July’s highlights included graduating from the Top Shelf Retail program, designing some new collections, reading more than usual, and seeing wholesale orders begin to pick back up.

If you’re new here, welcome to my business journal. This nineteenth edition of the monthly business journal blog post celebrates the wins and serves as a space of reflection of this business journey, which has been such an important practice for me since January 2020.

The Big Wins

• I graduated from Top Shelf Retail and pitched my Chicago souvenirs to buyers from Walgreens, Meijer, Peapod Digital Labs, and True Value Co. The program was put on by the Women’s Business Development Center and sponsored by Walgreens. Learn more about my souvenir offerings here.

• I wrapped up the new branding for Doughnut Gallery! Official launch coming soon; be sure to follow Joe on Instagram @doughnut_gallery to be the first to see the new designs.

General Updates:

• I read six books: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, I’m Still Here - Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown, Work It: Secrets for Success from the Boldest Women in Business by Carrie Kerpen, M to (WT)F - 26 of the Funniest Moments from my Transgender Journey by Samantha Allen, Educated by Tara Westover, and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I also finally got a Chicago library card, so I know there will be even more reading in my future. Audiobook recommendations welcome.

• I worked on some new collections behind the scenes. The majority of my time spent designing this month was for things that aren’t quite ready to share. More to come soon!

• I focused on getting ready for retail. Part of Top Shelf included six hours of pitch practice outside our regular class times, which helped me perfect my pitch and inspired me to rework some additional pitch decks for upcoming meetings and potential opportunities.

• I got to meet some clients and Instagram friends in real life. As more people get vaccinated and the world continues to open up, the possibility of meeting in person is becoming more viable for business once again.

• We celebrated Daniel’s birthday! Daniel is the best supporter of Lettering Works (and has been since the very beginning five years ago) and always deserves to be celebrated for all his help behind the scenes.

• I enjoyed a “Staycation Day” in the heart of Downtown Chicago. To continue our monthly staycation day tradition, we ate lunch at The Dearborn, went on the architectural boat tour, got pizza at Pequod’s, and met up with a friend in Lincoln Park for drinks.

• I restocked Transistor and got some new wholesale orders through Faire. We sent wholesale orders to Ladyfingers Letterpress, Local Goods Chicago, Silver In The City, and A. Favorite Design. Faire held their Summer Market from July 27-29th with some special sales. This event quickly taught me that discounts on top of commissions and wholesale pricing can be troublesome for profitability. It was a good reminder to know and watch your numbers closely.

• I was invited to do a pop up at Madewell on Southport. It’s always fun to set up shop and connect with new Chicagoans.

In August, I am most looking forward to applying what I’ve learned in the Top Shelf Retail cohort and finishing the new collections that I started in July.

Thank you for being here, for supporting me, and for following along with this beautiful journey entrepreneurship has taken me on.

PS - Have a project you’d like to chat about? Book your 2021 project today! Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, and brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful and impactful things together.