As Luv Luxe started picking up steam, I decided it was finally time to hire my very first official employee. It was time to put someone “on the books.”
Here’s the thing I was incredibly protective of the business. We were still tiny, it would’ve been pretty easy for someone to come in, copy how I did things, and disappear. Then add in the fact that we were dealing with luxury handbags worth a ton of money, let’s just say trusting a stranger wasn’t exactly at the top of my to-do list. So naturally I hired my mom. At the time, she was deep into Corporate America. Big title. Big paycheck. There was absolutely no logical reason she’d leave all of that to come work for what I could generously describe as… “entrepreneur wages.” However the timing worked out. She was ready to scale back, and just like that, she became Employee #1. My mom is the person who helped turn my chaotic “I have an idea!” energy into actual business processes. She also has one very unique talent. This woman has the investigative instincts of a detective, the paranoia of a secret service agent, and the imagination of a Hollywood thriller writer. She has played out every possible scenario that could ever happen.
I’m talking situations so unlikely you’d probably have better odds of spotting a live dinosaur at the mall. Those WILD scenarios forced us to build stronger systems, better safeguards, tighter procedures, and processes that are still some of Luv Luxe’s biggest strengths today. She also taught me something that’s served me incredibly well. Keep your cards close to your chest. Not every business strategy needs to be shared. Not every process belongs on the internet. Sometimes protecting what you’ve built is just as important as building it. Working together has also been surprisingly healing. My mom was a very young, single mom. In a lot of ways, we grew up together.
We didn’t have much money, but somehow she always carried herself with confidence and class. She never let our circumstances define us or become an excuse. And if you’ve ever met my mom, you know she has exactly one life philosophy “Head up. Tits out.” She never stopped believing in me, even during the seasons when I was struggling to believe in myself. Before this turns into a Hallmark movie, Let’s be clear.
Working with your mother is not always sunshine and rainbows. We’ve gone toe-to-toe more times than I can count. There have absolutely been moments where I’ve thought, “Today’s the day… she’s fired.” Then I remember, she runs payroll. Nobody else knows how to do it. All jokes aside, so much of what happens behind the scenes at Luv Luxe exists because of her. She’s the first person to challenge an idea. The first person to point out a weakness. Mom, if you’re reading this, Thank you for betting on a business that, at the time, probably looked a little crazy. Thank you for believing in Luv Luxe. Thank you for believing in me long before everyone else did. This one is for you.
Thanks for being here.
Xx
Syd
(Or, as my mom calls me… Luv Bug.)