Written & Edited by: Riley Fouts

Cheers to one whole year of Isla Luna! (Now it has been almost a year and a half since our launch and we’ve been working together for many years prior) BUT we could not be more thrilled with how much our dream business has grown since the start and how much we’ve already learned throughout the process. It’s a pinch-me type of moment when we realize we get to do what we love, every. single. day. To recap our first year, we’re sharing some of the most valuable lessons we learned along the way, while also highlighting some of our proudest accomplishments.

Seeing Obstacles as Opportunities

We can confidently say that we have been able to handle challenges and unexpected happenings with grace because we give ourselves the space and time to learn from them. We’re not overly hard on ourselves when something doesn’t work out. We believe the universe always has our back because we work hard and put one foot in front of the other daily towards our purpose. We also realize that we are human beings… and all humans make mistakes! We are lucky to work with clients who have the same values as us – as long as we stay true to who we are, while being honest and transparent, our clients are able to respect our approach so we can move forward together.

A Constant Evolution

When owning a business, it’s essential to have established processes and goals. But if you don’t have the agile ability to adapt and change (sometimes swiftly and seamlessly), there is potential for failure. The marketing industry, especially, is constantly evolving. We’ve learned from experience that if we don’t keep up with these trends and our ever changing society, we’ll either be pushed out by a competitor or become irrelevant – sad realizations we are (and will never be!) prepared for. We take pride in the fact that our business has grown with us as people, as our interests, passions, triumphs and impacts have progressed with time, while also staying relevant to the industry and world as a whole.

Prioritizing Our Clients

Our user centered mindset puts our clients and their audience’s needs first (over us naively desiring money or fame). It’s our main focus to honor the client and their wishes while also recommending what we think is going to be best in the pursuit of their business and goals. We aspire to empower and support other entrepreneurs to create a sustainable marketing plan that works for them and their team. Ultimately, we want to help genuine authentic people do incredible things in the world and help spread their message. 

In year one alone, we were fortunate enough to work with over 35 clients like Fierce Jewelry Co, Aubre Winters, Fueled by AF, Live Better and Pure Kure Skincare, many being repeat customers. We are excited to see what this next year brings as we have a variety of retainer clients, project work and are now both officially working full time at Isla Luna!

Focusing on Ourselves

One of the aspects we greatly cherish about our brand is that we are close friends and business partners – we get to work alongside each other day in and day out and don’t have to face the many hurdles of owning a startup business alone (not to mention the amazing network of business owners, insurance brokers, legal teams and other experts in the industry we frequently work with). However, at times it can feel lonely in the sense that we feel as though outsiders don’t understand us or the visions we have for Isla Luna. It is sometimes difficult to refrain from comparing ourselves to what friends or family are doing professionally, most of them working a strict 9-5 in a corporate office setting. 

Over time, we have come to realize that these opinions aren’t worth focusing on because the impact of our work and seeing ideas come to life make it all worth it. Founding a brand of our own has taught us so much about the business realm, money, people and life in general. This journey has helped us keep our eyes and perspectives open, while also staying quiet and working on ourselves instead of getting distracted by the noise. We have grown so much physically, emotionally and mentally since creating Isla Luna and don’t regret a single thing!

Thank You

If you made it all the way to this point, we are grateful for you and that you stayed with us in this seemingly therapeutic journal entry session 🙂 We are closing it out with some inspo for all the aspiring entrepreneurs out there: 

You have to be in the business for you and the impact you want to create… not to impress others, not for the fame, not for the money, not for the title. If you aren’t doing it for you and the positive change you are bringing to either your life or the world around you, the motivation deep inside is only going to take you so far. Beyond that, you need discipline, grit, patience, dedication – these are the things that will take you places and are a few of the main principles we live by that have led to our brand’s success throughout the first year. Here’s to many many more!