Why?

This is now becoming one of the biggest questions I ask myself. At first it was one thing and then it turned into another and I'm sure it will change again. I started at a young age wanting to own a business and provide for myself. It was all because of my past (That is a story in its own). That dream was put aside for many years, with having kids. I did sell things here and there to help with the extra cash and money for me to spend and feel a little independent from my spouse at the time. Fast forwarded nine years, two failed marriages and a 3,000 mile move across the United States, I was able to finally become stable in myself and in our situation and most of all a VERY supportive partner! It took many years of failure to find what I really wanted. Here are some of my "WHYs"

• I want to help support my family and ease the stress of bills.
• I want to be more independent from others help.
• I want to sell all of my creations and things I love to make. (Share the love!)
• I want to empower myself as a women!
• I want to show my children that you can be anything you want to be.
• Being a proud business owner will give me a reason why I should be able to stay home with my kids and be a stay-at-home mom.
• Being a more self efficient family, with providing from the land and move more towards self reliance. and resilience.
• Provide a cleaner way of living and waste free.
• Being Proud of myself and who I have become as a hard working mother, women and human!
• Doing what I love and helping provide healthy products that help other, myself, my kids and learning to respect the land and animals we are responsible for.

There are many other reasons why and the ups and downs of those reason have changed everyday and year of working towards what I want. At times I feel almost crazy for pursuing this. Some days I want to quit and some I have all the energy and motivation in the world! But, at the end of the day, I just need to breathe and remember I STARTED a business! I put my feet in the water and then jumped into it. I can't compare myself to others and I can't let others talk me down. Because I had a long journey to get to this point of my life. It really is a test of how resilient you can be and if you aren't mentally ready, its not going to happen the way you dream it.

I think that there are many hard things we deal with as human beings and maybe I'm crazy to add to my already hectic life. But, why not? We only live once and we can't borrow time or get time back. So why not do something you have always dreamed of? it sure as hell has been hard and man do I cry a lot when no one is looking. I must say I don't regret it. Why do I say all this? because, I was afraid to start a business and if I can inspire just one person to fallow their dream.... that's all that matters to me or maybe writing this all out is just away for me to release my thoughts somewhere. See the madness? I'm not an English teacher or honestly not very educated(I made up 4 years of high school in one year. thanks to an amazing foster family who gave me a second chance in life!) SO, please excuse the grammar, spelling, punctuation and the rambling. This is a glance into my journey to Green Mountain Rose...

 

The start of Green Mountain Rose

The first thing I started to do was sell eggs from our chickens. It was kind of the way to get my family on board. I could sell the eggs and pay for the food for our chickens. More of a ways to keep our birds with less cost. We sort of have an addiction with finding all the different kinds of breeds and all the colorful eggs that come with them. To be honest we don't really eat that many eggs. Our flock is more for eating the bugs, compost and keeping our back yard grass down. Plus, we love to watch them run around and play. They all have such different personalities. We have fun naming them and watching them grow from tiny little chicks. It has been a great ways for my kids to learn responsibility and sadly death. I know the death part is sad, but it is a way to learn to grieve and understand a way of life. We have had many beloved chickens come and go. So, from the start the chickens helped me learn to interact with people in a business sense and to feel comfortable with excepting money for a product.

Money for product was a really hard one to learn from the start and I am still learning. Self-esteem is huge when it comes to selling what you make. I felt like I was asking to much or that my products weren't worth it. Learning to properly price my products came at a mental cost. I had to look at how I looked at myself and mental health. The inner critic is a real thing! Now, I don't want this to become a "Mental Health" Rant. But, honestly it really is all about how you are mentally! I had to work on myself when it came to this business. To this day I have to stop and breathe and remember not to listen to that inner critic.

I then ventured into, what should I sell next? What do people want to buy? I have many hobbies and it seems to be a running joke with my family. What will mom learn next or what new hobby is mom going to get into? Yes, I do love to find new things and I LOVE art/crafts. I think at first, selling the things I make was to support my new crafts. I did have a lot of them! When I learn new skills, I seem to go all in and I make sure I learn them to the best of my ability (I only live once!).  This is where I had to figure out what was something I loved doing and was willing to make a lot of and also need to figure out if people would want to buy it. That is where soap making and lotion came in! Oh man, I was a nervous wreck selling my first soaps and lotions. I wanted to make them look perfect and crafty. Beer soap was fun and people loved it! I keep telling myself I need to make more to sell.

This is where the business comes into play. I had a really hard time coming up with a name. Peter (my partner in life and biggest supporter) came up with the name Green Mountain Rose. This name is very special to me. The meaning behind Green Mountain Rose is where we as a family settled. "Green Mountain" is our beautiful state of Vermont. This is where we have put our roots down. We moved here to find a better life and get away from all the unhealthy of our past and start new. It was a huge scary change for all of us. The excitement of new places, people and way of life made it a little bit easier. "Rose" is for the Rose City of Portland, Oregon. This is where life began its new start and where we found that we needed a change. We (My daughters and I) met Peter and started our journey of friendship and love. My girls and I moved to Portland (Actually Vancouver, WA) to escape a bad situation and hide from an abusive second marriage. We found ourselves there. We were able to better connect as mother and daughters. I found a new bravery here and it was the start of a long healing path.

As you can see Green Mountain Rose has a deep meaning for us. I think finding the perfect name for your business is very important. Its what you hear every single day. I live and breathe Green Mountain Rose! After deciding the name and learning how to register it with the state and get all the legality of having it, I jumped! The beginning of ALL the learning began. I had to find out how to sale my products. This is something that I feel is the hardest and I'm still struggling with. I started with Front Porch Forum and Etsy. Those were good for the first few years. I didn't sell much, just enough to have extra cash and learn. As a mom of four kids, I didn't and still don't have much time on my hands. I made things here and there. I worked on GMR when I could or when I had energy. I really needed to build a family life and work on my mental health at first. SO, I didn't put much effort into my business like I wanted to.

I started the business 5 years ago. in that time, I worked a lot on my mental health. I had to...

• Identify my stressors.
• Prioritize my time and say no.
• Create an organized business plan,
• Learn the way of business and what comes with it.
• Recognize and celebrate my successes.
• Take time to myself and remove myself from the business for my family and vice versa.

But, these are always changing and I constantly learning!

Mental Health

I often feel Burnt out, overwork and stressed. This comes with everything in life. I have my family to worry about. My daughters are in high school and son in elementary school. I find myself struggling to "find" the time. As my girls get older, my time with them is different and they are more independent. I have had more time to concentrate on my mental health. Even though I have been in therapy for 7 years, I haven't truly put 7 years of work into it. only in the last three years have been true hard work. Just like many people, I had to fall hard to really understand that I needed to help MYSELF! I took the time to really stop and think about what was important to me. I love my family and they are my reason for everything, but I needed to stop and think for myself. I'm sure you have heard "Put the oxygen on yourself before you help your child." I always thought that was stupid and my children are more important then myself. Yes, My children are very important. But, How can I help them if I'm suffering and not able to breathe? What are we teaching them? By taking care of myself and learning tools, learning about my issues, learning how to control myself, how to change, how to be strong, I'm teaching them to do the same. Not many people talk about the bad things in life and if they do, there's this stigma about being "drama" "attention seeking"" fake" "needy" or whatever negative things come with it. But, lets face it, WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS! I learned from a very young age to hide, to not get in the way and to be good. Sadly, I as a parent made this mistake with my own kids. I am learning to heal and forgive my mistakes and also to forgive and heal from my own parents mistakes and bad mental health. My own kids are having to do the same. I just wish that more people have the opportunity to do the same. 

Taking care of my mental health has been a very hard thing and will always be something I have to do for the rest of my life. As a person with C-PTSD, OCD, Depression and all sorts of anxieties, Healing is a life long process. Starting my business made these things come to a head. I had to understand and deal it in order to move forward.

 

Identify my Stressors

Stress... No one can say they have no stress! With starting a business the stress is unbelievable. I had to see what was stressing me out about it. This is an on going thing to this day. I find myself falling off the "I got this wagon" often. I have identified a few things that stress me out with the business.

1. Making the time. (on going issue)
2. How to talk to people and not feel awkward. One of the hardest things for me when it comes to owning a business.
3. How to price product.
4. How to manage and get what needs to get done.
5. Marketing and finding new avenues to sale my products.

As I write this, I'm laughing to myself. These things still stress me out! I'm learning to have a deep understanding to these tasks and making plans to mitigate these stressors.  I'm giving myself the time to work through them. As I make the time for GMR, I have dedicated two to three days a week to GMR. I have told my family that I'm not available for ANYTHING. I have a problem with saying no to my family. The biggest thing is appointments. I try to be flexible and get it all in. My family uses an app called "Cozi". This is where all events, appointment, activities, holidays, birthdays and you name it go. If its not in "Cozi" its not happening! We all have access to it and there's no excuses. With planning for 6 people, 3 dog, a farm/apiary and business, we HAVE to communicate. Now that being said, I have blocked out the time for my business. This was a hard transition for my kids. I was no longer "on call". The next step is to dedicate another day or two.

How to talk to people and not feel awkward? Is there such a thing for someone that has extreme social anxiety? The short answer is yes. The long answer.... IT TAKES TIME. Confidence is a hard thing for many people. Some people (like my oldest daughter) are amazing with talking to people and very likeable. I watch her conversing with people at booth sales (She helps in many ways at GMR) and smile. She can explain thing in a way that is exciting and she can sale our products like crazy. I have learning to fake it till you make it, with this one. My biggest step is starting this blog and just getting my thoughts out there, more for myself then anything. I can build my confidence and in a way learn to communicate better.

How to price product. This is something I learned from a small business coach. I was able to meet with her for a few weeks (before life took over). She taught me so much in such a short time. Never be to proud to seek help. Having a business is a lot. You don't just sell things. There's many things you need to juggle. Office work, customer service, making products, designing labels and packaging, packaging and shipping, taxes, state regulations, marketing, social media and much much more. They say to delegate tasks, but when you are the only one running your business, it can be tricky. I do ask for help from my kids and Peter from time to time. But, Pricing product was a hard thing to get past. I felt I was charging to much or to little. I had to take in count many factors. But, once I found out the formula, the stress behind it lessened big time.

Managing and getting everything done! Take small bites! Write out what needs to be done that week or if that is to much, Day by day. Lists are my best friend. sticky notes are like diamonds everywhere, haha. Set goals! I had to learn this from my (foster) Mom. When she started her life coaching, I was able to work with her for several weeks. I learned many life secrets in that time. Well, they weren't secrets. She helped me break down day to day. Helped me on days I fell apart and helped me get back on track. I had to learn not everyday was going to be productive and that was OK. It was how you got back on track that counted.

Marketing and new avenues for my business. Marketing is really hard to do these days. Its very time consuming and costs more then I want to spend. With everything being online, you really need to know how to have an online presents. There are many ways to advertise, finding the right one for what you need is tricky. I have a hard time in this area and I'm just starting to take more time with social media. Even with 5 years in business, I have only concentrated on my local surroundings. Because, I feel buying local is very important. I am finding that many people think the same way and ever since I have been partnered with Farmers to You, I see the potential I have. There are people out there that care about quality over cost. So my next steps are to reach out to local stores and businesses and partner up with them. that's where talking to people comes back into play. So, I must say that is the biggest thing holding back Green Mountain Rose. My fear of social interactions. That leads me to the next topic.

 

Creating an Organized Business Plan

 

For me this plan has changed from the start. As my goals change, I feel this changes a little too. Here's Green Mountain Rose Plan...

 

 

Green Mountain Rose

Business Plan

 

Ronilynn Shrout, Owner

Created on January 22, 2019

 

Executive Summary

Product

Green Mountain Rose has handcrafts high-quality soaps and lotions, beautifully created cards and gifts, local organic apiary products. All products are hand crafted with locally grown, natural/organic, sustainable ingredients. The results of this is reflected in our products in witch we make with love and respect for our land and animals.

Customers

The target audience for Green Mountain Rose is adults, specifically families that live a more organic and waste free way of living. Our products are appealing to those buying gifts, stocking stuffers, or even to treat themselves to locally grown and handmade products.

Future of the Company

Locally Vermont grown and produced products are highly valued, we believe there is a place for high-quality, attractive, sustainable and, local handmade products. Our goal is to build and market quality waste free products that provide a lifestyle to clean living.

 

Company Description

 Mission Statement

Our Mission, for our property and Green Mountain Rose, is to create for ourselves and other, while straightening our family core. To try our hardest to live a clean and waste free lifestyle, while providing quality handmade products with love and respect for our land and animals at a reasonable price.

Principal Members

RoniLynn Shrout~ owner, designer and primary creator

Legal Structure

Green Mountain Rose is a sole Proprietorship.

 

Market Research

Industry

Global Handmade Soap market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2023 and 2031. In 2022, the market is growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon.

Detailed Description of Customers

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Handmade Soap market size is estimated to be worth USD million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD million by 2028 with a CAGR of Percent during the review period. Fully considering the economic change by this health crisis, by Type, CP (Cold Process) accounting for Percent of the Handmade Soap global market in 2021, is projected to value USD million by 2028, growing at a revised Percent CAGR in the post-COVID-19 period. While by Application, Face washing using was the leading segment, accounting for over percent market share in 2021, and altered to an Percent CAGR throughout this forecast period.

Company Advantages

Green Mountain Rose has the following advantages compared to competitors:

• Beautiful all natural handmade designs.
• Safe, non-toxic, organic/natural ingredients.
• Waste Free or composable.
• All are handmade and local.
• Quick, 48-hour delivery/shipping.
• High-quality, interactive website.
• Face-to-face interaction with customers at craft shows over a three or more state areas.

Regulations

Green Mountain Rose must meet all federal and state regulations concerning handmade soap and lotions

In the US, acts and regulations are governed by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) & FTC (Federal Trade Commission).

• Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act
• Fair Packaging & Labeling Act

Service Line

Product/Service

Green Mountain Rose will sell products made from Vermont Local ingredients when possible. Our products are handcrafted and designed for a cleaner waste free lifestyle. Our line currently includes the following, but not limited to:

• All natural Lotion Bars, Salves and Balms.
• Beautiful handcrafted Vermont soap bars and shampoo bars.
• Vermont local raw unfiltered honey.
• Vermont Candles from our Apiary.
• Handcrafted Cards and Paper Creations
• Hand Felted Ornaments and Hand spun Yarns.

Pricing Structure

Green Mountain Rose will offer its products for the following prices:

• Vermont Honey and Aloe Lotion Bars - $18.98
• Vermont Honey and Lavender Lotion Bars - $16.98
• Vermont Tea Tree  and Honey Lotion Bars - $16.98
• Lavender Tea Calm Balm - $3.49
• Calendula Soothing Salve - $23.49
• Handcrafted Soap Bars - $13 - $14.50
• Vermont Raw Unfiltered Honey - $19
• Vermont Raw Unfiltered Honey gift set - $8.49
• Beautiful Handcrafted Cards - $3 - $8.99
• Felted and Paper Ornaments - $5 - $20
• Seasonal Garlands - $5 - $10

Product Lifecycle

All current Green Mountain Rose products are in production and inventory is being accumulated.

Intellectual Property Rights

Green Mountain Rose is a trademarked name in the State of Vermont.

Research and Development

The company is planning to conduct the following research and development:

• Include a feedback mechanism on the website for ideas, suggestions, and improvements
• Provide comment cards for distribution at craft fairs

Review available market research to identify top quality ingredients and waste free options and reason(s) for their popularity.

Marketing & Sales

Growth Strategy

To grow the company, Green Mountain Rose will do the following:

• Sell products at craft fairs in Vermont, New York, Maine, New Hampshire and surrounds states.
• As business grows, advertise in target markets, especially in advance of the holiday season.

Communicate with the Customer

Green Mountain Rose will communicate with its customers by:

• Providing an email newsletter with company news, product information, and craft fair schedule.
• Using targeted Google and Facebook advertisements.
• Utilizing social media such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Tumblr.
• Providing contact information on the company website.
• Adding labels on products that include company name, contact info, and web address.

How to Sell

Currently, the only person in charge of sales for Green Mountain Rose is the owner, RoniLynn Shrout. As profits increase, Green Mountain Rose will look to add an employee to assist with social media and online marketing. The target demographic for the company will be adults and families invested in a waste free way of life. The company will increase awareness to our targeted customers through online advertising and attending craft fairs.

Learning the ways of Business

I have always wanted to take a few courses about business. There is so much to it! Everything from Quick Books, Host websites, marketing, regulations and laws and, customer service. That is just to name a few. When I jumped into the "own your own business" world, I thought I had to sell things and make people happy. HA! It's truly a lot of work and fun! I've met many new people along the way and I'm grateful for the knowledge and skill they have taught me. I think I would still be stuck on a fold up table, making a mess in my front room. My next goal with my business is to move into stores and have an opportunity to put the Green Mountain Rose name out there. Right now I'm only local, booths and with a company that sales Vermont farm products online (They have been an amazing partner in boosting my confidence). This is a area that I will be constantly learning. I do have one regret, I wish I would have taken a few classes about business before starting. I feel like it would have eliminated a lot of stress and time trying to figure it out alone. The internet is nice to have and is full of resources, but there is a lot of bad information out there. After I found many local resources to help me learn what I needed to do for my state, it all seemed to come together a little easier. But, I still have a lot to learn. Here's a few of my resources...

• My local Agency of Commerce.
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office . Find information on how to apply for U.S. patents and register trademarks.
• Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). Get advice and training for your small business. There are nearly 1,000 local SBDCs available to provide no-cost business assistance and free and at-cost training to new and existing businesses.
• Small Business Administration (SBA). Get help starting your business. The SBA maintains district offices in all 50 states to provide resources, training, and specialists to help start and grow businesses. Information is also provided on contracting opportunities with the Federal Government.
• IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center Portal . Find answers to small business tax questions, plus access to forms and publications, a video library, an event calendar and other online tools and products.
• Small Business Financial Literacy - https://www.sba.gov/page/money-smart-small-business and https://www.fdic.gov/news/podcasts/#bankinginnovation
• Women-Owned Small Business Program (WOSB) 
• SBA's Grant Resources

 

Recognize and celebrate my successes

When the stress of owning a business becomes overwhelming, its important to take a moment to recognize your successes. The feeling of making progress, no matter how small, is one of the best ways to relax and limit stress. By identifying areas that are successful and thriving, putting into a positive mindset which makes it easier to manage other stresses of the job. No matter how small!

There are many times I will text Peter and let my inner critic take over. I will be upset about not selling something for days or weeks or that I just paid for marketing and didn't get what I wanted out of it or even feeling stressed I don't have time to make more products. Having that person to talk you off the ledge is nice. But, we don't always have someone there to stop that critic from making us feel like we aren't good enough or doing a good job. This is a good time to STOP and BREATHE. I like to tell myself that the inner critic is in a bad mood today and I need to stop and look at the bigger picture. Looking at one positive or two, can be soothing. Like, I found a new way to save myself time, or the new label I designed looks great, this week I worked a whole day and put myself ahead a week, I got the list of available product out early and now I have time for something else or whatever it is. Small wins can reset a whole mindset.

Last spring a mamma bear and her cubs made an expensive meal out of my whole apiary. It was a really hard hit for Green Mountain Rose. I took that year off beekeeping and was able to concentrate on what was import for me and my business. I had the extra time to spend with my family and make other product and even discover new passions. This may not sound like a success or anything to celebrate, but for me, finding the positive in a bad situation is my success. Plus, Bees will be coming back this Spring!

When Vermont had catastrophic flooding, I lost 90% of my inventory. Man, was that devastating! But, I didn't loose my home or business like many others in our state. I was thankful my family and friends were safe. With loosing my inventory, I lost a lot of profits. In the end, I was able to rethink what I wanted to sale and start fresh with all new. It took time to get back and I'm still not 100% back up and running. But, my positive thinking helped me not give up and I appreciated my communities strength and dedication.

My success now is making the time to start a blog! I have inventory on the shelf ready to go or curing. I'm celebrating being brave starting a business and sticking with it. As a mother of four busy kids, small farm/apiary and stay-at-home mom (a full time job in its own) I'm proud of myself for putting my dreams in motion. And no, this isn't me bragging or boasting, I wish more people would be proud of themselves for the small things. There is a lot of negative in the world these days and its hard to get out of bed because of it. It took many therapy sessions for me to understand that its OK to be proud of myself and its not selfish to do so! So, Lets celebrate the small things!!

Pictures by Ronilynn Shrout 2023

Take time to myself and remove myself from the business for my family.

 

In the beginning days of starting Green Mountain Rose, I was talking about it so much and I'm sure that was very annoying for my family. Everything I was learning was new to me and exciting. I wanted to share everything I was discovering all the time. I still do this time to time and I have to catch myself and step back. My son will remind me that I'm spending to much time in the office and not playing with him. So, I try to make it a point to get all my work and house work done before getting everyone from school and sports. But sadly, when owning a business and being the sole person running it, this can be almost impossible or it can feel like it anyways. There isn't enough time in the day! I have talked to other business owner that work ALL the time and bring home their work. as much as I can understand that and if it works for them, great. I start to feel guilty and like I'm neglecting my Stay-at-mom job, this is where I need to separate emotions from tasks. Easier said than done! Also a work in progress and will be an ongoing goal of mine. I feel like my business will only grow with how much time and effort I put into it. My family will always be my top priority and I do try to include them into the business without "nagging" or "annoying" them(my teens would say).

Taking time to myself has become a bit more easy with time. I had to work on myself mentally for this. I'm sure many parents feel the same way. It's hard not to feel guilty taking "me" time. Expectantly as a Stay-at-home mom and my partner works all day. But, after many awkward times I spent alone, it became easier to do. I have always had someone near or around me, a baby or child seeking my attention and something always needing to get done. Me time felt impossible when my kids were little. now that they are all school aged or independent, I find myself having to put on music to fill the quiet space. 18 years of my life alone time wasn't a thing or at least not till recently. 

It takes some planning to take the time for ones self. I make a list of things that are easy, take a bit more time or need a planned date. Most of the time I spend time with my dogs. I'll take them out for a walk or hike. I also really enjoy training them. After dropping kids off at school or before pick up is easy enough to do these. Not much planning goes into it. Photography is a huge one for me as well and can be done almost anywhere or anytime. I also enjoy being out in the yard and hanging out with the chickens (summer or warm weather) witch also takes no effort, except I need to watch the time or I will spend all my day doing nothing but. I also enjoy a nap or reading a book and wasting a whole day to myself. Hey, I don't get sick or vacation days and I feel the world really needs to understand how hard a stay-at-home parents job really is. I can write a how other post on this alone! Its a very mentally, physically, emotionally draining job and a thankless one. Its kinda a love hate relationship that needs a lot of balance. I have a lot of respect for both working and stay-at-home parents, as I have had to do both and they both have pros and cons. In the end, you still need to take care of yourself and have "Me" time!!

 

Prioritize My Time and Say No.

This is one I saved for last. Because, honestly without planning every second of the day and knowing what is going to happen next, its nearly impossible to have the perfect schedule with a large family. As much as I have tried and failed, its hard. I have learned to go with the flow when having four kids. We are ever changing in this area. I feel like I say that a lot, humm.

I find myself on a roller coaster of schedules. One kid has soccer, another field hockey or oh wait there's that doctors appointment and paper work that needs to get done tonight! Mom, I need to drive for drivers ed tonight! Mom, can I hang out with my friends and you pick me up at 6pm. Mom, I need a doctors appointment for the concussion I got in the game yesterday. Mom, I have math club tonight till 5pm. Anything can pop up at any moment. I have to stay flexible and work around these things in order to get everything fit in. This is one of the biggest benefits of being home and working from home! So, prioritizing my time is like a Tetris game. one schedule is falling into place and the next drops and messes up the rhythm. I find myself looking at my time ALL the time.

Dinner is a great time for our family to sit down and find out the weeks "planned" schedules. I can see where my time will be spent for the week, time driving and what times are "free". My next step is seeing what needs first priority in the house chores. I try to stick with a cleaning plan and kids have chores (Witch is a huge help). I have to make sure I'm not spending all my time cleaning, because cleaning is never ending in this house and it will always be there for someone to do. After I have decided cleaning I look at my set aside days for Green Mountain Rose. Right now (Winter) I have three days set aside. I have lists of things needing to get done on the first two days and the 3rd is for products. If I have a day in my schedule that is clear and I have hours to dedicate to making products, I do. I enjoy watching movies with my kids or as they hang out, I'll sit with them and felt. I'm constantly created on my down time in the winter. In the Spring and Summer we are really busy with Green Mountain Rose. Outside working on the bees, gardens, chickens and preparing. 

Learning to Say No has been really hard and I still find myself giving in. When I was on a Board of directors for a non profit, I was always saying yes and felt obligated to help in every way I could. I neglected myself and family when I did that. A part of me wants to help people and give back to my community as much as I can. After they asked me to become the president of the board, was it worth already dedicating so much of my time as a vice-president? I had to really step back and see what was important to me. Why did I volunteer my time? What was really realistic? Was this really something that was good for me? Did I really have the time for this? Who was this for? I had to ask myself some really hard questions and think about myself. In the end, I decided to step down and take care of my mental health and family. I put more time into refining my family life instead of refining others life's. It was rewarding work to do, but it served its propose and I was ready to move on to what I needed for myself. I prioritized myself and said No. Now to say no to my kids more is another story! They still see me as being there 24/7 and at the drop of a hat.

 

Starting Green Mountain Rose has taught me a lot about myself and what truly matters in my life. Its more than a business. It has built a foundation under me as a person, mother and partner. I have room to grow and learn. Green Mountain Rose in a whole is a way of life. As I teach my children how to live a more waste free clean lifestyle, I learn new ways in the process. The experience with starting a women owned small business is priceless. It truly is the hardest thing I have ever done, because the process has made me look at myself. I have to be vulnerable to the world and open myself up to failure and success. Many can start a business and make money. but, to be honest and provide a real honest product to people who deserve value for their own hard working money, it takes vulnerability and sincerity.

 

Thank you for reading my crazy rant!

Sincerely,

RoniLynn Shrout,

Owner of Green Mountain Rose