We’ve reached that time of year when we look back at the past 12 months and reflect on how it went. This year, we’re taking a slightly different approach - we wanted to kick off our end of 2023 blog by thanking you, our amazing customers, for your support. There are all sorts of scary statistics out there about how many small businesses fail after just three or four years, yet we’re looking forward to marking seven years of trading in 2024. It might sound rather obvious, but we really, really couldn’t do it without you.
This year, Hayley changed her strategy a little bit, as juggling so many trade shows in 2022 had left her feeling burnt out. While she loved seeing our customers face-to-face, something had to give, so 2023 was Hayley’s year to reset and see how we coped selling entirely online. While pausing our trade stand adventures isn’t permanent - Hayley misses seeing you all - it’s been an interesting experiment! And our customers have been amazing, still buying from us and showing amazing support online. Social media is a huge part of how we reach people, and we know that your interactions, comments and shares are vital to our success. So, to people who upload a picture of themself in their Hayfield hat or rocking a feather pin, thank you! And thank you to everyone who helps us reach more people online.
Hayley has worked hard too, ensuring our customers still get that personal touch when they buy online. She’s always happy to answer emails about sizing, colours, feather pins and of course, bespoke feather and hat designs! It’s a tough thing, being a small business owner and responsible for everything. Making the big decisions, the everyday small decisions and everything in between, well that can be tough. And this year, it's been tougher than ever for small businesses. Our costs just keep rising and rising, people’s disposable income is squeezed so much and there’s just a feeling of slight gloom about when things might get better.
But Hayley is determined to thrive, not just survive, and that’s why she’s so focused on ensuring our customers get a great experience when they shop with Hayfield England. The personal touch that ensures people get the perfect hat for them, the gorgeous branding and the gift boxes - they all make sure customers come back time and time again. Our products make amazing gifts, as they’re not just wonderful to wear, but they look great when people unwrap them too. If you’ve left it too late to snap up some Hayfield goodies for someone this Christmas, don’t forget that you can buy them a Hayfield gift voucher and let them pick their favourite style in their own time! You can snap up gift vouchers on our website here.
We’ll finish today by wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We really do thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and hope that you’ll continue to support small businesses next year and beyond! When you shop with British and independent brands, not only are you supporting a small business providing local jobs and injecting money into our economy when you buy, you also help make the owner’s dreams come true! Thank you.
