Its been a while since I sat down and took the time to write up any sort of real update about what is going on behind the scenes here at DFH. I guess there is no time like the present.
I am so humbled by the growth DFH has seen over the past five years. I know I have said it before, but it bears saying again, when I first opened up my little online shop five years ago, I had no intention to make it into a full time thing. My intent was to quietly make one doll at a time and put it up for sale. If it sold or not did not even matter.
Well, we all know how things have gone since then.
What started as a one woman crafty endeavor with no real aim at being anything has blossomed into a full grown business with employees and a studio space. Looking back, I honestly do not know exactly how we got here. It clearly has taken on a life of its own and its growing at its own pace. Its all so very exciting.
All of this growth has made it necessary for Robert and I to stop thinking of DFH as a side crafty thing and start realizing that it is indeed a full grown business complete with real world obligations as well as amazing future potential. DFH has grown up. Our tiny little Etsy shop has taken on a life of it's own, growing into something that can and will indeed be around for many, many years to come.
Of course with everything there is a not so fun side. The legal side where you have to incorporate, insure and trademark. The financial side where you calculate cost and productivity and sustainability. The logistical side where you have to admit that things are way beyond the capability of one person doing it all any more. We also have the very real, employer side of things where you realize you have an entire team of folks who depend on DFH to help support themselves and their families...and you, as their employer, are obligated to make sure they can count on your business to help them to continue to do this.
It's a little overwhelming when you stop to take it all in.
Our DFH team has grown. We now have 19 folks, with a few more in training, all working together to make each and every doll each week. Some of these folks work in the studio and others work from home. Its amazing to see it all come together each week like magic. These ladies are not just employees, they are like family. Many of them have been a part of our lives since way before DFH ever existed. Our children have grown up together and are, to this day, close friends with each other. We wouldn't have it any other way.
Robert and I have spent quite a bit of time over the past several weeks discussing all of this. We have a great friend who is helping us out with navigating all the legal aspects of owning and organizing this business of ours, as well as plotting out the future of DFH. We are coming to terms with where we are, and laying the groundwork for where we want to be. Sometimes it has been amazing and like a dream and other times it has been so stressful I have wanted to sit down, give up and cry.
I guess you could say raising DFH to what it is so far has been very much like raising children.
We have been working towards smoothing out the rough edges, making things run more smoothly and efficiently. Its all to make things better for us here at DFH and better for you.
One of the first things you will notice is that from time to time, there will be a new voice on the FB page. Many of you already know Shelley, she worked with you on your recent customs. She will be taking on a bit more of the page interactions...answering questions and such. She is stepping in to help us out to give me precious time to be with my family as well as the space to create and design new things. I will still be online quite a bit...most of you will never even know a difference. All the same, I am extremely thankful for her help.
We also have some exciting projects in the works...you all will know more about them as we get closer to their launch. I promise that they will blow your socks off. Your gonna love it. I can't really say any more than that, I don't want to ruin the surprise of it all. Suffice to say, some awesome things are coming, so be sure to stick around.
In the meantime, we will continue to make awesome doll after awesome doll for you each week. We are committed to maintaining quality as well as keeping our pricing at a reasonable level where most folks can afford them. We are aware that prices of handmade Waldorf inspired dolls has skyrocketed over the past year. We do not intend to follow this trend. We plan on following our own path. As one of my favorite quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson goes...
"Do not go where they path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail".
We will be following our own path going forward...heading into uncharted territory. We are all so happy you are with us on this journey.
It's been an amazing five years, here's to another amazing five years! We would not have been able to get to this point without all of you, we cannot thank you all enough for all the support you have given us over the past five years. Without you, we would not be who we are today.
So...
Thank You!
from the bottom of our hearts.
Peace and Love,
Nancy and Team DFH
