It’s taken me a little over three years to recognize and then acknowledge why I believed I had failed as a business owner, during, as well as after the time I ran my company, Isly Handbags. You may have to scroll up later to re-read the previous sentence to understand exactly what I’m trying to convey. I started my business in 2010 and shuttered it in 2016. I had no prior experience running a business and I had no one guiding me about the basic principles of how to start, run and maintain a small business. I literally learnt everything on the job and in the process made several mistakes.

Some were simple oversights while other mistakes were so significant that they caused me inexplicable amounts of stress accompanied by sleepless nights. The highs were high, when Kerry Washington carried one of my clutches, for example, and the lows were soo low, like, when a San Francisco boutique custom ordered 100 clutches (a high), only to cancel the order the day of the delivery … because they had changed their minds (talk about a low). And guess what I did? Nothing!! Why? Because in my excitement about receiving the order I had forgotten to sign and return the contract to my client at the time the order was placed. Of course, I NEVER made that mistake again.

However, despite the steep learning curve, Isly Handbags did flourish. With a two-member team in place - my assistant and myself in my home office - my handbags were sold in over 25 boutiques nation-wide as well as on my website, received press coverage in more than a dozen local and national publications and were carried by celebrities and influencers. And most importantly, we broke even in our 4th year of being in business and even made a small profit in the last two years!

That’s a lot to be proud of, right? I had busted my ass to get to that point, but, while I was appreciative of all my success, I was never really proud of myself. On the contrary, I often felt like a failure in those days. In the quest to reach my next goal I was in a constant state of dissatisfaction. This was further compounded by the fact that I was continuously berating and labelling myself a failure, which was highly self destructive. Sadly, I carried this feeling of failure or what I believed was failure as I continued my business. The last two years, 2015 and 2016, while being the most profitable, were the most agonizing and difficult ones too. I had created a narrative of sorts in my mind that I was failing. As a result of that mindset along with some health issues I was facing at the time, I decided to pack up Isly. Do I regret it? In all honesty, yes, of course, I regretted it for quite some time. But, I also realize that had I not gone through everything I describe above I would never have reached this stage in my life. Too much introspection? I promise, the happy and fun part is coming!

In complete contrast, my blog, www.shaikhenandstirred.com, and as a result of the blog, my social media marketing business has brought me nothing but pure joy and happiness. Currently, I’m not even close to what I earned in the last two years of running Isly Handbags (definitely, on my way there). But I have never felt a bigger sense of accomplishment or success than I do now. And you know what the big difference is this time around? I BELIEVE IN MYSELF! I know, some of you just rolled your eyes or even thought, oh please, give us a break!! Come on, I know you did! With Isly, I NEVER believed in myself or in what I was doing and constantly compared myself to my competitors at the time. That is a VERY bad idea in any situation in life.

And another thing that I have never shared with anyone is that with every successful sale of a handbag I would think to myself, “Why do they even want my bag when so many other options are available?” Can you imagine how destructive it is to have that self-deprecating thought process?? Today, with shaikhenandstirred, not a day passes when I don’t think, “ Why wouldn’t they want to work with me? I have a point of view that’s mine and one that has been shaped by my experiences. Hell, yes, I understand, why they would want to work with me.” Okay, that’s a very long thought, so maybe I don’t think it every day, but you know what I mean:) I’m not being over confident, by any means, but I am trying to explain how I have evolved as a person. Okay, so now if you scroll up and read the first sentence of my post again, you’ll definitely understand it better. So, this was the happy part. Should we get to the fun bit now?

So, during the last two years since I started my blog, I’ve worked with a variety of brands - click here to see a list of some of my clients and partners. Skincare, fashion, swim wear, outerwear, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, make-up, fragrances, health and wellness, fitness, teas, wines, vitamins/supplements, tableware, bed linens are some of the areas I’ve covered. Recently, a Paris based catering company - L’As du Fouet (Ace of the Whip) reached out to me during PFW and offered to bring a meal to my hotel. So, of course, I said oui. It was DIVINE!!!!!! And the photographs speak for themselves.

The packaging was not only creative but uber chic. And the food was not only delicious but so beautifully presented that it looked more like art than food. The flavors were rich yet not heavy with just the right spices that differentiate and therefore, elevate the food. And the dessert?? I mean … it was orgasmic!!!! The founders of L’As du Fouet, Alexandra, the chef and August, the pastry-chef, have been kind enough to share one of their recipes with me which I’ve posted below in their exact words. I’m going to try and make it and when I do I’ll create a post about it on my Instagram. But in the meanwhile, here are pics of their scrumptious food from a photoshoot in my room in Paris two months ago. Have fun! AND, believe in yourself … ALWAYS!

Recipe of the Starter : Lightness of Exotic Prawns. For 2 People

Ingredients:

- Shrimp x 6 pcs
 - Carrot x 1
 - Onion x 1
 - Garlic x 1 clove
 - Cognac 100ml
 - Vegetable soup
 - Paprika
 - Coconut milk 0.150 grams
 - Lime zest
 - Mango x 1
 - Olive oil
 - Passion fruit x1
 - Pomegranate x 1/4
 - Peanuts

Directions:
 1. Shell the shrimp
 2. Make a prawns bisque: in a hot pan pour olive oil, crushed garlic, paprika, carrot and prawns carcasses.  Color the carcasses well then deglaze with cognac, allow to reduce and wet with the vegetable broth.
3. Cut the mango into small cubes.
4. Marinate the prawns : oil, lime, passion fruit and pepper.
5. Finish the bisque with coconut milk.
6. Grill the prawns in the pan 30s on each side.
7. Dress: bisque,prawns, pomegranate, peanut and mango dice.

Thank you for visiting & reading my blog post!

All the photos in this blog post are by Scander Aidoudi via Le Click shot at The Ritz Paris.

Sweater - Staud. Jeans - Mother. SHOES - Porte & Paire.