was no longer my own, my sweet dog Junebug was having failing health , my husband traveled al the time, I really only saw my horses when I was doing chores in the barn…I was going through the motions, but my mojo was GONE.
So I thought maybe redoing my lab on the farm was the answer…move it into the in law suite with a view of the farm. The current lab had so many tears and fears from the pandemic shutdown, that I felt sad going in everyday….SO NOT GOOD FOR THE PRODUCTS I AM MAKING!
Small renovations, a wall here, a new floor there, a gorgeous barn door entry into the lab,….it was all coming together…on a gorgeous sunny Saturday in June, I was painting the barn door green, a big video shoot was planned in two days with models to really pitch our services,…everything was normal until it wasn’t…back to Chateau in the story.
I was painting the door on the porch and I heard Chateau pawing the ground with his hoof…the pawing again…this does not sound normal…I want down to the barn and found him sweating, and obviously in pain. I immediately dose him with pain meds and call the vet for an emergency visit. To cut a very sad story short, within 1.5 hours my gorgeous boy was gone….
I couldn’t breathe, or stop crying…The next day I look in the mirror at my swollen eyes and face and think, I need to cancel the shoot…then I realized…I need to cancel everything….the spa, the commute, the fatigue, the lack of energy, the addiction to a schedule I can’t keep….
But this action effects more than me…my team, my customers, etc…
I had lost ME and I hoped everyone understood that my finding ME again, KINDRED would be the best it could be…and you know who made me realize this? My sweet boy Chateau..he had always taken care of me, and his last act was also saving me from myself…His passing was the wake up call I needed to snap me into reality. A brutal reality, but the life shock I needed to see that I was splintering, and spreading myself so thin that I was not efficient and effective anymore.
Kudos to the best team ever, two of the most amazing women I know, who probably had seen and known far more than me, and understood the next step that needed to be taken. And I am so very grateful that my customers are TRULY my Kindred Skincare Family, they heard me and rolled into this next step with me sharing love and support! WOW!
Over the next two months we slowly dismantled the spa, made plans to move forward to online only, and created a little consultation space in Unionville to ease the transition for local customers. There were a few hiccups here and there, but I do not regret this decision at all! Once I made myself stronger, I made my company stronger…
Here we are three years later…Kindred is still thriving and growing organically. Alexandra and Jessica are thriving in their endeavors, and gratefully still sharing the Kindred journey with me (xoxo). I am on The Farm full time: creating, tinkering, shipping and feeling better and more optimistic then ever as we enter our next decade. Texting, phone calls and emails have replaced in person visits, not the same I realize but I can now give each person a bit more time!
Back to seeing the posts of other businesses, I say cheers to you as you listen to your gut and move the way you feel is best for your business…especially these days as uncertainly in global markets seems to change minute by minute, flow in the way that best suits you, your family and your teams.
The days of Ivy League business schools dictating business growth is over…kitchen table businesses thrive and grow so much more if the health of the head is in tact.
Thank you my dear Kindred Skincare Family member for being on this journey with me.
Xo, Frances