It’s All About Balance!
Guess who’s back!! I am honestly both relieved and proud to say I have managed to survive the past 2 months! It’s been so busy and hectic, I was extremely stressed out, and at the same time so excited and grateful for all the business growth and great things happening.
As I mentioned in my last post, we had the opportunity to move into a beautiful office and showroom for Wulterkens. So the month February was full of painting, cleaning, interior-design shopping, designing and furnishing the showroom and moving the office.
At the same time, daily work kept calling, so for me there weren’t enough hours in a day. After officially moving, we were so relieved, but then we had to catch up on a lot of work we left hanging during the preparations for the office.
Simultaneously, we were putting a last hand on our new and 5th collection for Wulterkens, which took a lot of time, because obviously we wanted everything to be perfect.
Luckily we had an amazing team from RB-Media Internet Solutions behind us who designed a beautiful new website for us. Take a look at their website, they really are the best.
We’ve been inspired (during interior-design shopping!) to bring back a few of the amazing icons back in the day, vintage style! I’m talking about the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren. They’re already bestsellers for both him & her! I am wearing my favorite of the series, Brigitte Bardot in the pictures.
Wulterkens became famous for the Babe Collections, so in the line of spring we brought into life the colorful and sexy Japanese Yakuza Babes. And as always, we wanted real statement-setting t-shirts, so we created the ‘’Lead by Example’’ series with the powerful messages of 3 world leaders.
Ever since we moved into our new office and launched the new colIections, things like a nice weekend off or getting home from work before 10 p.m. seem like something from a fairytale.
I am seriously considering hiring a personal assistant, because I’ve been struggling to balance everything out. Yup, it turns out I’m not superwoman (even though sometimes, I think I am). The funny thing is…this is just the beginning. I am starting to realize that as my brand is growing, so will the load of work and the responsibility.
I’ve learned from the great Anthony Robbins, that one of the keys to success is to mirror the acts of those who are already successful. So, how does Olcay Gulsen from Supertrash do it, or Michael Kors? They don’t have any more hours in a day…However, I’m sure they have a maid who does the cleaning at home, PA’s and a big staff to assist them. So I guess it’s time to work towards getting some help to deal with the growth, which is exciting, yet nerve wrecking when you’re a little bit (just a little bit, really) of a control freak.
So that’s what I am slowly, but surely working on…finding the balance, the moments of peace in between the chaos. Not getting stressed out when things get busy, because it’s always going to be busy. As they say, when you come out of a storm, you will never be the same person as before. That’s the life of a successful entrepreneur, that’s the life I chose and despite everything…the life I love.
Sending you all lots of love!
Nadira
Oufit details: T-Shirt: Wulterkens Brigitte ; Skirt: Kardashian Kollection Leather Pencil Skirt
Blazer: Zara (previous collections) ; Shoes: Zara (previous collections) ; Bracelet: Hermes Collier de Chien Cuff
“My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The pina and the colada.” – Ellen Degeneres
“Your hand opens and closes, opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralysed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds’ wings.” – Rumi
“Feeling at peace, however fragilely, made it easy to slip into the visionary end of the dark-sight. The rose shadows said that they loved the sun, but that they also loved the dark, where their roots grew through the lightless mystery of the earth. The roses said: You do not have to choose. ” – Robin Mckinley
“What is joy without sorrow? what is success without failure? what is a win without a loss? what is health without illness? you have to experience each if you are to appreciate the other. there is always going to be suffering. it’s how you look at your suffering, how you deal with it, that will define you.” – Mark Twain
It Ain’t Over Until I Win
Courage and Persistence. When I think of these 2 words, I think of my dad, my role model and inspiration. A long time ago, he had the courage to leave his job with the government to start up his own consultancy company (Proplan Consultancy, located in Paramaribo, Suriname), because at that time he knew he wouldn’t be able to give his family what he wanted to give them on the salary he was earning.
Because of his decision, I had a careless youth with everything I needed and wanted, but at the same time I wasn’t a spoiled brat. My dad always taught me and my brother to earn what we wanted, whether that was with performing well in school or work (washing the cars, helping around the house or ironing his shirts for 50 cts per shirt hahaha). Things weren’t given to us ‘’just because’’ and I remember finding it frustrating sometimes when a lot of my girlfriends really just got everything they wanted without having to do anything for it.
Today, I am so thankful, because it made me value whatever I got so much more and looking back, I think it was the basis that I needed to go the extra mile today with my business.
The lesson is simple, if you want something, you have to go and get it. In most cases it means that you have to work your ass off to get what you want and most importantly never give up. Success takes time, it has to grow, in the mean time you will probably go through a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but the key is to stay focused on that goal.
To all the young entrepreneurs out there I want to say:
1. It’s not going to be easy, you will fall/fail many/some times, but as Mr. Les Brown says ‘’if you can look up, you can get up’’ and if you get back up again you can learn from it, and give it another go (even if it’s another 1000 go’s). Eventually you will succeed. People might tell you your product is not good enough, especially with clothing, it really depends on taste. But never doubt your product, just take it all in as feedback (there is always some room for improvement).
2. You will meet a lot of people, some of them are genuine, they actually care and want to help you grow. These few are precious, hold on to them and don’t let go.
On the contrary, most of the people you meet will be what we call ‘’Cowboys’’. They shoot a lot of bullets recklessly around them, but none of them are aimed at a specific target. Meaning: they talk a lot, know a little and will not add any value to you or your business. A waste of precious time. Try to develop the skills and intuition to recognize these cowboys to avoid time (and money) wasting.
3. Unfortunately a lot of people, for some reason will want to see you fail and some will even make an effort to make you fail. Why? Well, it still baffles me and I don’t think I will ever completely understand it. In some cases these people might even be close to you (friends/family, which makes it even more disappointing). ‘’People wish you all the success in the world, until you get it’’. The only thing that seems logical is that when you start growing and becoming more and more successful, they want what you have, but at the same time they are not willing to work for it or they might not even realize what you have sacrificed to earn it. “Haters are a leading indicator of Success’’. Don’t let them distract you, it’s not worth the energy, keep your energy focused on your goal.
4. You probably will not have much of a social life, the way to the top is lonely. You will most likely grow apart from the friends you thought were your friends for life. Mainly because you have other priorities and your way of living eventually differs way to much from theirs. Only surround yourself with ‘’quality’’ people, people that support and understand you, and people that can help you get where you want. No need for negative people that don’t understand your journey and don’t make any effort to change their own lives. Let go, or be dragged down.
So yes, there is a lot of sacrifice, a lot of roughness to get through. You have to be strong as a rock. You have to be willing to do the things, others won’t, so you can live a life that others only dream about. You have to be willing to go that extra mile. It’s never crowded going that extra mile, because there are only few who keep it up. But reaching your goals, making those dreams come true…it’s all worth it. Keep your eyes on the prize, work your passion and the people who truly love you will stand by you and cheer for you.
If you want it, fight for it, with all your mind, body & soul. Nothing can keep you from it. It’s not over until you win.
Love,
Nadira
Outfit details: Wulterkens Zee Me T-Shirt (Release the Beast series)
Pants & Blazer: ZARA. Shoes: Colin Stuart.
‘’How you do anything, is how you do everything; Always go full out’’ – Les Brown
‘’It always seems impossible, until it’s done’’ – Nelson Mandela
‘’Most people fail in life because they aim to LOW and hit, instead of aiming to HIGH and lift’’ – Les Brown
‘’It doesn’t matter if it’s a right or wrong decision; It’s about making the decision RIGHT’’ – Richard Tan
‘’There is no passion to be found in playing small – In settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living’’ – Nelson Mandela