Five Year Anniversary At Rustic Honey

And here we are! Five years down the road! We celebrated Rustic Honey Boutique‘s five year anniversary last week! Time sure can fly!

As with every anniversary, I like to take a look down memory lane. You have to see how far you’ve come sometimes to fully appreciate where you are!

This photo was from the first branded photoshoot we had for Rustic Honey back in 2013! Still one of my favs and you can almost feel that crisp fall air! 

My first vendor show was a craft show in KC. I had a hodge podge of handmade goods and showcased some new clothing as well. 

Year two, we welcomed my biggest helper and first child, Ren. He has been by my side on the daily ever since as I work to build up this dream business!

Being a “mom-prenuer” is a complicated, difficult and yet SUPER-REWARDING career path! I hope my boys grow up knowing they are my true purpose and I hope they see the value of hard work, perseverance and choose to chase their wildest dreams!

I’ve had the most amazing support from family and friends over the years! I even managed to talk friends into modeling for me in those early years! I couldn’t have survived without all of that support! 

I like to think my photography has improved over the years as well! Not by accident of course. I’ve taken courses, self-taught, and practiced, practiced, practiced! 😉

I’ve watched my nieces and nephews grow through our Rustic Honey photos as well. They were always a fun subject to photograph! 

And so the years went on and just a few things changed. 😉

My husband renovated a space beside our home for The Rustic Honey Showroom/Warehouse! This space gets smaller and smaller by the day with all of the new arrivals flooding in!

I’ve had so much fun with private parties and ladies’ nights at the shop as well! 

We began a permanent pop-up shop in Nevada, MO inside of Studio 119 on the square! 

I worked through a second pregnancy, hired some help, and learned even more about my priorities as a mom-boss!

This year I was able to expand my “warehouse” and workspace! Loving that this fall and so are the boys! They own the shop! Haha!

Can’t forget to mention somewhere in all this I bought a trailer and turned it into our mobile boutique! Fun to see how far our special events setup has come in five years since that first show in KC!

I started our own unique line of graphic tees, farmhouse tea towels, and pillows! Rustic Honey Label has become such an important part of my business! I don’t plan to slow down on designing anytime soon!

And perhaps one of the biggest changes in the last couple years at Rustic Honey has been showing my mug a bit more! When I first started in business five years ago it would’ve been weird to be modeling for my own company. Now, I feel like it’s only natural for my business. 

I want to keep my brand personal and continue to serve my customers on a personal level no matter how much RH grows! I now do LIVE videos (who could’ve seen that coming in 2013! SCARY!), YouTube videos, model my own clothing, etc. I definitely don’t “do it all” by myself but I’m no longer scared to put my face out there and represent this thing I work so hard on! Thank you all for encouraging me to show my face more often! 😉

People often refer to small businesses as another child. I’d had to agree in the sense that business can be such a blessing, a devotion of countless hours, late nights, tears, and lots and lots of love. It’s not easy and there is no manual to follow.

I’m taking in this anniversary, savoring the accomplishments, and looking forward to the next chapter. I’m nervous, excited, and still so passionate to wake up everyday and work on this dream for Rustic Honey.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey and supporting Rustic Honey for FIVE YEARS! It means more to me than you could ever know!

If you have any special Rustic Honey memories please be sure to share them with me in the comments below! <3

With love,

-Lauren