Notes on Building a Brand

This newsletter is more of a journal entry. The past few weeks have been quite challenging, forcing me to constantly reflect. So, I’m simply typing down a few of the many thoughts I’ve had about my journey so far in building this brand—Spring On A Winter’s Night!

Most days, I feel like an imposter entrepreneur, making things up as I go. Some days I’m great at pretending, while on others, I really struggle to believe in what I’m building.

But it’s true after all—every cliché about this journey is true. Small, steady, consistent efforts compound over time. Exercise is crucial for mental well-being and creativity. And how you do anything is how you do everything (I’m still struggling with this one).

I started weight training in June, and I’m reluctant to admit how much lifting weights has improved my mental health more than anything else. A consistent workout routine has helped me push through in all aspects of life, especially professionally, where I tend to get complacent too easily.

Constructive Feedback: I avoid actively seeking feedback, and I’m unsure how to improve in this area. I’ve learned that asking for targeted feedback—like how a product resonates with customers or how our marketing is perceived—might help me get more precise and actionable insights. I’m also considering setting up a regular feedback loop with my team and customers. If you have any tips or experiences to share, I’d love to hear them!

Marketing: This is not even surprising, but I find it so difficult to market myself or promote my brand confidently to strangers or potential customers. It’s been my biggest learning curve so far, but I know I still have a long way to go.

Building a Team: We’re now a small team of four, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences. But, like anything else, it comes with its own set of challenges. I’m learning every day how to lead, mentor, and manage people who believe in me and the brand with such optimism.

Failure, Fatigue, and Falter: These are my current companions. Failure is abundant when building anything. Fatigue often sets in, simply because I don’t have enough resources, and I end up doing many tasks that would be best delegated or outsourced if I had the means. And of course, I falter every day, but what matters is how I find my footing again.

Besides, just showing up has been the best thing I’ve done for myself and the brand. It has helped me tremendously to just show up on both good and bad days.

Detachment: This has been my biggest learning. To be truly passionate about building something, but also train yourself to detach from it. No one thing can validate or determine your worth. So if the brand succeeds, great! But if, in the odd scenario that it doesn’t—that’s okay too. It simply means I failed at something; it doesn’t mean anything more.

It’s still a constant battle, and I find it difficult to be assertive. I often confuse being kind with people-pleasing. As a recovering people-pleaser, it’s been challenging to embody assertiveness with kindness and not become a pushover.

Number Game: I’m still conservative with my aspirations and risks for the brand, and I think this stems from my lack of understanding of the simple number game in business. Understanding the financial metrics behind my business—like profit margins, cost of goods sold, and cash flow—has been eye-opening. It’s taught me that even a small percentage difference can significantly impact our bottom line, which is why I’m working on improving my financial literacy.

For those of you who manage finances, what tools or strategies have helped you master the number game? I’d love to hear your insights!

Being Human: Unfortunately, it’s true. If you’re obsessed with building something, it often comes at the cost of something else. I’ve been slacking in keeping in touch with my friends, especially those who aren’t in the city. I have no excuse other than not prioritizing it enough. To my friends reading this, I’ll get back to you soon—thank you for being kind and patient with me.

Lastly, there’s the idea of dissatisfaction. By this, I don’t mean pessimistic dissatisfaction—I mean constructive dissatisfaction. I constantly feel like I’m not reaching my potential and not pushing myself enough to get out of my comfort zone. So, bizarrely enough, I’m easily satisfied with life, and that, in turn, makes me dissatisfied. I hope that made sense to you.

Time and again, I come back to this phrase by Christopher Morley and find solace:

So someday, maybe 50 years from now, when we’re all old and we’ve lived life on our own terms, drop me a line. Let me know how your life has been. I hope you’ll say: “It has been so wonderful; I at least enjoyed most parts of it!”

Meanwhile, love, gratitude, and one cup of chai to all,

KS

SOAWN Ceramics

We’re working towards developing a SOAWN ceramic product range. The past few months have been full of experimentation, vendor sourcing, design, and a lot of back-and-forth. We’re excited about these new designs and can’t wait to share them with you!  All my fingers are crossed that these ceramic pieces turn out as we’re imagining them. Let me know your thoughts on these images and if you’d like to know more about how we develop a product line.

Sample of a ceramic plate we sourced from a local manufacturer

Some favourites from my gallery!