The IsLoved Journal

Creating the Future

An honest record of building a small shop alone — what sold, what flopped, and the days I needed off. One entry per day of work, counted only when the work happened.

Day 466 · Latest entry Day 466 Latest entry The Evening ShiftAfter more than a year away: a full redesign, six collections in progress, and custom work built for the dogs no breed collection can capture. Jul 27, 2026 The Work Read the story →

Start at day one.

An honest record of building a small shop alone — what sold, what flopped, and the days I needed off. One entry per day of work, in order.

All entries 41 / 466
Oct 2024
Day 1 Day 1 1 min read Starting Something NewThe beginning is loud, and everything after is quiet. 1 min Day 2 Day 2 2 min read Celebrate What You LoveThey love you as you are — start there. 2 min Day 3 Day 3 1 min read Building with Love (and a Few Glitches)You sit down to fix one thing and find a dozen more. 1 min Day 4 Day 4 2 min read Feedback, Roadmaps, and a Frozen StoreThis shop is named for the one that got frozen. 2 min Day 5 Day 5 1 min read The Social Media MazeMost expert tutorials are a rabbit hole that ends where it began. 1 min Day 6 Day 6 2 min read Reflect, Refine, and Move ForwardProgress doesn't announce itself with fanfare. 2 min Day 7 Day 7 2 min read Choosing Platforms — and Saying NoNot every platform is the right stage for this story. 2 min Day 8 Day 8 2 min read The Gap Year, HonestlyThe store has a heartbeat now. It's faint, but I can hear it. 2 min Day 9 Day 9 2 min read Fall Weather, Cat Cafés, and Choosing ToolsSometimes simplicity is the whole strategy. 2 min Day 10 Day 10 2 min read From Social Media Chaos to ClarityUntangle the accounts before you try to grow them. 2 min Day 11 Day 11 2 min read Building My Own ToolsAutomation never doubts. Doubt is the part I'm here for. 2 min Day 12 Day 12 2 min read Testing Ads — We're All Guessing Until We Aren'tFour followers, zero sales, and one lesson worth more than the ten dollars. 2 min Day 13 Day 13 1 min read Slow Growth and Our First ContestGrowth is slow. The scammers found me on day one. 1 min Day 14 Day 14 2 min read The Real Horror of Doing Business in 2024Commerce that works like a good question getting a good answer. 2 min
Nov 2024
Day 15 Day 15 2 min read Rediscovering My Creative ProcessFrustration turns out to be a decent editor. 2 min Day 16 Day 16 1 min read In the Weeds with NavigationProgress had a sidekick: self-doubt. 1 min Day 17 Day 17 1 min read Organic SalesA complete stranger decided my product was worth it. 1 min Day 18 Day 18 1 min read Win It on WednesdayThe giveaway was never really about the winning. 1 min Day 19 Day 19 1 min read Creating a New CollectionCats seem to slip in and out of worlds we can't see. 1 min Day 20 Day 20 1 min read Screaming into the VoidSales and marketing is still a game where the rules are only half-explained. 1 min Day 21 Day 21 2 min read The Forgotten Shiba InuOne video idea became a whole navigation redesign. 2 min Day 22 Day 22 1 min read Navigating Sidetracks & New AdditionsThe plan lost to the priority. 1 min Day 23 Day 23 2 min read Putting the Pieces Together, and PuzzlesA month in, it’s an education, not a launch. 2 min Day 24 Day 24 2 min read Deferred DreamsA rejection letter is one committee's bet, not a verdict. 2 min Day 25 Day 25 1 min read Refinements, Realizations, and RechargeThe store runs on the same person the evening repairs. 1 min Day 26 Day 26 2 min read Test and Learn — and RoadblocksThe tool broke, and became a quality check. 2 min Day 27 Day 27 2 min read Planting Seeds, Watching Them GrowThe seeds don’t care about Cyber Weekend. 2 min Day 28 Day 28 2 min read A Productive Day and a Creative Rabbit HoleNo one wants to be called a Chihuahua. 2 min Day 29 Day 29 2 min read Ads, SEO, and BalanceAds rent attention; the writing earns it. 2 min Day 30 Day 30 2 min read Six Weeks In — A Wild RideThe satisfaction isn't in the plan; it's in the fixed thing. 2 min Day 31 Day 31 2 min read Leaning Into CreativityTwo free posts beat a hundred ad dollars. 2 min Day 32 Day 32 2 min read Navigating the Analytics MazeA beautiful boutique with the door still locked. 2 min
Dec 2024
Day 33 Day 33 1 min read Post-Holiday Check-InThe numbers said stop, and I listened. 1 min Day 34 Day 34 1 min read Small Steps, Big IdeasQuicksand is still ground. It's just slower. 1 min Day 35 Day 35 2 min read The Balancing ActNinety percent of sales come from people who know me. 2 min Day 42 Day 42 2 min read Progress Isn't Always PerfectSometimes the best choice is the one that moves things forward without breaking them. 2 min Day 43 Day 43 2 min read Slowing Down and Letting GoStepping back can be stepping forward. 2 min Day 51 Day 51 2 min read Rest, Recovery, and RediscoverySometimes rest is the work. 2 min
Feb 2025
Day 84 Day 84 2 min read Out of the TroughA fire doesn't go out all at once. It just gets quieter. 2 min
Mar 2025
Day 100 Day 100 4 min read Reflecting on the Journey So FarIt doesn't scale, and I've stopped trying to make it. 4 min
Jul 2026
Day 466 Day 466 3 min read The Evening ShiftThe count never stopped while I was away — and neither, it turns out, did I. 3 min