Day 23: Putting the Pieces Together, and Puzzles!

This Friday will mark Isloved’s one-month anniversary, and today was all about putting in the work to grow this little dream. I spent most of the day prepping artwork for a new product—puzzles! I’ve been adjusting each piece of dog art to fit perfectly on puzzle templates, making sure every design looks as good as possible. It turns out resizing isn’t just a quick crop and go; each image needed careful tweaking, especially since I had to remove my lovely rounded-corner border to make it all fit. Details, details, but they’re what keep each product special.

Alongside the puzzles, I’ve been mapping out some other product ideas to keep things fresh and versatile. I’m excited about adding journals, coffee mugs, pillows, throws, and even some cozy pet gear like hoodies and bandanas. The ideas are flowing, and I’m thrilled to keep building a range that’ll bring joy to people and their pets.

Of course, there are always little surprises along the way. When I launched Isloved, I thought I’d be a little further along by now. I imagined sales picking up steadily and easily finding the mix that just “clicks” for the brand. Right now, though, I’m still working on that mix. I’ve been investing in ads to drive traffic, hoping they’d quickly build momentum, but so far, the ad spend has outpaced revenue. Not quite the instant success I pictured, but it’s all part of the learning curve!

I’m finding that this testing phase is actually more fun than it sounds. It’s a little like experimenting with recipes, trying different product combos, and discovering what really resonates with customers. It may take a bit longer than planned, but every experiment brings me closer to the heart of Isloved, shaping the brand in ways I hadn’t even anticipated.

To help support this journey, I’m exploring other roles while I build Isloved from the ground up. It’s a detour, but it’s just one more part of the adventure. Every day, I keep moving forward with small steps, and this daily check-in is my reminder to keep showing up and trusting the process.

So here’s to Isloved’s first month—new products, small steps, and all. It’s not the instant success I first imagined, but it’s unfolding in its own way, and I’m grateful to be here for it all. Thank you to everyone cheering along with me; I can’t wait to see where we go from here!