What will 2021 bring us? We don't know, perhaps you can accept this, perhaps not. What I notice in myself, and also see in people and entrepreneurs around me, is the enormous creativity that is emerging. The questions ‘who am I’ and ‘what is my purpose in this world’ have perhaps never been asked by so many people recently. It became extra clear to us that we want to bring light and cheerfulness with our products.
Products that bring a smile to someone's face, products that make you happy. We make our products with care and attention, preferably as sustainably as possible and ideally produced in the Netherlands. And we've succeeded with our new products!
We've designed a beautiful new bag collection for 2021 and our much-requested annual calendar had to be continued, of course. In collaboration with Anouk Pruim The result, if I may say so myself, is beautiful. We've even been able to expand our collection with a birthday calendar for life and a card set because nothing is as valuable as a handwritten card with words that can be so powerful.
In March 2020, sales completely stopped overnight for us. I was angry, frustrated, had a sick husband and depressed children because we had to go into lockdown from day one. We were completely helpless and everything that was so familiar was put to the test.
Both personally and professionally, we received offers of help from many quarters, which gave me an enormous amount of strength and confidence. Our website builder Steel Bureau Help us to optimise our webshop for consumers; a friend ensured that we could make use of new sales channels, and key suppliers contributed by deferring payment terms.
Loyal customers such as Linda, assisted with product photography, etc.
And we're still getting help. For example, our new products were highlighted this week by Jessica and Fleur from Splendid.
Our daughter has moved back home because student life, with all its restrictions and online studying, got her down. And many other young people are struggling like this. It was nice to be able to put them to work, packing and preparing our new products that had just come back from the printers. This was a huge job, and they've also gained an appreciation for everything that goes into making a product and that it's also hard work.
With care and attention, we have achieved a wonderful result together. I want to thank all our customers, our warehouse, the support staff, fine collaborations and my loyal employee Aisa, who has gone the extra mile. And the question may still remain: What will 2021 bring us?