“OMG! We are going to have to sell the business!”

Alana's Love

Jan 105 min read

Get comfy, buckle up... it's story time!!! - that question we get asked all the time, how do we do it...

Heres me and the big boss herself, Alana out on a job styling a back drop for a band show reel!

Again, "OMG, we're going to have to sell the business". Yep, those were our first thoughts!... So i am taking you back to 2021 when we first found out we were not only pregnant AGAIN, but this time there was twist, with TWINS! TWINS, we still sit there now staring at them saying… “OMG there's 2 of them”. The twins take the total kid count to 4! (cue faint gif). We had to wonder, how on earth could we juggle all this?

For those of you who are new around here: we are a small family business that makes and hires out large light up letters and numbers. We also specialise in creating stunning installations for weddings, parties and events in Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds and beyond.

Here’s a few of our favs to give you an idea of what we get up too! Click the following link and take a look at even more:

Find out more here! - or like what you see? click here and lets have a chat!

But anyway back to “selling the business” - selling it wasn’t just a passing thought, it was seriously on the table. But don't panic, (like we did!) For the first 3ish months after finding out about the twinnies it was something we discussed. Actually the first thing I said was “we are going to have to sell the business”. How on earth can I run a business full time and Chris (hubby/ letter maker) working full time too, raise 4 kids under 4 (again cue faint gif). It just didn't seem doable and the sheer thought of it made my mind just go loopy.

Here's some cute twin pics to bring the anxiety levels down...

Now lets fast forward to 2025...

Well as you've guessed it we didn’t sell the business and it's now nearly 4 Years later! CRAZY!!! One of the questions i get asked all the time is “how to we do it?”. Most of the time I answer with “I don't know”, “it’s a blur” or the classic "whilst rocking in a corner". But the truth is, there are many factors and people who allowed us to continue the business and make it what it is today!

As we step into a new year and a new chapter for the business, I thought I’d share the story of how we made it work. And this week the twinnies started playgroup, meaning I’ll finally have some time on my hands! It feels surreal to be moving into this next phase. Amazing how time flies. But they are only going for 3 days so I will still have a couple of years with them before they start school (cue crying emoji) my last babies!!!

So how do we do it… in no particular order:

One of my main advantages is that I’m a complete night owl, (she says sitting writing this at 11:30pm): Which means non delivery and prep work I get done in the evenings as soon as the kiddos are in bed. This helps me so much as we all know the admin list keeps growing and never ends! And don’t get me started on social media, that’s another full time job in itself. But having these extra weekdays free will hopefully give me a bit of my evening time back! I have also been blessed with nappers so i get alot done during that time too.

Our village: Our community of friends and family: oh my days we would not be here without them. Supporting us with childcare, whether its a relay of babysitters to cope with all 4 children to family coming down for overnight stays. Having friends lend an ear when times are tough and need help problem solving and helping out with prep and deliveries. I count my blessings every day, it really does take a village and we are so lucky to have ours, they are the heros of this story!

Our determination to make it work: Once we decided to keep the business and keep it going through the pregnancy, and then with newborn twins (on top of the other two children), cue brain explosion gif) we had to throw all the determination we had at it! Get to our battle stations and plan plan plan! And guess what? It paid off.
Having my husband Chris who wanted it work just as much as i did really helped too. It was actually Chris who turned to me one day and said "I dont want to sell the business" I turned to him too after a pause... "I dont want to dont want to sell it either".

Fact is I just love what I do: This is the most important part. If you love what you do, it makes all the hard work feel worth it, no matter how tiring. When you’re passionate about your business, it fuels you to keep pushing through the challenges. I really hope our journey inspires our own children to find something they love doing when the time comes.

Getting help: There were many helping hands that kept the business ticking over to a point when I could take full reins again and keep it going today. From help with the prep, 4 delivery drivers over the years and a home for all our stock. This meant I could take a slight step back and focus on the children and use my limited time i had to spend on the business where it counted the most. I am thankful for this help every single day!

Our wonderful clients: Well if you've ever wondered, yes it's true… every time we get a booking we small businesses do a big happy dance!!! And I can’t thank our clients enough whether you’ve booked us once, recommended us or been a repeat client throughout the years, it is our absolute pleasure to light up all of your special occasions. And well we couldn't have done it without you, so thank you!

Fellow suppliers and venues: It is a joy to work in the wedding and events industry, the support from suppliers and venues when times got hairy were amazing and I thank you, you know who you are! I’m so grateful for the people I get to work with everyday that I can call my colleagues and friends.

The fails: ooooh did we have the fails, lots of tears and more panic, but without them we wouldn't be where we are today! What fails… well I think those will be a story for another day, maybe another blog.

So there we have it - the many factors that have helped us get from “OMG! We're going to have to sell the business” to now here we are in 2025 nearly 4 years laterand with extra time on my hands, well watch this space! Because here we come!!!

Here's some pic's of us doing what we do best, a working family - "do you want to come work with mummy today?" "YES!"