If you’ve ever replied to an email in the school car line while balancing a half-eaten muesli bar on your lap, this one’s for you.
Some days I feel like I’m running a business and a small village at the same time.
Between school drop-offs, packing orders, and trying to remember what day it is, life feels like a constant juggle of chaos and caffeine.
There are moments I’m proud of how much I get done.
Then there are moments where I wonder if I’ve just been running on autopilot since 2018.
People think running a business from home sounds dreamy.
And it is sometimes.
There’s freedom, creativity, and the joy of building something that actually means something.
But there’s also the unglamorous stuff.
Like answering customer messages with a toddler hanging off your leg.
Or packing orders at 10pm because you forgot you had soccer training earlier.
Or trying to film a product reel and realising the background is a mountain of unfolded washing.
I used to think that success would feel calm.
That one day I’d have it all neatly sorted.
Now I realise that success is actually being okay with the mess.
Some weeks, my business feels like it’s thriving.
Other weeks, I’m not sure if I’m running the business or if it’s running me.
But what keeps me going is this.
My boys get to see me build something.
They see the work.
They see the late nights and the early mornings.
They see that it’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
And that matters more to me than any number on a spreadsheet.
I don’t always get it right.
Sometimes I miss the mark.
Sometimes I forget to send an invoice.
Sometimes I forget to breathe.
But every time I see one of our tees on a happy kid, or get a message from another mum saying she feels seen, I remember why I started this.
Not for perfection.
For purpose.
For freedom.
For them.
🩵 From one multitasking, coffee-fueled mum to another:
You’re doing amazing.
You’re allowed to chase big dreams and still forget what day it is.
That’s what makes you human.
— Ash x
Founder, Sand + Salt Kids
Clothes made for chaos, comfort and real life.