Imagine this: I’m home with a 4-year-old and twin 1-year-olds, and I casually tell my husband, “I think I’m going to start designing stationery.” Within just a few weeks, I had my shop, Sweet Mady’s, up and running, selling stationery. It was my little slice of creativity in the middle of the diaper piles, preschool runs, and everything else that comes with having babies and toddlers.

A year later, I expanded the shop to include personalized children’s products, launched an Etsy store, and even started wholesaling to shops across the country. It was a lot, but I loved it. It gave me purpose, kept me busy, and was a reminder that, even in the chaos, I could build something I was proud of.

Nine years later, with the kids in school all day, I started feeling the itch for something new, exciting, and bigger. Then, an incredible opportunity came my way. So, I shot a quick text to a friend that read something like, "Hey, want to start a business together?" Fast forward nine months, and there we were, standing among 300 people at the grand opening of AR Workshop Loudoun in March 2018. Do you see a pattern? I go all in!

The Workshop was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but also the most rewarding. We were selling out workshops every week and quickly rose to one of the top 10 stores in the country. We even had the opportunity to speak on a panel at the National Retreat, sharing insights with franchise owners from all over. By 2019, we had grown to a team of 14 instructors, and it felt like everything was falling into place. So, we decided to open a second location. After months of build-out, we proudly opened the doors of our second studio in February 2020. And then, just a month later… well, we all know what happened next. The pandemic hit.

We all know it was an incredibly tough time. I’ll never forget the day we had to close the shop. Let’s just say there were tears, sleepless nights, and so many unknowns piling up. But just two days later, we had a plan to pivot, and we got to work. We spent long, exhausting, tear-filled days packing up DIY To-Go Kits, and you know what? Our customers showed up.

That’s when it really hit me. I had always known the Workshop was something special. I’d always believed we’d created a space for moms to be creative and spend time together. But in that moment, I realized something bigger: we weren’t just running a business, we had built a community—and that community was showing up for us when we needed it the most.

Eventually, a "new normal" began to take shape, and we were able to reopen at half capacity. That’s when the real lesson of pivoting in business hit home. I realized we had to adapt to survive, and it became clear that flexibility was key. So, I asked my husband if he could build a large retail space in the front of the workshop, and just like that, the Retail Boutique was born.

It was a game changer—creating a new revenue stream while giving our customers something extra to enjoy when they visited. We were no longer just a workshop; we were a destination.

Our business survived the pandemic and continued to grow, but by March 2024, our lease was up, and it was time to move on. My kids are older now, too—my 4-year-old is in college, and those little twin babies? They’re driving!

In the months after closing the workshop, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the last 15 years and what I wanted to do with all the experience I’d gained. And here I am now, creating community in a whole new way. I want to bridge the gap between creators and shop owners. I want to help women tell their stories and connect with their customers on a deeper level. I want to support women creators because I know how tough it can be—it’s often lonely, and there’s no playbook. But most of all, I want to be your cheerleader—celebrating your wins and helping you figure out when it’s time to pivot and move in a new direction.

If being part of a supportive community is something you're craving, consider this your personal invitation to join us. We're here to lift each other up, share ideas, and navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship together. You don’t have to do it alone.

Thanks for letting me share my story with you ~ Michelle