Becca's 2024 Reflections & 2025 Mottos

It's 40 degrees outside, pouring rain, and windy, but that's January in North Carolina for ya...

Just yesterday Coble and I strolled along the beach in Half Moon Bay, California, part of our yearly tradition of the post-holiday vacation (and the only time of year Pennies completely shuts down). 

First, we spent time in San Diego (Could we make Pennies into 'Coronado Coins' so I could move there instead?) Napa Valley with friends (Pennies on a winery/estate? That'll do donkey...), and ended in Half Moon Bay (Perhaps I'm destined to be a cart girl selling Pennies with cold IPAs at golf course? Hmm). 

I love our trips to California. It feels like a different world. The fresh food. The vistas. The Teslas. I completely check out, which all entrepreneurs know is EXTREMELY hard to do. I delete social media. Find time to workout (or walk a lot). Indulge in a few glass of cab (hehe) and reconnect with my partner in crime, Coble, my better half. 

Vacations aren't just a luxury, I believe they are necessary for creativity and self-care.

I wish someone told me that before I started Pennies. I felt I had to white knuckle everything, work non-stop, and subscribe to "hustle culture" to get ahead. And I regret that.

Slowing down, reflecting, resting, and repositioning is necessary for any leader to succeed.

Because in that time of rest, our minds can wonder to the next creative endeavor, not the next thing on the to-do list, and that time to "mental wonder" is priceless.

 

I spent most of the flight to California scrolling through my phone's camera roll, reminiscing on 2024's blessings and hardships. Here are a few of them...

BLESSINGS
- Raising $14,000 for NC Hurricane Helene Relief 
- Growing our team to six amazing employees 
- Winning the NC Chamber's 2024 Coolest Thing Made in NC award 
- Expanding to all NC Fresh Markets 
- Securing a larger warehouse for even cheesier days ahead! 

And many more blessings we don't have time to mention...

 

But with the good times, come the not so good times, and it's important to be honest about those as well...

HARDSHIPS
- New commercial leases/subleases falling through last minute 
- Confirmation that a TV episode we recorded in LA would not air
- Expensive tradeshows with little ROI
- Failed co-packer partnerships

And many more hardships that we don't have time to mention and/or thankfully have forgotten about... The power of optimism!

 

Through the highs and the hard times, a few lessons emerged...

LESSONS
- Community First - Supporting our NC neighbors during Hurricane Helene reminded us what truly matters. Thanks to you, we raised $14,000 and provided truckloads of groceries to families in need.

- Trust Your Gut - Whether it’s leases or packaging decisions, my instincts are my best guide. No need to over analyze. Making one decision quickly allows you to move on to the next decision faster (and learn quicker).

 

Instead of "What are your New Year's resolutions?," I prefer to ask, "What's your motto for the year?"

My 2025 mottos...

1. "Do it scared."

A high school friend once told me before a big exam, "It's good to be nervous, it means you care." But did you know, anxiousness is the same emotion in our brain as excitement, we just perceive it differently? 

"Do it scared" reminds me that often the biggest risks are scary in the moment, but there is little reward without a little risk.

I often feel so incredibly alone (and poor) on this small business journey. And somedays it scares me silly. Some nights I wake up in a sweat thinking about our Profit & Loss statement (P&L) wondering if we should make that big purchase or sign that lease. But this year I will "Do it scared."

I already started today, by getting two ovens off a 18-wheeler without the help of forklifts... in the pouring rain... Pic below. Shout out to Oliver for being down for the madness. 

 

Meaningful risks are scary, but they’re worth it. Jumping in before you feel ready can lead to the most incredible rewards.

 

 

2. Possibilities > Probabilities

Similar to "Do it scared," this optimistic mindset is why Pennies is here today. Harping less on the probabilities of success and more on the possibilities will help us become who we are meant to be. In fact, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31-33. Boom.

 

3. Celebrate daily 

My Uncle in law, Pastor Alan Wright of Reynolda Church in Winston-Salem, NC, said in his "Celebration" sermon series, "... [Celebration] is not just the fruit of the victory, it is the power unto the victory."

There is so much bad around us, so much worry, and so much unknown. But, celebration is the conscious act of the enjoying the goodness around us. 

Celebration (like vacation) is not a luxury, it has a purpose. Celebration is FUEL for the next hardship. Celebration moves us toward the next victory. 

In 2025, I won't go to bed worried, I'll go to bed celebrating what has come and what's to come. 

 

For 2025, you can find me doing it scared, thinking of the possibilities, and celebrating (for now, my lukewarm coffee and my chocolate lab mix, Mr. Finn, snoring on the couch).

 

Stay Cheesin!

Becca

Founder, Owner