Sometimes, no matter how badly you want something, or how hard you work at it, you fail.
Recently, Mr. Gillis and I, spent two weeks making jams, dilly beans and fudges to sell at a festival in Machias, Maine called the blueberry festival. This is a festival that’s been going on for 40 years, and has always been a local economic boom for the town and surrounding areas. We have taken part for 5 out of the last 6 years.
This year, we failed to meet our sales goals. By a lot.
It is always disappointing to work hard… And I mean pulling late nights and early mornings, to accomplish something that you’re proud of, and have it just…. Well flail.
Our day started out on a high note. We had the truck packed the night before. We were on the road only ten minutes later then planned, which anyone with a 12 week old baby knows is an accomplishment of its own. We arrived on time, got set up and sat.
And people walked by.
But no one walked by us.
We watched as hundreds of potential customers just kept going by without a single glance our way. For every thirty people that wandered by, we had one drop by our tent. Anyone that works festivals knows a sad reality. If only one in every thirty are looking, even less are buying.
Now, we did makes some sales. We had some new and interesting products that people knew they wouldn’t find in other tents. But it’s hard to feel good about a dozen sales when you were prepared for a hundred.
But that’s our goal this week. To feel good about what we accomplished the last two weeks getting ready for the festival. To be happy that we ran into some old friends we hadn’t seen in a long time. To be proud of how well our little girl did hanging out with us all day. To be happy that we have plenty of jam and jellies made to gift our families for Christmas.
It’s all about the recovery, after everything is said and done.
Failure isn’t about not meeting your goals or expectations. Failure is about learning how to be better prepared for the next time.
So until next time, have a wicked good day.
Gillis Gardens, LLC 