Happy New Year! I swear it wasn't my intention to leave it a year between posts, but here we are and it is what it is.
2025 was wild for the shop in so many ways. Despite an overarching feeling of failure, I did have moments I was proud of: I released three colouring books, I collabed with my best friend on an amazing goals planner that is aimed at helping self employed people get things done while avoiding burnout, and I leaned harder into a brand that I love. In fact, there are so many things to be proud of that I will leave my 2025 Unwrapped graphics below to have a gander of!
One area where I have struggled is social media, and actually I've seen a lot of other small businesses sharing the same struggles. So lets talk about it, shall we?!
Comparison
If you look on social media, all of your favourite shops are doing amazingly. Every launch is a sell out, they are 'blown away by the response' to everything they do, and they're having to close orders while they catch up. And I don't believe that it is entirely untrue (though some might be a bit exaggerated!) but I think its really important to rememeber optics and that you are only ever seeing what somebody wants you to see. Even my 2025 Unwrapped could come across like I've had a massively successful year, and in some ways I have, but what you don't see is how I have struggled to break even and have felt the pain of flop after flop.
The other side of comparison that I've personally been struggling with, is noticing how people show up for other small businesses but stay silent on mine. I see friends who consistently sidle up closer to success, leaving me behind when I'm not relevant anymore, and it truly hurts when you thought somebody was your friend and then realise they only ever want to get caught up in waves or success but don't want to stick around and tread water with you when the sea starts to settle. (Look at me, throwing water metaphors in - very 'Rymermade'!). But it is important to remember that that is a 'them' problem. I've spent all year punishing myself for feeling toxic everytime I have noticed it and felt sad about it, but actually it is a totally valid reaction and the best thing you can do is minimise what you see that brings you sadness.
Curation
The best way to combat comparison in all of these senses, is to go heavier on the mute button. I've spoken to a lot of small business friends who are going into the New Year feeling the same way and I hadn't even considered muting people until others suggested it. With the number of sponsorships for things that aren't genuine (don't get me started on my thoughts on Omnisend!) and selectively posting a highlights reel of every launch, we have reached a point where the shops we used to look up to have now become unrelatable and caught in their own stratosphere. It almost feels like some shops have parasocial fanbases now, not customers. And yet because of the nature of social media, it is almost essential to present your content in this way to make others want to engage with you too. It is such a vicious cycle and its one that I don't love at the moment - the effects of social media on mental health are can be damaging. But it is a necessary evil, so I have spent the last month trying to work out how to engage enough so that the algorithm doesn't punish me, while also keeping my bubble safe.
Commitment
I haven't got it all quite figured out yet, but there are some things that I want to commit to doing in 2026. First, I want to stay committed to who I am. I don't want to become overly produced and inauthentic, just because that is what gets the most views - people like to watch me because of me, and if that means I don't go viral - well, I've coped so far! I also want to commit to my own form of office hours. I am severely reducing my screen time this year - I've even deleted all phone games so that I stop using my phone to stim. I have turned off all notifications and I will check in with my phone when I decide that I want to see it, not when there is a demand placed on me to look.
I don't know if this post comes across as negative, but it isn't - I'm feeling much better about my relationship with social media as I step into this year, and I am hoping I've done enough to safeguard my mental health and keep social media as positive a place as possible next year. And if you were in any doubt and wanted to make sure I am actually being positive (!), here is that 2025 Unwrapped I promised earlier.
