Still a Business Owner — thoughts on mothering, at work
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
As I’m writing this, my nearly 4 year old is sitting on my lap during a Wednesday lull at the shop, watching Bluey on my phone. She’s successfully emptied my entire purse onto the floor (of course, covering everything in coffee grounds), play-dough is scattered and smushed everywhere, and her “latte milkshakes” are resting on the counter waiting for her pretend customers to claim them. She comes to work with me often, usually 3-4 days a week, and has ever since I opened my first shop when she was 6 months old. It’s never been easy, clean, or pretty, but we roll with it. In the years that foll ..read more
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"Slowing Down is a Power Move" and Other Lessons from My Latest Read
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
“Stand up straight and realize who you are, that you tower over your circumstances” — Maya Angelou This morning on my way out the door to the shop, the girls were just waking up, getting their breakfast, and putting on a show before school. Mara, my 7 year old, turned around from the couch and said proudly, “mama, I did my power poses this morning”. The phrase comes from Presence by Amy Cuddy, my first read of 2023 and a book that is shaping up to be one that will stick with me. I’ve been sharing it with my family because the takeaways are so simple yet profound. and I thought I’d share a few ..read more
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Practical Entrepreneurship: the Business Plan basics
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
Remember when I started a Patreon? Yeah, me either. It was a short lived, half assed attempt to monetize my online work and not stray from my “don’t work for free” mantra, which is a story for another day. And although I love Patreon and think it’s an incredible way to support creative people, it certainly didn’t manifest in the way I hoped it would. Add that to the laundry list of things I’ve tried that “failed” or fizzled out over the past decade…Etsy crocheter, Instagram thrifted closet sale person, ethical fashion influencer, multiple almost-coffee shops owner, parenting magazine writer (H ..read more
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Conversations with Customers: Thank You for Modeling Rest
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
This week, a customer thanked me for something I’d never been thanked for before. On the heels of one of my most mentally and personally exhausting weeks that I can remember, I chose to rest, a lot. We closed the shops early, some days we didn’t even open at all. I hate inconsistency, and immediately shame myself for not being reliable or for letting our customers down. It’s a narrative that plays in most of our heads, I think. “If you’re not going to give it your all, why do it?” (Which, by the way, is just hustle culture’s way of saying, “you’re not allowed to rest. Rest is selfish and weak ..read more
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On the Perfect Timing, from One Planner to the Next
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
I gave up on setting time limits on my goals a long time ago. Sure, I fully believe in goal chasing and healthy habit forming, but for the big goals in your life — the decisions that keep you up at night, the ones you’ve dreamed about for years and years — those are the timelines that can’t be written by anything other than time herself. But in my experience, limiting my timelines (“by the time I’m 30”, “in 6 months I’ll be…”) weaves mostly comparison, rushed decision making, and disappointment. Hear me out. Since I was in high school, falling in love with the culture around coffee shops and ..read more
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Flushing Toilet Paper from the Bathroom of our Heart || Meet Omigo
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
I’ve never been one to steer clear of personal subjects here on my all too public journal. I’ve written about everything from ditching birth control, to period underwear, to childbirth, and more. And you’ve accepted it with open arms. “We all deal with it” is my mantra for most of my content, aiming to be as open, honest, and candid as I can be. Today, we’re taking that mantra to new heights. Or, new lows, if you will. The 2020 Toilet Paper Crisis (as its officially called, I’m sure) drove home just how reliant our culture is on a disposable item that most countries use far less of. Toilet pa ..read more
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Why I'm No Longer Accepting "One Off" Collaborations + My New Collab Structure
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
This is my story, and any suggestions or critiques I make are not meant to be taken as the only way to make money on the internet. Each person finds what works best for them. I do hope though, that this piece makes it clear that working for free isn’t acceptable, not even in the “influencer world”. The world of working online is a free for all. A chaotic banter of noise where we are forced to sort through the voices you want to hear and which ones you’ll “mute” for your own sanity. You can find your people, you can market yourself to the right audience, but ultimately, like any industry that ..read more
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Slow Fashion Moms || A Needed, New Community
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
My slow fashion journey is deeply connected with my motherhood. If it weren’t for the simplicity I craved after having a baby at a very young age, I’m not sure I would have felt the pull to slow down, be intentional with my purchases, and, eventually, fall down the rabbit hole of educating myself on the ethics of the fashion industry. I probably would have…but it might have taken a while longer. Motherhood pushes you outside yourself in such a tangible way that so often, we’re in the middle of something before we even realize what we’re doing. (In more ways than one). Slow fashion looks like ..read more
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Simple Coffee Co. || The How — Where to Start Opening a Brick and Mortar Shop
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
Last year, I published a blog post about “the why” behind Simple Coffee Co. It was a strange leap, seemingly, from fashion writer and work from home mom to cafe owner (although I’m still those other things too), and I wanted to connect the dots and share my vision behind the space that we created. Although big picture, creative writing is my favorite, it’s time to share the nitty gritty behind our opening. I’ve gotten lots of questions from hopeful entrepreneurs asking for practical steps for opening their own brick and mortar shop, and this post will hopefully answer some of those questions ..read more
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5 Simple Steps to Make your Laundry Room More Eco-Friendly
Simply Liv & Co.| Simple Living For Womens
by Olivia Youngs
1y ago
One of the things I was most excited about when we bought our house was access to a real, working, adult washer and dryer any time I wanted. After two years in an RV, and many a weekly trip to my mom’s house to do laundry, I was so ready to be able to wash our clothes on my own time and in my own house. Little did I know that as a family of 5, laundry day would be every day. Or at least, it feels like it. When I asked on Instagram what “clean up post” you wanted to see next, the laundry room won by a landslide, so at least I know I’m not alone in the laundry-room-overwhelm and wanting to do it ..read more
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