One Year of Maeve: What This First Year Has Taught Me

It’s honestly hard to believe that Maeve Boutique is one!

A year ago, my husband and I took an idea that had been living in my head and decided to actually go for it. We didn’t know exactly what the first year would look like. We definitely didn’t have everything figured out. But we believed in what we were creating, and we knew there was something special about building a brand centered around softness, comfort, quality, and the materials we put on the people we love most.

Maeve was inspired by some of the people - and one very special pup - closest to my heart: our golden retriever, Maeva, and my niece and nephew, Ellery and Cade. They were a huge part of the inspiration behind the brand from the very beginning.

I kept coming back to the same thought: what our little ones wear matters.

The materials that sit against their skin for hours every night matter. Comfort matters. Quality matters. Choosing fabrics that feel safe, soft, breathable, and natural matters. That idea became the heart behind Maeve Boutique.

And somehow, during our very first year of growing a baby brand, I started growing a baby of my own.

Our first baby is due this month, which makes this anniversary feel even more emotional. When I started Maeve, I was creating products with my niece and nephew in mind. Now, as I prepare to become a mom myself, the mission behind this brand has become even more personal to me. I care more than ever about what we put on our babies, how products are made, and creating pieces that parents can genuinely feel good about.

But if there is one thing I can say about this first year, it’s that I have learned a lot. And I meant a lot  

I’ve learned more about inventory than I ever expected to. I’ve learned how complicated supply and demand can be and that just because I personally love a product or print doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the thing everyone else loves most. Some products will surprise you in the best way. Others won’t perform the way you expected them to.

That’s business.

I’ve learned to pay attention, adjust, and keep moving forward instead of expecting everything to go exactly according to plan.

I’ve also learned that you cannot build a business by simply hoping to get lucky. When you see brands explode on social media, it’s easy to think, If we could just get that one viral video…

And sure, a viral video would be great.

But I’ve realized that sustainable growth can’t be built around waiting for one lucky moment. You have to put time, energy, resources, creativity, and consistency into your business if you want to get something out of it. You have to show up even when the post gets 200 views instead of 200,000. You have to keep marketing when it feels like no one is watching. Because marketing truly is everything.

One of the biggest mindset shifts I had this year was realizing that there are always new customers out there.

Early on, I put so much pressure on myself to constantly launch something new. I worried that if we weren’t releasing new products all the time, people would get bored or feel like they had already seen everything we had to offer.

Eventually, I realized something that sounds so simple now: only a tiny fraction of the people who could love Maeve have even discovered us yet. The goal isn’t always to create something new. Sometimes the goal is to keep introducing what you already believe in to new people.

There are moms who will discover Maeve tomorrow who have never seen our pajamas before. There are families who will find us six months from now. There are customers we haven’t even reached yet who could someday become some of our biggest supporters. That realization changed so much for me.

I also learned that asking for help is a good thing.

My mom is a small business coach, which means I have an incredible resource literally right in front of me. But I’ll admit, it took me a minute to realize that maybe I should actually listen to her.

There were times when her advice didn’t align with what I originally thought I should do, and it was easy to want to stick with my own plan simply because it was my plan. Over this first year, I’ve learned to trust her knowledge and experience. I’ve learned that I don’t have to know everything. Having people around you who see things differently, challenge you, and have experience you don’t have is such a gift.

Probably the biggest lesson of all, though, has been learning not to give up.

There will be days with no sales. There will be weeks that make you question everything. There may even be months where things feel slower than you hoped. There will be products you thought would sell out that don’t. Marketing ideas that completely flop. Decisions you wish you could redo. Moments where you wonder if you’re doing any of it right.

And then there will be an order notification that makes your entire day.

A returning customer. A sweet message from a mom telling you how much she loves her baby’s pajamas. A photo of a little one wearing something you designed. A milestone you once thought felt impossible.

Those are the moments you celebrate.

I’ve learned that building a small business means celebrating every little win and continuing to push through the hard parts. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and most of the time, the things people see on the outside are only a tiny glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes.

This first year has taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears… sometimes very literally.

There have been plenty of ups and downs, and I know year two will bring plenty more. But after everything I’ve learned this year, I can genuinely say that I am even more passionate about Maeve than I was when we started.

I’m so grateful for every single person who has placed an order, shared one of our posts, told a friend about us, followed along, sent an encouraging message, or believed in this little brand.

You are the reason we get to celebrate one year. And we are just getting started.

We have so many new ideas in store for Maeve, and I cannot wait to show you what we’ve been dreaming up. I’m excited to grow our products, grow this community, and continue building a brand that parents can trust and feel good about putting on the people they love most.

I know there will be more lessons, more challenges, more mistakes, and more growing pains.

But there will also be more milestones, more customers, more babies wearing Maeve, and hopefully a whole lot more reasons to celebrate.

Here’s to one year of Maeve Boutique and to growing this brand together in year two! We couldn’t have done it without all of you!

Thank you for being here. Truly. 🤎

With Love, Han