A wise friend urged me last year to keep a business journal I can turn to when things feel tough or unprecedented. I eventually started jotting things down at the end of 2025 and I'm so glad I did.
The entries so far chart an emotional rollercoaster ride, from utter DESPAIR in October to pure elation (and exhaustion) in November. January so far feels buoyant yet peaceful (a great combo I'd love to hang onto) and while there's space to reflect I thought I'd take a proper look back on last year, because it was a big and beautiful one.
A major part of 2025 was travelling to Jaipur in February and October. The first trip was a huge deal for me personally as well as professionally; my first solo long haul flight and the first time I had really left my children for a significant chunk of time. Urged on by friends and family, I felt the fear, did it anyway, and feel like I've never looked back.
Spending time in workshops, developing new prints, experimenting with colour, and sitting with artisans to talk through ideas is still one of the most fulfilling parts of what I do. It might be slower than pinging whatsapps back and forth, but it is also more honest and in the long run, more efficient. Better products come from these moments of collaboration and trust.
I have also learned, sometimes painfully, to push harder for what I want. I am naturally inclined to please others and to apologise too quickly, so it does not come easily to keep asking for revisions or adjustments. But as the business shifted from a hobby to a career, it became imperative that I spoke up more clearly, trusted my instincts, and advocated for the standards and details that define the brand. Learning to do this with confidence and respect has been a small but important part of my growth this year.
Another theme of 2025 was clarity.
Sitting here in January, I can now see clearly which products truly resonate, which prints feel timeless, which ones we can let go of, and where it makes sense to focus my energy. Once spring gets going, it can be surprisingly hard to slow down and sense check decisions. With wholesale growing so rapidly, 2025 often felt like a relentless race to stay fully stocked, sometimes leading to rushed and costly choices along the way.
So this year, I will be refining things a little. Slightly fewer prints to choose from, a tighter palette, and lots of room to let hero pieces shine. A well-considered collection will be stronger than a crowded one.
Another defining moment of the year came in July, when I made the decision to leave my marketing job and commit to Cosy Buddha full time. It was not a dramatic leap, but a carefully considered one, built on months of preparation and discussions. Stepping away from the security of a regular income brought a mix of excitement and nerves, but it also created the headspace I had been craving - and the fear I needed to make it work!
One of the biggest shifts this year has been accepting that I cannot do everything on my own. The business has grown from a part-time side hustle at the kitchen table to a growing, independent brand with wholesale partners, trusted manufacturers, and a clearer sense of where it is heading. Whilst a lot of packing still happens at the kitchen table, stock is now kept in my new portacabin, and we are now planning a build for 2026 which will enable me to fully run the business at home but OUT of the house. Stay tuned...
Building Cosy Buddha has always been very personal, but 2025 was the year I began to build a small, trusted team around me. I now have a bookkeeper who helps me stay on top of VAT and the less creative but essential parts of running a business.
Sarah supports me with order fulfilment, bringing calm and consistency during busy periods. My husband Ed now works with me one day a week, helping with strategy, mapping out my buying for the months ahead on spreadsheets, digging into margins and asking me endlessly about overheads. The long view has never been my forte, but luckily Ed is always thinking several steps ahead and helping me get my ideas out of my head and onto paper or screen.
Getting help has also made it possible for me to live a more balanced life. Sharing the load and harnessing the talents of others means I can be more present for my children while they are still young, rather than constantly juggling or feeling pulled in too many directions... though admittedly I am still spinning plates much of the time.
It has created space not only for the business to grow, but for the wider parts of life that matter just as much. Time off with my family, time with friends, time for rest, for reading and cooking and exercise - because I'm now 42 and can't blag my way to physical or mental health and strength anymore.
This year I also started commissioning photoshoots in India, to better capture the prints and products in the settings they are inspired by. Investing in professional imagery has helped me tell the story of Cosy Buddha more clearly, showing not just the finished pieces but the places, processes, and hands that make them. I was there on the ground in Jaipur for the first shoot, and attended the second one virtually!
I have also hired brilliant people (and friends and family!) to run Christmas market stalls, allowing the business to show up in more places without stretching me too thinly. Letting go of doing everything myself has been both challenging and freeing, and it has made the business stronger as a result.
Thank you for being here, for supporting this work, and for valuing things made with care. I am stepping into the year ahead with a clearer sense of what matters, and that feels like a very good place to begin.
Alice