It has been a really long time since I provided an update on this adventure we call the marmalade motel. Over the winter I had to take a step back and really think about some of our strategies. Truth be told, I needed to rethink the use of my time and energy. The bank of 'me' was getting pretty low on savings.
I've worked at a fast pace most of my life. I'm an overachiever by nature and carry a lot of anxiety most of the time. Normally, I can just muscle my way through. But after a crazy first season, some family drama, more big ideas than I can count and not enough time or money to execute them all - we hit a wall. We needed to regroup. We decided to take a few weeks off over Christmas to get ourselves together. Those few weeks turned into a few months. And as we quickly approach our second season, we have come to realize a few important things about ourselves and this business.
It's all still a work in progress.
Someone recently asked us when we thought we would be "finished" the motel. And I had to really think about my answer. I'd like to believe we will keep investing and innovating on our tiny little motel business. And that the joy of building something new will drive us towards continuous improvement. Projects will certainly start and end and I'm sure the property will have fewer and fewer changes as time goes on. But I hope we'll always look for ways to make it better for our guests and ourselves. I hope we never finish and that it's always a work in progress.
If you're going to do the business of living life, you're bound to get your ass kicked once or three hundred times. I spent the better part of this winter letting the vicious monsters inside my brain kick my ass over and over. And then I was reminded of something important: You can't do it all at once. With that lesson in mind and the knowledge that we're only two people with limited resources, we have focused ourselves in prep for this season.
We are determined to make our outdoor spaces as welcoming as the indoor ones. With a new fire pit in the works, updates to our sundeck, hot tub landscaping and of course copious amounts of outdoor paint - there won't be one area of the grounds that we won't try to tackle. I'm excited to see our vision continue to unfold and come to life. And to welcome returning and new guests. I'm still inspired by those who choose to celebrate their anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and warm summer days with us. THANK YOU!
I am excited to share some crazy (slightly ridiculous) stories about what we did this winter with all of you lovely, wonderful marmalade supporters, I hope you'll stay tuned and follow along.
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