Celebrating five years!
5 years in entrepreneurship + 1 year off instagram — cheers!
Five years ago today, I opened my shop doors for the first time. My grand vision for Adventure Gift Store™ looked nothing like where I’ve landed, but I couldn’t be more positive that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
I started with a business plan for a souvenir shop and pivoted into a broader online and wholesale presence, with the occasional Bay Area pop-up. I’ve also grown so much as an entrepreneur and human being over this past half decade + I’m so proud of what we’ve built.
Learnings from 5 years as a Small Business
After starting in the pandemic and during a local wildfire, continued by nonstop trials, tribulations and experiments, I’ve had so many learnings from the past 5 years:
- Back to Big Basin
- My Climate Journey
- Brands I recommend
- Santa Cruz Mountains (SCM) community
- SCM Adventure Map
- Art of Opting out
- 3-Year Impact report
- Lessons from Main Street America
This last year has been a new kind of change and growth - one focused on slow living, being in the present and seeking a new balance.
1 Year Off Instagram
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One year ago, I decided to quit socials + here’s a quick reflection from 1 year outside the rat race known as instagram:
- For reference, I used to spend ~one to two hours per day on IG, but I always had the justification: “it’s for work!” ready to defend that time.
- Every seven to fourteen hours per week that I’ve gotten back have been priceless — that’s over 400 hours of my life that I gained back this year!
- In 2025 I’ve been more efficient and finally able to get to backlogged projects that have been in limbo for years. Unexpectedly, my online sales have grown 219% YoY — without instagram! I’ve been able to dive into the Google Merchant center and optimize my site and SEO in ways I never found time for before.
- Instagram/TikTok have convinced small business owners that it’s the only way to do business, but I quickly found that’s such a lie. It’s mostly a pay-to-play environment nowadays that’s optimized for shareholder value, not our small business growth. Focusing on my other channels has been paying off in dividends.
- Most importantly, I’m more relaxed and less anxious + it’s easier to find my creative flow because I’m less influenced, which leads to true authenticity.
- Here’s a YT short I made to celebrate life offline
I’m grateful to everyone that’s joined my journey these past five years.. what a wild ride! Cheers to the next 5 🎉
💛 Jackie
