Hey Glams,
This week I made a hard, but necessary decision as a business owner. I decided to remove all Trump related products from both my website and my Etsy page.
HE. JUST. HAD. TO. GO!
For some of you, I'm sure this is a no-brainer, easy decision, "no big deal," and before I began ALC Crafts, I would have agreed with you. However, as a business owner it was a really hard decision. So let's get into this...
I decided I wanted to have Biden and Trump items on my site(s) and initially felt it was a good decision to have both "parties" represented. Some of my so-called justifications were:
- Lawyers represent the alleged guilty every day because everyone deserves to be represented, right? So in fairness, I should have both Biden and Trump.
- There are people of color that may actually support Trump (I don't personally know them, but I'm sure they're out there..somewhere...all alone LOL).
- All of my audience aren't people of color, I want to be inclusive.
- The Karens are going to buy this up (cha-ching $$)
- It's not about what I believe or who I am, it's about being fair, neutral, and providing a product for the market.
But it bothered me.
It bothered me because on a personal level, there's little to nothing that I respect about Trump. Like FRFR (for real for real), NOTHING. I despise him and everything he stands for, quite honestly. What was really bothering me though,
I felt I was being a fake ass sellout to not only myself but to my audience/community, all for "a dollar"
I promote #BLM, I believe in #blackandproud, I believe in #goodtrouble (honestly, I believe in regular trouble a little bit too), I'm a #nastywoman, what message was I sending to my community, my tribe, MY PEOPLE all in the name of "fairness?"
Was this who I wanted to be, a Chrisette Michele (oh you don't remember - click here)?
See, "we" have been molded since birth to play the middle. We are taught to "play nice," "don't upset others," "don't speak your mind," "don't show what you really feel and think." We are told our personal beliefs have no place in our 9 - 5 corporate job/career, and this becomes our norm...this had become MY norm. I was doing what I have been taught to do. But here's what I discovered -
ALC Crafts is MY business and I can make it whatever I want!
- I don’t have to separate my personal feelings from what I promote or sell
- I don't have to represent anything or anyone that I don't want to
- I can change my mind about what I want to promote
- I don't have to accept or take money from sources I don't want to
- I don't have to be a Chrisette! I can choose, I have a choice, I don't have to be silent!
Who I am as a business owner is a direct reflection of who I am as a person, and I am not required to separate those identities. It is what makes me unique, it is what makes me WHO I am - and I am a proud black woman that owns a business and I will only sell/promote products that I feel represent me, my community, my tribe, and MY PEOPLE.
The cost to "sellout" is just too much and the return/yield is simply too low - it ain't worth it!
It's not about Democrat vs. Republican, or "us" against "them," it's about morals, values, and ethics. I cannot support someone that has such disregard for others and if I'm not with it, my business cannot be either. Periodt.
Trump simply doesn't measure up; therefore, he had to go!
#boybye
What tough decision have you had to make in your personal or business life? How did it align with your personal beliefs? Share your comments and until the next time - remember to always leave a little sparkle wherever you go!