I can't believe our baby is one today! Sea Seven has officially reached its first milestone. One year ago on December 1st 2020, I was quite literally shaking as I pressed "POST" on my personal Instagram page announcing Sea Seven's existence.
I was so nervous to see what people might think about Sea Seven. Was the name weird? Is it too boring? Who would even buy this? Did I spend all my money investing into this for nothing? What am I going to do with all of these t-shirts and tote bags? But to my surprise, people actually bought it and wore my designs!
Over time, as I sold out of tees, made new designs, and had a few pop-ups, I became more confident in my work. Not only that, but I realized that people's opinions shouldn't matter, because I am doing what I love. Designing, creating, and educating through sustainability.
The first few months of Sea Seven was pretty rough. I was financing and funding the entire business on my own, with the savings I had from my part time job. Balancing a whole new business on top of a job, family, relationships, and hobbies was hard. It also didn't really help that I had no idea how to file business taxes, all these legal things you have to fill out, researching ethical and reliable manufacturers, it was a difficult process. All I wanted to do was draw and create!
So I took on one of my childhood best friends, Aria. She was one person that always remained my friend no matter how long we haven't seen each other. She also has the brain of a business wizard. She likes charts and budgeting and all the fancy number things. So naturally, I asked her to be my business partner! She matched my investment and in June 2021, she became part owner of Sea Seven. And let me tell ya, it was one of the best decisions I have made. Everything is always organized, tax write-offs are all logged down, pop-ups are booked, invoices are paid, and meetings are scheduled! Now I have the freedom to focus on branding, designing, and creating.
In 6 months with Aria, she's helped booked 22 pop-ups, got us in 2 retail stores, 2 beach clean ups, get an office space, and helped keep my sanity! (Or drove me insane lol)
It is now the end of the year, and we are releasing our first Swim Collection. I never thought this day would ever come. I thought it would be years before I was able to create swim, but here we are. After months of researching, sampling, editing, we created the perfect little collection of sustainable and ethical swimwear. Our first drop is coming December 10th! I suggest start writing your Christmas list to Santa...
Thank you for supporting us through our Sea Seven journey as we learn and grow in the business world. Your purchase supports our dreams. Your belief in us keeps us going, and your kind feedback keeps us growing. It truly means the world and we can't wait to see what's in store in 2022.
With love,
Lei