What is your New Year's Resolution?

Write down a few resolutions for yourself. You won't regret it!

One of my vendor buddies had posted something on Instagram that reminded me of the importance of having a New Year's resolution for oneself.

2025 -- what can I say? It was a rough year. In January 2025 I could immediately feel the impact of a volatile economy, tariff wars, and inflation rising. The cost of materials and supplies that were often out-of-stock, increased shipping costs, late deliveries, and less consumer spending -- all took a toll on my microbusiness. It was a trickle up and outward effect that began to appear across all industries.

As the months went by and as I spoke to other vendors with mobile businesses and small business owners with brick-n-mortar leases, I listened to their familiar challenges and understood their fears of losing our businesses. 2025 was impacting businesses that were no where near the revenue of large corporations that could ride out the stormy economy.

Food vendors, small farms, and, of course, artisans and makers like myself struggled to make our booth fees and acquire what little profit we could get from less passersby attending farmers markets and events throughout southern California.

I believe in my mission statement and philosophy of practicing sustainability in my business pipeline. I believe in buying and using ingredients that are of high quality -- even in light of increasing costs for these same ingredients that have doubled and tripled in costs compared to a year and a half ago. Lastly, I believe in providing self-care products for the health and wellness of a consumer -- which includes myself, my family, and my friends.

These are the reasons why I continue to line up pop-up shop events every week. It's important to me to provide an outlet for those who want to attain and maintain a healthy, holistic lifestyle.

Given the challenging times, I decided that it is important to have a New Year's resolution for the year 2026. It's a way of guiding myself and my microbusiness through trying times. It helps me to focus, keep faith, and persevere.

So on that note, if you haven't made any New Year's resolutions for yourself, I encourage you to do so. And while you're writing them down, consider visiting a farmers market or a pop-up shop event and become a supportive patron for a small business.