The Preparation I Didn't Plan For

TWO MONTHS OF POP

I thought month two would be the month of visibility.

Going into it, I had started learning more about marketing and had all these ideas in my head. Concepts I wanted to shoot, content I wanted to create, ads I wanted to run. After the excitement of launching POP and getting through our first month, I thought the next step would be to put the brand out there properly.

I imagined a lot more noise.

Instead, month two was quiet.

Very quiet.

At first, I found that disappointing. There were moments when it was frustrating too. So many of the things I wanted to do depended on other things being in place first, and for one reason or another, they weren't.

Our packaging became one of those things. What I already had ran out, the person I had previously worked with disappeared, and suddenly I had to find someone new. I couldn't find what I needed in Bali, so I eventually found another manufacturer in a different city in Indonesia and started the process again—sampling, developing, correcting, waiting.

And I had orders waiting to be fulfilled.

That was difficult for me because quality is something I am unwilling to compromise on with POP. I want to build a luxury brand. I want to be proud of every part of it—not only the swimwear, but the packaging, the service, the way an order arrives, the way the brand is perceived and everything I choose to put its name on.

So if something isn't right, I would rather wait and fix it than send it out simply because I want to keep things moving.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

There were other things happening quietly too. I was working on setting up our DHL business account and getting the documents I needed in place. I was figuring out systems that will eventually make shipping easier and more affordable. There were lots of little things happening behind the scenes that aren't particularly exciting to photograph or post on Instagram, but are necessary if I want POP to have a strong foundation.

And through all of this, I still received a few orders.

I don't think I will ever know how to behave when that notification comes in.

There is still something surreal about being somewhere in Bali, sitting on my couch or lying in bed, and realizing that someone somewhere else in the world has gone onto the POP IDENTITI website, chosen something that I created, and bought it.

One order came from France. Another came from South Africa. Two completely different parts of the world, two different continents, finding their way to this little brand I'm building from Bali.

I remember looking at those orders and thinking, wow. Thank you, Jesus.

Those moments made me feel seen. They reminded me that even when everything felt quiet to me, POP was still alive.

But month two wasn't only quiet because of what was happening with the business.

There was also a lot happening in my life.

I am a founder, but I also have a life.

I was going through the process of getting my residency in Indonesia, dealing with paperwork, finances and all the other things that come with trying to establish a life here. Funds were tight, there was a lot to pay for, and I had to prioritize.

POP is still very much a one-woman operation, and I had to accept that I could only do as much as I could do.

I think that was where God began teaching me something I probably needed much more than another marketing strategy: patience.

I had to let go of control.

Initially, I was disappointed that things weren't happening according to the timeline I had created in my head. But thankfully, I didn't stay there for very long. I prayed about it and handed the parts I couldn't control over to God.

And when I did, I found peace.

I stopped feeling like I needed to force everything to happen immediately. I stopped putting so much pressure on myself and on a brand that was only two months old. I started reminding myself that I am building a foundation, and foundations take time.

There will be time to run.

Right now, perhaps we are learning to walk.

Looking back, I actually think I needed month two exactly as it was.

At the time, I thought POP was being delayed. Now I realize that POP wasn't the only thing being prepared.

I was being prepared too.

There was so much happening in my personal life that, had the visibility I was asking for arrived exactly when I wanted it, I don't know whether I would have had the capacity to carry it well. More visibility can mean more orders, more responsibility, more decisions and more pressure.

Maybe I wasn't ready for all of that yet.

And that's okay.

That has probably been one of the biggest lessons of this month: learning that it's okay to be still. It's okay to make plans and have them not happen exactly when you thought they would. It's okay to take a few steps back. It's okay to wait.

There is another month.

Trusting God with POP has given me so much more peace in building it. I can do the work that is mine to do, and trust Him with everything I cannot see.

So no, month two wasn't the month of visibility I had imagined.

It was a month of stillness and preparation.

Some of that preparation was for the business. Some of it was for me.

And maybe both were necessary.

Now, as I step into month three, I still want visibility. I still want to create those concepts, shoot the content, put POP out there and allow more people to see what I've been building. Hopefully, with our packaging coming together, our shipping systems being put in place, and the other pieces slowly finding their homes, we're getting ready to come out of our shell.

But I am entering this month differently.

A little more patient.

A little less interested in forcing the timing.

And a lot more willing to trust God with where this goes.

So to my little two-month-old baby:

It's okay.

Take your baby steps. You don't need to jump through the roof just yet. Walk first. Take your time and get those little legs strong, because one day you're going to need them to run.

We're still building.

The foundation matters.

And it will all be worth it.

It's okay, baby. Mama understands. Mama is patient. ❤️