Inklings Baby

I know this is probably not the regular cute baby, colorful toy content you were expecting. But in addition to all the fun of making baby toys and books, we also are a small business. Which means we have to also do the not so fun things like worry about taxes, insurance and this week most importantly the Longshoremen Strike. We have a container on the water of our Jaffy the Giraffe rattles to make sure we are covered for the holidays at Target. And if the container didn't arrive, then well I think you can guess... According to our Customs Broker, even 1 day of the strike could cause a week delay in container delivery and thousands of dollars in fees... YIKES. Now I am a Libra, therefore I appreciate justice, fairness, balance and mediation. I see both sides and 100% know that our baby toys are a very tiny drop in the ocean of importance. But I can't help to think that the universe granted me an early birthday present with the resolution. So I wanted to make a shout out to everyone involved in the negotiations and settlement. You made our week, saved our small business and holiday season. thank you, aim

#TheRealJourney As a mission driven marketplace scaling on a bootstrapping budget that launched right before the pandemic...we have continued to face an uphill battle when it comes to having the right amount of funds available to support our growing community as a for profit company. I have pitched on countless stages sharing my real & raw journey, it's not easy being vulnerable. And I continue to get asked, why not turn it into a non profit? We have accomplished things that many big companies take years to do. And while we might not have the budget or millions in revenue- we have the people + impact. People power is one of the greatest assets a company can have & I am forever grateful for our growing community. But as we approach year 5, I have been exploring what is best for us to continue to power forward so we can put more funds in the pockets of our nation's heroes by supporting their businesses. And I see two paths forward for continued success: 1. We align Spouse-ly as the marketplace arm to another company that shares the same passion for the military/first responder community to expand our offerings & grow together. 2. We consider turning our C Corp into a non profit to better support our mission + community. Spouse-ly is for us, by us and while being a solopreneur is very challenging I know I am never really alone which is why I want to turn to my network and community to ask- what do you think? ?? #marketplace #militaryfamily #firstresponders #community #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #growth #femalefounder