The Slow Business Summer Reset

The Slow Business Summer Reset

We’re past the midpoint of the year now. The summer solstice behind us, the days stretching long and lazy, and that familiar seasonal shift beginning.

The allotment is in full swing and keeping me on my toes, but I still feel that pull towards lazy days, holidays, travel and adventure, slow mornings and taking time to step back and breathe.

The summer invites quiet reflection - while lounging in the hammock or drinking tea from a flask in my allotment shed. I find myself asking questions like:

  • What have you achieved?
  • What do you want the rest of the year to feel like?
  • And how can you slow down and settle into the season, instead of sprinting through it?

All lovely things to journal about in one of the books I stock in the Stationery & Craft Collection.

 

This year, I’m answering those questions differently.

I’m calling it my Slow Business Summer Reset.

 

🌿 Looking Back: What I’ve Already Done

When I look back at the first half of the year, I’m surprised that so much has happened. Loads to think back on, but not in a frantic, hustle‑culture way. I always wanted it to be more of a gentle, intentional approach.

  • A long‑held dream became a reality with a hot air balloon ride at dawn in Lithuania (best 50th Birthday present ever, and it's not even my 50th yet!)

  • We took our first international sourcing trip for Hen’s Tooth. A little adventure to Lithuania, which you can read about in the blog series last month. A trip that changed everything.

  • I’ve spent more time at the allotment than at my desk, letting the seasons guide my work rhythm. Desk work when the weather is bad and in the evenings, then using digital tools to automate updates. So I can be at the allotment guilt free when the sun shines.

  • I’ve built community through my Collab & Connect Coworking group, meeting other small business owners, sharing support, and reminding myself I’m not doing this alone.

  • I did some IRL Market Pop Ups  in May & June, meeting people face‑to‑face and making friends with other stallholders.

  • And I’ve been slowly, steadily building the Hen’s Tooth world. Growing my cosy little business one story, one product, one connection at a time.

When I started this business, the dream was simple: more time, more freedom, more intention.

I used to daydream about this life when I was employed, my days bought and paid for by someone else. I felt trapped, even when the job was “good”.

Now, even though the finances are still a bit hairy (early‑stage business life, hello), I’m talking to myself more gently. I’m trying to follow the advice I used to give other entrepreneurs: Ask for help. Take the free support. Build your network. You’re not an imposter, you’re learning.

And I am.


🌞 The Midyear Shift: What I’m Doing Now

This summer feels different. Lighter. More aligned with the life I imagined when Hen’s Tooth was just a scribble in a notebook.

I’m letting myself reset.

  • More time outside at the allotment, in the garden, walking, reading, grounding myself in the real world instead of the digital one.

  • Writing and creating when the weather turns, using automation tools to stay consistent without chaining myself to a screen.

  • Travelling slowly, not rushing from place to place, but letting adventures unfold.

  • Sourcing intentionally, finding pieces that carry stories, craft, and culture.

  • Preparing for autumn and winter markets, knowing summer is for gathering inspiration, not burning out.

And the biggest shift of all?

Graham is now free from his job. My unofficial business partner. My travel companion. We’ve always talked about taking longer trips, but now we actually can.

We once imagined buying a one‑way ticket into mainland Europe and just… seeing what happened. Lithuania taught us that we need a little more structure than that. We’re not beach‑sitters. We’re explorers. We want to live inside a place, not skim across the surface of it.

So we’re learning to travel slow. We love to eat like locals, to use public transport, to avoid drinking like we’re on a three‑day city break, to look after our health, to savour instead of consume.

Next up: Portugal. A slow‑travel sourcing adventure. A chance to explore, discover, and bring home beautiful things for Hen’s Tooth.


🌙 Looking Forward: What I Want for the Rest of the Year

I’m nearly 50. A slightly surreal milestone.

So I’m asking myself:

What do I want to do before then?

What do I want the next chapter to feel like?

Here’s what I know:

  • I want more slow mornings.

  • More travel that expands me.

  • More creativity for creativity’s sake.

  • More community. Online, in markets, in coworking spaces, in conversations.

  • More courage to ask for help.

  • More trust in the long game.

  • More rest without guilt.

  • More joy in the tiny, ordinary moments.

And I want Hen’s Tooth to grow in a way that feels like me.  It can't be rushed, not forced, not frantic. Just steady, soulful, sustainable.


🌻 Lessons From the Slow Business Summer Reset

Here's what I'm reminding myself of this season:

  • You’re allowed to rest. Rest is part of the work.

  • You don’t have to earn your time off. You’re a human, not a machine.

  • Your business grows when you do. Travel, creativity, community. Everything feeds me and therefore my little shop.

  • Freedom is the point. Not perfection. Not productivity. Freedom.

  • You can build a business slowly. And it will still be meaningful, profitable, and powerful.

  • You’re allowed to dream bigger. Even at 50. Especially at 50.


🌾 Here’s to the Second Half of the Year

To slow travel. To slow business. To slow living. To trusting the process. To building a life that feels like me. To the adventures ahead.

And to the quiet, steady reset that summer brings.