5 Things I Will NOT Do as a Small Business Owner

The longer I own a business, the more I realize that knowing what you won’t do is just as important as knowing what you will.

When I started Luna & Jade seven years ago, I really was willing to do just about anything to make it work. I worked all the time, said yes to things I probably should have said no to, tried ideas because I saw other businesses doing them and bent over backwards to make customers happy. And honestly, I think some of that is just part of starting a business. You’re figuring it out as you go and you want it to work SO badly that you’re willing to throw just about everything at it.

But seven years is a long time to learn what works, what doesn’t, and maybe more importantly, what simply isn’t worth it anymore.

I still care just as much about growing my business as I did in the beginning. Probably more. But I also want a business that fits into my life instead of one that completely takes it over.

So while I could probably write a VERY long list at this point, here are five things I will not do as a small business owner.

1. Sacrifice my mental health to make someone else’s life easier.

I used to think being a good business owner meant doing whatever it took to make the customer happy. If someone needed something faster, I would figure out how to make it happen. If an email came through at night, I’d answer it. If someone waited until the last minute to order something they needed for a gift, wedding or event, suddenly I felt like their deadline was my deadline too.

And listen, I still believe customer service matters. A LOT. If we make a mistake, we fix it. If something goes wrong, I want to make it right. I never want someone to walk away from Luna & Jade feeling like we didn’t care about their experience. But there is a big difference between good customer service and allowing someone else’s lack of planning to become your emergency.

I heard the saying years ago, “A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine,” and the longer I’m in business, the more I understand it.

I can care about my customers and go above and beyond for them without sacrificing my own peace every time someone needs something from me. Owning a small business doesn’t mean everyone else automatically gets access to your nights, weekends, vacations and mental energy.

It took me a while to learn that one.

2. Tear down another business because they do things differently than I do.

This one has become more important to me the longer I’ve been in business because I see it ALL THE TIME, especially on social media.

Someone sees another business doing something they don’t agree with and suddenly it’s a Reel, a Story or an entire post about why they would never do that. Sometimes the business isn’t named, but let’s be real…everyone knows exactly who they’re talking about.

I just don’t want to build my business that way.

There are plenty of things other business owners do that I wouldn’t do. I’m sure there are plenty of things I do that another business owner would never do either. That doesn’t automatically make either one of us wrong.

I’ve built Luna & Jade based on what works for me, my customers and the kind of business I want to own. Someone else gets to do the exact same thing with theirs.

I think there’s a lot more confidence in being able to look at something and think, “that’s not how I would do it“, and then just…move on.

I don’t need to make another business look bad in order to make mine look good.

3. Chase every trend just because it’s working for everyone else.

This is a REALLY easy trap to fall into as a small business owner.

You open Instagram and suddenly everyone is selling the same type of product. Then there’s a new social platform you’re told you absolutely need to be on. Then there’s a new content strategy, a new way to launch, a new aesthetic, a new marketing tool or some business owner telling you that the thing they’re doing is THE thing you need to be doing too, and you immediately start wondering if you’re falling behind.

I’ve definitely fallen into this over the years. I’ve created products because something similar was trending. I’ve spent money on things because I thought I needed them. I’ve looked at what was working for someone else and wondered why I wasn’t doing the same thing. And (this may be the most cringy of them all), lip synced and *almost danced to trending music/audios because everyone else was doing it.

But I’ve also learned that you can spend so much time trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing that you stop paying attention to what is already working in your own business, and ultimately what is true to you.

That doesn’t mean I ignore trends. Some of them are great opportunities, and businesses have to evolve. But before I jump on something now, I try to ask whether it actually makes sense for my brand, my customers and where I want this business to go.

If the answer is no, I’m okay watching everyone else do it without feeling like I have to join them.

4. Constantly discount my products just to chase sales.

If I’m being honest, this one is tempting.

When you’ve had a slow sales week or let’s be honest, sometimes a slow sales MONTH (!!) it is incredibly easy to convince yourself that you need to run a sale.

You send the email, throw up a 20% off code and hope the orders start rolling in.

And there’s nothing wrong with sales. I run them periodically and will continue to run them as they can be a really effective part of a marketing strategy.

What I don’t want to do is discount my products every single time business gets quiet with the intention that I MUST get sales.

For one, I don’t want my customers to learn that if they wait long enough, another discount is probably coming. But more importantly, I don’t want to immediately assume that the only reason someone isn’t buying my product is because of the price.

Maybe I haven’t talked about it enough. Maybe I haven’t shown them why it’s special. Maybe I need better marketing or a better way of explaining why they need it. Maybe I simply need to keep showing up.

Dropping the price is easy. Building the value of your brand takes longer.

I’d rather spend my time doing the second one.

5. Say yes to every opportunity just because it could make me money.

When you’re starting a business, saying no to money sounds absolutely insane.

If someone asked me to make something, I wanted to figure out how to make it. If there was another place I could sell, I wanted to be there. If I saw another potential revenue stream, I wanted to explore it.

And to some extent, I think you have to be willing to experiment when you’re building a business. Some of my best ideas have come from trying something I wasn’t completely sure about. EX: permanent jewelry. When I told my husband in August of 2022 that I wanted to teach myself how to spot weld a piece of chain on someone’s body, he thought I had lost my mind. And if I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure my area was ready for the concept. I was one of the first to bring it to Fort Wayne and it ended up being one of the best revenue generators.

But I’ve also learned that just because something can make money doesn’t mean it’s worth doing.

Every new product, opportunity, collaboration or revenue stream requires something from you. It might require inventory, money or time, but it also requires your attention, and I think that’s the part we underestimate the most.

There are only so many things I can give my full attention to at once.

So now I try to look at opportunities differently. Yes, it might make money, but how much of my time will it take? Does it make sense for my brand? Do I actually WANT to do it? And is saying yes to this going to take time away from something that matters more?

Sometimes the answer is still absolutely yes.

And sometimes I’ve learned that not every dollar is worth earning.

Seven Years Later…

If you had asked me when I started Luna & Jade what I needed to do to grow a successful business, I probably would have given you a giant list of things I needed to do MORE of. More products, more marketing, more hours, more customers, more ways to make money.

Seven years later, I think I’ve learned just as much from figuring out what I need to do less of.

I don’t want to spend my time comparing my business to everyone else’s. I don’t want to make decisions out of panic every time sales are slow. I don’t want to chase something simply because everyone else is doing it, and I definitely don’t want to build a business that requires me to sacrifice every other part of my life to keep it running.

Of course I want Luna & Jade to be successful. I want it to grow, make money and continue evolving for years to come. But somewhere along the way I realized that success at the expense of everything else isn’t really the kind of success I’m after.

The goal isn’t just to build a successful business. The goal is to build a successful business you still want to own.

And I think a huge part of getting there is knowing not only what you’re willing to do to make it work, but what you’re no longer willing to do.

As always, cheering you on. 🖤

If this blog helped, make sure to follow @xomandyscott for more small business tips, advice, and encouragement along your journey.