Fresh Joy, a blog — mission & values

With COVID-19 dominating the news and social media, most of us have, understandably, lost sight of the fact that March is National Women's History Month. With the month coming to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to spotlight an oft-overlooked hero, Alice Paul. Alice Paul (1885-1977) was a vocal leader of the 20th century women's rights movement. With her friend Lucy Burns, she formed the National Women's Party and organized the Silent Sentinels, a group of women who silently protested at the White House for over two years, until the passage of the 19th Amendment. After women were granted...

One of the best pieces of advice I received while launching my small business was to ensure that it reflects me. This includes everything from product offerings and packaging to communications and customer service. It also extends to decisions about revenue and profit.   There are countless examples of companies using their platform and profits for good. Warby Parker and Bombas follow the buy-one-give-one model popularized by TOMS. Patagonia donated 100% of its 2017 $10M tax break to combat climate change. And thousands of companies have made the 1% Pledge, committing 1% of staff time, product, profit, and/or equity to a charity of...

It's hump day of what feels like the longest week of the year (aka the first full post-holiday work week). Hang in there; it's allllmost the weekend. I'm focusing on planning this week- looking ahead at the coming year and setting goals for each business quarter, mapping out new product launches, scheduling social media and marketing initiatives, and more. We have some exciting things in store for the year- including expansion into the wholesale market and the launch of custom stationery offerings (think wedding and more!)   Dreaming big and setting goals is one thing, but ensuring that your everyday choices reflect the type of...