Dear kindred friend,

This is it. The final kindred blog post and letter. I’ve written a lot about the practicals, whys, and feelings of closing the business already. Today’s post is for celebration and gratitude, a final thank you to each of you – customer, small business friend, collaborator, teammate, etc. Summed up in photos from the five years of business. 

2019

2019: I remember sitting with my husband and close friend at a coffee shop, trying my hand at fantasy football league and while simultaneously working up the courage to hit “publish” on the first iteration of the business’ website. I was terrified to release something so precious to me out into the public world. Terrified of the critics I was sure would come, worried no one would love the business as I, and experienced intense imposter syndrome. But my friend wouldn’t let me sit in paralysis, telling me, “if you don’t hit publish in the next five seconds, I will.” 

2019: Fast forward to this image of being surrounded by my people at our launch party who said in their physical presence “I see you and this dream. I am with you and celebrating you. I love what you are creating.” It was the visible and tangible support I needed as I entered into a world of e-commerce. 

Thank you to the friends and family that have not let me sit in paralysis. Thank you to the friends and family who have shown up, physically, to be a presence in the business. Thank you to my husband who has sacrificed for me to do this, sat with me in paralysis, challenged me beyond it, and encouraged me as I closed it down.

2020

Shortly after launching the business, a friend called to ask if I would be interested in being a sponsor for the IF:Gathering. It felt like the biggest milestone for the business to reach in just its first year. After only a few months of planning, a few friends and I landed in Dallas to bring the business to a new network of over 2000 women. 

Many tears were shed – of gratitude and of deep anxiety. I felt so overwhelmed by this first pop-up experience and very out of my element. 

Yet in the midst of this, I was met with kind encouragement from the surrounding fellow small business owners and new customers who continued to connect with me/the business beyond the weekend’s events. Not to mention the friends who came with (and the ones I called in panic) who held me through the weekend.

Thank you to the fellow small business owners who don’t see the world as a competition, but as an opportunity to lift one another up towards our dreams. You remind each of us we are not alone, even if it may feel that way at times.

2020-2021

COVID was a not fun time. It brought loneliness to another level, work life boundaries to a level of non-existent, and challenged everyone’s creativity for connection and business growth. 

Yet, there was this movement towards shopping and supporting small that was fresh and met with worldwide vigor. It was at this time that the HSM song “We’re All in This Together” really became the anthem of the business. While I physically was in isolation, I felt a sense of camaraderie with our customers and fellow small business owners. But especially the customers who, even when you couldn’t physically pay, did so much to rally this business along in hopes of seeing it through the COVID years.

Thank you to our customers who have always rallied the business, in the high moments and the low ones. To continuously see the business as having value and worth sharing with the public world, even when you have not financially been able to support the business. 

2022

2022 was the year the Kindred Planner sold out, before Christmas, and I was floored. I think it was a combination of doing many markets (probably too many) and being in a newsletter’s gift guide with only 20 businesses highlighted and thousands of readers. I had gone into that holiday year praying for big things and to see them come to reality was a gift I’ll never take for granted.

Thank you to the businesses in pursuit of partnership and collaboration, who seek opportunities to grow the community of small businesses.

2023-2024

2023-2024 was about trying new things. At this point, I was annually considering whether the business was going to make it another year and feeling more burdened with each passing year. In an effort to revive creativity back into the business, I re-evaluated and reworked the mission and vision of the business to not just be about being vs doing, but to incorporate an aspect of story. I hoped to capture what a posture of living out our “human being-ness” brings to the overall story each person is living out in real time. 

I also added lettering to the business, which was so fun and a simple hands-on way to add creativity with clear deadlines and boundaries. Then to get to bring this aspect of the business to Madewell, was such a beautiful full circle moment. It was in this moment, I felt a closing of a circle in many ways, and I think I knew then, this would be it.

Thank you to the customers who have gone with me in the ebbs and flows of the business, as it shifted, changed, and remained. Thank you to the customers who trusted me with the important detail of lettering names for your weddings and events. Thank you to my original team at Madewell who believed in me to try this out and saw me through to the final pop-up of the business, at Madewell. 

A final thank you.

If you haven’t heard it enough – thank you. Thank you for these five plus years of business. For everything I’ve listed here and more. To write more would be to overwhelm this post and turn into an endless scroll no one here really needs more of.

So thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me not just “try out” this business dream idea, but to actually do it and see it through for five whole years. 

May the years ahead of you continue to be you living out your human being amidst life’s doing and be filled with joy, wholehearted connection, beauty, and intentionality. 

With joy & gratitude,

Val

PS: if you want to stay in touch with me, feel free to reach out and I’ll keep you on my short list for if the business ever returns for a “phase 2.”