I am still here! AND I promise to get better at blogging.
Let me explain what I have been up to!
When this amazing dream started to become a reality I had to learn from scratch how to do everything. From the bottom up. All of the web design, the laws of selling and selling in various countries, making my business official with the state and the government, designing all of the products and finding a supplier I wanted to work with ect. You get the point.
I could quickly see what was working and what was not. Honestly it was a little overwhelming thinking I would need to move my entire site to an easier platform for my longterm goals with DISSENT WEAR.
Inclusivity is something that is so important to me. On a very minor scale, there were many times I did not feel cool, included, important or empowered as a youth. At the time it was not minor to me, and shaped who I became and how I made my choices. Globally it is minor. It is important to acknowledge that it was huge for me as a youth though. I think it also ties in one of the reasons I find it so important for my own children to know I will be there for him and fight for what ever they need, whenever they need it. Parenting styles have changed SO much since I became a parent and even more since I was a child. Remember currently my kids range from 2-22. Back when my older ones were younger it was a huge thing to teach them to self soothe, not to go to them at every cry or need ect. For me personally that did not feel right. If my child needed me I needed to be there for them and that worked for us. If they were crying that is how they communicated and I responded. Was I tired for like YEARS? Yes. I mean I still am lol. My 2 year old does not sleep through the night and I have a bed full of kids (by choice) PLUS the cats and dogs.... AND My husband works the early morning news so he gets up just before 2:30 am when I am often about to go to sleep. SO yeah, I am not sure I will ever catch up on sleep lol. Anyway, I say all of this because for me inclusiveness and empowerment are very important to the overall brand.
I love custom work. I have done quite a few! Baby announcement tshirts, baby blankets, matching family shirts, personal size adjustments ect. I needed some larger sizes and my supplier could not accommodate it.
I had a dream of expanding my line anyway, just not this soon... but given that the needs of my community and my customers are so important to me, I began looking at alternative suppliers.
Printing a product specifically for the buyer and not carrying product on hand is also something I did not want to compromise. I want to be as sustainable as possible. I want to be eco friendly and I want fair practice. So sooner than I expected I began researching, contacting, getting samples and such. ALL of that takes time. AND overall I found that the site host I was using would not work well for me. I do not want to have someone else do all of the work for me, I really want to do this all myself. Not sure if that is dumb or just important... PLUS the business is being funded by us. SO over the last few weeks, I tired hard to rebuild my original site in a way that would accommodate my needs. It just was not working. Instead of feeling like I wasted days, weeks, I am using it as knowledge gained. AND ultimately I am going with a different host that will accommodate ALL of my dreams of expanding my size options, adding toys and more neat items that are not just novelty but everyday items as well. I decided now is a better time than ever!! EVEN if it meant not doing everything on social media and the front end I wanted to do.
BUT I AM HERE!!!! I am ALMOST ready to move the domain to this site and open the "doors" just in time for the holidays!!
With all that is going on with the pandemic no matter your view. IT IS cold and flu season and covid is real and has personally affected my family. It is so much better to shop small business not only because we are way cooler and more unique than generic big box billionaires, but because it helps the economy and community. AND online shopping is the safest and easiest!! Shop open 24/7! AND personally DISSENT WEAR LOVES CUSTOMIZED ORDERS!!!
HAVE FUN WITH THE DIFFERENT FEEL OF THE SEASON. It is not what we are used to but there are gems amongst the muck!
STAY SAFE! and please feel free to reach out via email - or social media --- @DISSENTWEAR / DISSENTWEAR@gmail.com