The Journey of a Small Business: Challenges, Lessons & How You Can Support

Starting a small business is an adventure one filled with excitement, creativity, and, of course, plenty of challenges. When we launched Norshire Company in 2022, it was driven by a passion for home fragrance and a love for craftsmanship. We wanted to create something special, something that people could bring into their homes to make them feel warm, relaxed, and inspired.

But like any small business, our journey has not been without its hurdles. Running a business is about more than just creating great products; it’s about perseverance, adaptability, and finding ways to connect with customers in a meaningful way.

The Challenges We’ve Faced

Every small business faces challenges, and we’ve certainly had our fair share. Here are some of the biggest hurdles we’ve encountered:

1. Building Brand Awareness – Getting people to discover and trust our brand has taken time. Unlike big retailers with massive marketing budgets, we’ve had to rely on word-of-mouth, social media, and craft markets to get our name out there.

2. Navigating Slow Periods – Seasonal trends play a big role in sales, and quieter months can be tough. Learning to plan ahead and adapt our strategies has been essential to keeping things moving.

3. Managing Everything Ourselves – When you run a small business, you wear many hats. From making products and packing orders to handling social media and customer service, it’s a constant balancing act.

4. Encouraging Customer Engagement – In a world dominated by big brands, getting customers to engage with and support a small business can be challenging. Social media algorithms can be unpredictable, and finding ways to keep our audience engaged requires continuous effort and creativity.

Lessons We’ve Learned

Through these challenges, we’ve gained valuable lessons that continue to shape our business:

• Consistency is key – Whether it’s showing up on social media, delivering high-quality products, or maintaining great customer service, being consistent builds trust.

• Listening to customers matters – Feedback helps us improve and ensures we’re creating products that people truly love.

• Community is everything – We’ve learned that connecting with our customers on a personal level makes all the difference. Whether it’s through markets, online chats, or social media groups, building a strong community is invaluable.

• Adaptability is crucial – The ability to pivot and adjust strategies when things don’t go as planned has been essential to our growth.

How You Can Support Small Businesses

If you love small businesses and want to see them thrive, there are so many ways to show support beyond making a purchase. Here are a few simple yet impactful ways you can help:

• Engage on social media – Like, comment, and share posts! Interaction helps small businesses reach more people.

• Leave a review – Whether on Trustpilot, Google, or social media, a positive review goes a long way in building credibility.

• Tell a friend – Word-of-mouth recommendations are powerful and cost nothing!

• Sign up for newsletters – Emails are one of the best ways small businesses can stay connected with their customers.

• Shop local and independent – Choosing to buy from small businesses instead of big retailers makes a huge difference.

Why Your Support Matters

Behind every small business is a person (or a small team) working incredibly hard to bring their dream to life. Supporting a small business means supporting passion, dedication, and craftsmanship. It helps keep creativity alive, strengthens local economies, and allows independent brands like ours to grow.

So, from the bottom of our hearts thank you for being part of our journey. Every order, every message, every share, and every review means the world to us.

Let’s continue building a community that values and supports small businesses together!