Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself: Getting Vulnerable and Sharing Plans for the Future!
Maybe you saw one of our viral videos or discovered us at an art market years ago and are thinking, Wait, what is this business again??? Well… PLEASE allow me to reintroduce myself.
Hi, I’m Jenna, founder of Yat Cat! Yat Cat is a small, woman-owned apparel company specializing in comfortable, charming t-shirts that aim to make you feel relaxed, expressive, and creative. My vision for Yat Cat is strong, but I’ve had a hard time putting it all into place. A lot has happened over the past few years, and I’m afraid I dropped the ball a bit when it comes to engaging with the community you’ve helped me build. I love writing and want to do more of that, so expect a bunch of me yappin’ via blog posts in the future! For now, I want to go over some things that have prevented me from really making Yat Cat what I wanted it to be and share some promises with y’all that will hopefully help shape Yat Cat into the brand it deserves to be. A LOT goes into running a small business, and it's so easy to get burnt out. Hopefully, you’ll give me this chance to get back on track and hold me accountable so we can all enjoy many more years of Yat Cat!
Some Hard Truths
Being Vulnerable is SCARY
One reason I’ve been hiding in the shadows and not fully communicating with my community is because it's reallllllly hard to be vulnerable with a big group of seeming strangers. I’ve hidden from my mistakes instead of owning up to them and sharing my process with you guys, and I’m sorry for that!
For example, opening and swiftly closing my retail shop in Denver was kinda crazy, but I just wanted to pretend like it never happened. The simple truth is, I just wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility, but I had complete tunnel vision because I’ve always wanted a shop. Spoiler alert: if you open a retail location, be prepared to pay employees or be there EVERY DAY (duh, right? But I just didn't realize the weight of that until I did it). I’m such a trial-and-error type of person; I have to try things for myself, and when those things don’t work out, I don’t really want to talk about it. BUT I’ll try to be better about that. :)
She was cute!!!
Running a Small Business By Yourself is HARD
Small business owners usually do EVERYTHING at first, from conceptualizing and crafting the products to marketing, photography, customer service, and administrative stuff. It's just so, so much, and it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s also hard to ask for help because your business is your baby—how could anyone possibly know how to help me (right???)? Well, in the future, I certainly gotta be able to let go of some things and accept help where I need it. And it turns out, I need help in a lotttta places.
Change is TERRIFYING
Admitting something’s gotta change is hard enough, but actually implementing that change seems impossible. Change also comes with a whole new set of problems you didn’t think of before.
For example, I knew I couldn’t screen print forever—the toll it took on my body was tremendous. My whole body ached after a day of printing, but the idea of giving up that part of my business just seemed insane. When I discovered screen print transfers and realized I could save time and hard labor without sacrificing quality, the switch seemed necessary. Little did I know, I would then suffer from serious imposter syndrome. I didn’t realize how much of my identity as an artist was tied to being a screen printer. Without that, what was I? A designer? A measly business owner? I’m still struggling with this, but I have a few plans for Yat Cat that will improve my confidence and really help shape my vision.
My first setup, she was tiiiiight but I made it work!
These are the things that have made it so difficult to ~excuse my language~ get my shit together. Maybe you could tell something was off, maybe not, but here it is, all laid out. NOW, here's what I’m gonna do to change it. There's a lot to look forward to—this is a little sneak peek:
Outsourced Screenprinting
Going forward, I will be outsourcing the screen printing of tees to provide the screen-printed style you’re used to while gaining better control over inventory and time management. This will also allow me to support other small, local businesses, and that feels goooood.
Better Lifestyle and Product Photography
You guys ALWAYS ask for model pics so you can visualize sizing and get a better idea of how things fit (not a crazy request, but refer to: Running a Small Business by Yourself is HARD). So, I will be outsourcing photography in the future to get all the angles for you guys! I'll also update our lookbooks so you can reference them whenever you need!
More Series, Collections, and Collabs!
I'll be starting a few ongoing series instead of one-off collections, and I’m super excited about the ones coming soon! I also want to work with other artists! If you're interested in expanding your reach and partnering with Yat Cat, send your portfolio over to shop@yatcatnola.com. I'll also be posting specific artist calls for certain collections in the future.
More Variety
I want to diversify our products, so let me know what you want! I also plan to add an entire vintage collection of bottoms, jackets, and accessories to go with your tees.
More Community & Free Resources
I wanna connect with you guys. I'll be sharing more surveys, polls, and anonymous feedback forms. I’ll also be updating the website with free digital downloads (coloring sheets, wallpapers, prints) and other resources (blog posts, ebooks, etc…). So check for updates! I just want to get to know you better, so let me know if you have any ideas on how to accomplish this in the least annoying way possible.
Sharing all of this is so scary because all I can think about is, What if I can't meet these expectations and then all of this was just another empty promise? I’m cutting myself a little slack, and I hope you will too. I’m looking at these goals as DREAM CASE SCENARIO, but if one or two things take longer than expected to accomplish, I hope you won’t kick me to the curb!
Anyway, I’m so happy you’re here—thanks for sticking around or thanks for finding your way back to me. I’ll talk more about parts of this journey in upcoming blog posts and videos, so make sure you follow along. Subscribe to our newsletter if you’re interested in updates.
If you have any feedback or words of encouragement you’d like to share, let me know what you think! I’m so incredibly grateful for the support and for your shared values of supporting small, woman-owned businesses. I look forward to chatting with you guys at future markets or on the web.
Preciate ya,
Jenna
