Well hello there 2016, so what’s new

Well I’ll tell you something for nothing, I didn’t think my last post for 2015 would be written in November!  Since starting this blog I’ve not gone this long between posts and to be honest I must have needed it as I’ve barely even thought of the blog since then let alone felt like making a post.

So what has been going on?

I or rather ‘we’ (team Realize Beauty) have been really busy.  2015 was a big year for our little (there are only two of us, sometimes three if my husband helps with packing) business and the momentum just kept building and building until by the end of November we were actually fully booked until right about now and even now we are staring at a big pile of  R&D brief’s and paperwork that will probably stretch out to the end of Feb.  As I write this I find myself having to stop for a moment as I lap up the feeling of gratefulness and  privilege that my current business reality affords.  Yes, we go into business to be our own boss, earn good money, be ‘successful’ etc but these are just words really, for me it is only now when I look back at the last slog of work AND well-earned down-time and realise that yes, I am doing a good, no great job. I am working and resting well.  I am doing the very best job that I can do for my customers AND I’m having fun.  This is the very essence of success, the kind that you can taste and be warmed by!

But like all business owners I know well enough that sitting back in a self-congratulating haze of  past victories is a dangerous pass-time and one which no customer will thank you for so it really is time to say HELLO to 2016 and state my intentions.

In terms of my big-picture business I am actually wanting to take what I learned in 2015 and work on smoothing everything out even more and having it flow a little easier.  One thing that is rarely mentioned about starting and running a business is how much it relies on the mental health and wellbeing of its owner – especially when the business is tiny and personal like ours.  My own mental health is actually pretty robust and even but I don’t exist as an island and 2015 felt at times like I was running through a maize while trying to dodge rubber bullets from a sniper.  Some hit, some hurt and some temporarily knocked me off course.  But, nobody died here and ultimately I got stronger.  2016 is the year when I nip the sniper in the bud, take its bullets and complete the maize quicker, smarter and with more pizazz.

In terms of the blog I have some very interesting thoughts and articles cooking up that I’m going to shape and share over the coming week or two.  Here are the ones that are my most pressing as they have already been cooking for a while.

• Palm Oil – where are we now?  It has been a good two years or so since I last updated my blog on palm oil and much has changed in the industry. Palm is still a concern for many and I want to go back and re-evaluate my conclusions and position.
• Plastic Microbeads – OK so I wrote a big story on this in the last quarter of 2015 and also ran some training on it – the banning of microbeads seems to have gotten to fever pitch.  While fever pitch is a good thing I’m worried that we are going to end up feeling all virtuous and lovely while doing NOTHING to help the environment. I’ll explain more in due course.
• What I’ve learned from the Great Barrier Reef.  Yes a holiday is never just a holiday with me and my recent jaunt on this iconic Australian landmark has left me thirsty for more info about coral and more specifically how the make their own sunscreen and how our sunscreen might impact them.  For the record our family opted for stinger suits which negated the need for SPF cream.
• Inspired by the Daintree – I’ve been on a lovely walk through the Daintree rainforest and got some beautiful shots of some natural antioxidants and skin care ingredients to show you.  I actually feel for my family who were excitedly anticipating pictures of our family day out only to find the camera filled with pictures of leaves and berries.  Oh well….
• Algae and fruits of the sea – If I had to back a ‘green’ technology for cosmetic feed stock of the future it would be algae and sea-weed based. I’ve said this before but I don’t think I’ve banged on about it nearly enough and as the world gets more and more crowded and ‘stuff’ hungry it is probably about time I got a bit more serious about this. So, I’m going to dig a bit deeper to find out if we can really get all of our feedstock fats and oils from the sea, thus leaving the land to forest, food and other forms of fun.

So, that’s what’s currently going around in my brain, well, some of it anyway.  I do hope that you guys are all well and that you are feeling just as full of beans and happiness as I am.

Onwards and upwards fair travellers.

Amanda x