It was worth hitting my head on my desk...
Ok, so there were times I wanted to hit my head repeatedly on my desk or, alternatively, crawl underneath it and curl up in a ball....
If you've ever transitioned a website and a shopping cart with hundreds of products to a new platform, I know that you will feel my pain.
But these were only moments in time. :-)
More often, I was just bursting with pride and anticipation, looking forward to the launch and delighted in the knowledge that I would be offering a much better shopping experience for my amazing online customers.
And now the day is almost here!
Weirdly, I have COVID to thank for it.
Like other small business owners (and everyone else on the planet!), I was scared and stressed in April as I closed my shop and wondered what would happen. The unknown was unsettling.
I was fortunate to bounce back pretty quickly but the experience changed me.
That fear of losing The Shoe Garden inspired me to hold on even tighter to my beloved business and indeed, commit to taking it to the next level.
Which inspired me to seek out the amazing Tracey Mathers and ask her to mentor me.
Which inspired me to dream about growing, not with more shops as I have never wanted that, but the only way that I believe is sustainable ... through my online shop.
Which inspired me to offer my gorgeous shoes to long footed women around the world.
Which inspired me to upgrade my website in order to sell internationally and, while I was at it, offer a more pleasant and seamless shopping experience for everyone, one that I hope mirrors the experience of visiting the shop itself.
I hope you love the new site and I would so appreciate hearing any feedback that you have. I'm on a learning trajectory at the moment. I want to embrace new technology, hence my nifty 360 degree videos showcasing my new shoes. I want to continue to evolve and ensure that The Shoe Garden is the home for all your gorgeous long shoes.
Special thanks to the amazing and ever-so-patient Anthony from Tailored Media for helping me bring my vision for this website to life. And also to the fabulous Debi Brett who took a lot of the photographs for me.
Stay safe & take care,
Carolx
Tracey Mathers has said it all. Carol, you deserve all these accolades for bravely following your dreams and blessing so many on the way. Lots of love, Anne xx
You are one of the most inspiring women I have had the pleasure to work beside. You are truly amazing, the website is brilliant and you deserve all the success in the World and I know you will have it because of your brilliant service, your eye for detail and because you truly love what you do every day of your life. Congratulations on your commitment, your persistence and your courage, I admire you a lot Carol xxxxx