On The Last Night of 2017...

On the last day of the year, it would be remiss to not share here some final thoughts about 2017.  And if you know me at all by now, you know that New Year's Eve/New Year's Day ranks as my very least favorite holidays because the pressure to review the previous 12 months and then make adjustments to improve upon the next 12 is anxiety inducing at the very least.  And maddening at the very best. So here is what I can say about PJP this year...

1. Our sweet PJP grew 16% in 2017.  We couldn't be more proud to watch that growth chart continually trend upward.
2. Or be more perplexed as to how it happened, because despite our best efforts, we get in our own way on most days.
3. That said, I would say our strongest personal growth was in the area of "thinking things through".  If we received an elementary school report card, we would receive a check plus for controlling our impulses...up from the minus we received in our first year of business, fo'sure.
4. But we would still get a check minus for controlling our inventory and not running out of stuff.  Or more aptly, a check minus in planning for lengths of time longer than three days.  Let's call it an "area of potential improvement".
5. But a solid plus for handling staffing and/or supply shortages, as those sorts of things used to be our undoing.
6. I didn't cry once at PJP Buttonwood this year, even when we were out of apples and pie boxes.
7. I did yell on more than one occasion.  Maybe yelling is the new crying on the entrepreneurial learning curve.  And then being quietly calm is next, so I can't wait for that.
8. We can't talk about 2017 without discussing Jeanne's brush with death from pulmonary emboli in the late spring.  It was basically terrifying.  Except she doesn't smoke now after a 40 year commitment to nicotine, so I'm declaring her the PJP Person of the Year.
9. We did some really ridiculous things...like run a Kickstarter campaign for a pie truck.  And some really fun things...like $5 Fridays.  And some new things...like offer ready-to-bake pies in our new coolers that it took us a year to buy.  And some really dumb things...like saying yes when we really meant no.  I wouldn't change any of it.
10. But on this last day of the year, I have at least 16% more love and belief in PJP than a year ago tonight.  Whew...because I believe a growth chart is only as good as the "how much do I love what I've created?" chart.  Being in sync means some big things for 2018.

And look, nothing this year would have been possible without you.  Our customers, blog readers, and well wishers hold this show all together, so we can't even start to take any credit.  You've taught us how to be better at what to do and in the community of our supporters, you've shown both Jeanne and I how to be smarter women, stronger leaders, and simply better people.  Really, we couldn't be us without you.  THANK YOU SO MUCH, sweet friends.  May the next year bring the most wonderful things for us all yet.

Love,

Team PJP