How has January 2023 been for you?
We wanted to share our plans and ideas.
How has the first month of 2023 gone for you? It feels like Christmas is an age ago now and January is flying by! I use the time to plan exciting things for the year ahead. This isn’t just in business but in personal life as well.
You can’t plan ahead without reflecting back on where you’ve come from. Last year was one of the most challenging years in business, to be honest the last three have been tough. I’m not one to complain. I’m so grateful for the lifestyle that we have built and the quality of life I have, and I wouldn’t be in this position if I hadn’t made decisions to be my own boss. I wanted to share some of my plans with you for 2023, and I will continue to update you as we go through the year.
5th anniversary at the workshop
This year marks 5 years since our official opening of the workshop to the public. It has been a privilege to be able to use this space and we have evolved it significantly over the years which has been an exciting journey.
At one point it was our creative space, where my dad and I made beautiful bespoke furniture we were proud to sell. Now we have opened it up so it can be your creative space too. It has been reimagined and is now a stunning meeting and teaching building that can once again serve the community it was built for.
This video shows the journey of the chapel from unused and unloved to the vibrant space it is today.
I have no doubt that in March we will have an event to mark this special anniversary but with Christmas bells still ringing in my ears I haven’t had a chance to plan yet. Watch this space!
My mission and ‘words of the year’
I am no longer willing to compromise, my business empowers me to be able to make choices and do things that make me happy but what’s more, I want to encourage others to do the same.
To side step the fear that’s been getting in their way, I know this feeling all too well and I know how liberating it feels to do the thing you’ve wanted to do for so long.
To do it for yourself.
So I am here this year to support and empower those of you ready to learn new skills, to tackle projects you didn’t think you could and to spend your precious free time doing something that brings you joy.
Especially if you get joy from making your home beautiful.
Empowering you to learn upholstery from home
A huge shift for us in 2023 will be reaching out beyond the people who are local to Cheshire. We love doing face to face upholstery workshops but it isn’t accessible for everyone. We get so many requests from people who are just too far away but now we have a solution.
At the end of last year, I started to create online courses that people could buy from anywhere in the world. Teaching the skills of upholstery, as well as having the option to also buy all the frame kit (UK only). I am excited to start selling these now and you can fing more info here. During 2023 I will be building more of a library of resources for those ready to learn a new, sustainable skill that can save you money and make your home beautiful.
I will be taking to new platforms such as You Tube and possibly TikTok -don’t worry I won’t be dancing or singing, it will be strictly drilling, stapling and sewing!
I will keep you updated as I take these next steps, learning new skills and getting over my own fears (especially the tech)!
But apart from the business, what have I been getting up to personally??
January hasn’t just been a month of business plans. Doing lots of things that make me happy We’ve been catching up with friends and family. Planning our 2023 trips in Wally the Wagon – we are going to be taking it over the water at Easter to see the beautiful Tulip fields in Holland. I love our home and continue to working on house projects – decorating the bedrooms and making new curtains (putting those upholstery skills to good use at home as well as work)!
Call me Mrs ‘I Can Do Everything’!
