LOOKING BACK AND MOVING FORWARD

It's been four years (and 11 days) since I registered Wooly Doodle as a business. At that time it was just me and I was still doing almost all of the sewing myself, from my home. 

To say we have done and changed a lot in the past four years would be an understatement. We grew to a team of six and moved three times, each time outgrowing our office and warehouse. We moved our production to a large-scale, Toronto-based facility and then began manufacturing all our fabric. 

We grew the wholesale side of our business to include several retail locations across Canada and then this past year decided to eliminate wholesale and focus on selling our products exclusively.

We won awards, hosted parties and invited you into our local showroom and then closed our showroom doors for what has felt like an eternity. We had babies, homeschooled and balanced the business and family through three lockdowns. 

We have celebrated amazing achievements, milestones and successes and we have navigated unimaginable challenges. We have grown from one person's hobby to a legit corporation and now four years in are asking ourselves what comes next?

From day one I have always promised to be honest and transparent about the business. So as we reflect inward, I want to also share outwardly where we are at.

Let me lead by saying Wooly Doodle isn't going anywhere. My drive and desire to succeed have never been stronger and our amazing team has never been more dialled in.

However, this past year has been the most challenging year-to-date. We have encountered delays, shortages, production issues and other obstacles that made any other challenges we have experienced seem laughable. It's been hard and draining and frustrating and we are now at a place where just picking ourselves up, sucking it up and continuing forward isn't going to cut it. We are at a place where despite consistently bringing everything we have to the table, we know we can still do better. 

THE WAY FORWARD

So what does that mean? Well, it means we now have a relentless focus on how we should be growing our business moving forward. We are going back to basics when it comes to understanding our customers and our products. We are revisiting all our processes. We are considering various ways of moving forward that will enable us to grow in a way that provides the most value to YOU as a customer. We are exploring all options for being able to confidently scale our business and in the spirit of full disclosure - nothing is off the table.

For us to get there, we need to hear from you. We need to now ask for your honesty and transparency and help guide us as we enter this fifth year of business.

We have created a short(ish) survey below and we would be so appreciative if you would take a few minutes to respond. We will be using this feedback to continue to refine our growth strategy and plan future seasons. The survey will remain open until 5 pm EST on Friday, May 14, 2021, and all participants will be entered to win a $50 gift card.