Jon andI plan our future together every day.

No, I am not exaggerating. We have noticed an increase in success in all areas when we take the time whether it be 10 minutes or two hours every day to review where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going. Sometimes it is painful (and can even cause disagreements), sometimes it is exciting, sometimes disheartening, and even can be boring.

It is STILL worth it.

It is vital to be on the same page in marriage through all areas. This includes business. I may not be the one that is personally doing what Jon does every day but I still like to talk with him through the bigger decisions Jon has to make. I am not saying you always have to agree, believe me, Jon and I have many differing opinions, but talking through them and trying to see all sides of a problem or decision can only be beneficial. I am also not saying that I need to know what he does every second of every day but I do like to know the general direction we are going.

I don’t care if you run a business, work for a company, or are unemployed, if you want to get somewhere you have to plan and talk about it. It also helps to write it down. There is power in writing down your goals.

I think that because I find so much power in writing goals, sometimes I don’t even dare do it! It attaches a kind of pressure to the goal, somehow makes it more real instead of just a fleeting thought in the brain! I am thinking this is why I don’t post much about the life of owning businesses. It’s pressure and Jon and I have enough of that already trying to run them all. Like I said, he is the one in the trenches, but don’t think for a moment that all the stress from his day doesn’t come home to me. Half of the work in business is mental and somehow I pride myself in taking part in helping Jon this way. Sometimes he listens and implements my thoughts, and gets a load of compliments on his “great idea” and other times he teaches me why my theory might not work. Either way, we are both growing. The roles are reversed when talking about home life. Once again, we don’t always agree but it helps to bounce ideas off of someone.

Jon has helped me build my business “Native Honey”.

I couldn’t do it without him, plain and simple. He has the business sense and I understand people. We often joke that if our roles were reversed, we would be broke and our kids would be dead! Hopefully this isn’t totally accurate, but we are happy that our natural talents flow with our job descriptions!

So now that I am done rambling about that, I wanted to exclaim that Native Honey is doing great! I had to take a back seat with my business for a while because of the economy. The truth is, my business is new and just building. Our other businesses are stable and actually bring in more money…believe it or not! *ha ha*. So our focus had to be there.

The past few months my cousin Kelly has started being a rep for NH in California. It has been so great seeing the growth and have the bag marketed for the first time. She is even more excited now than when she started because she has had the chance to see the obsession the women have when they see NH bags in person. Mandy and I have always known they could be a huge hit, but neither of us are salesman. We love to design and come up with new ideas. So because I am ready to post some success and actually dare to write about NH now, here are the stores Native Honey is being carried in!

ART N SOUL 101
633 S. Coast Hwy in downtown Encinitas

Childish Couture
A chic Boutique
162 South Rancho Santa Fe Road Encinitas, CA 92024

Seed Peoples Market
Peoples Market
Is located in the CAMP, an innovative eco conscious retail campus, in Costa Mesa, CA at 2937 Bristol St, Suite C101

The Black Flamingo
1257 S. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

La Costa Kids
372 North El Camino Real Encinitas, CA 92024-2826

Bella Bleu
333 E. 17th Street Costa Mesa, CA, 92627

Lala
1143 S Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Pure Barre
7720 El Camino Real, Suite E.
Carlsbad, CA 92009.

A Better Balanced Body
132 Europa St.
Encinitas, CA 92024

Here is my beautiful cousin Kelly at an artists exhibit in California.

Just as a side note, she has 2 beautiful kids Ethan and Tyger and a great husband. She also has 2 different colored eyes. They are spectacular!! Her sister (and my business partner) Mandy, has sky blue eyes. Such a pretty combination with their perfect skin color! Excuse the little rant!

Posting the success we have had so far this year also puts pressure on me, but it is a good thing! I will keep building and trying my best, as I keep my family first priority. It is always a challenge…the balance part. Every day is different and interesting. Luckily my kids are all in school now. Halle is in pre-school only a few days a week but it gives me time to go and design, buy supplies, and manage employees. Sometimes I feel like I run from sun up to sun down, but I like it that way. Whenever I feel bored, I fill it with something. I would rather live my life full of experiences than watching others on T.V. I do love me a good movie now and then and I do write every day now. We all have our ways to relax. Good thing I have my blog!