10/10/2026
Instagram makes running a business look rather fabulous, doesn’t it?
Beautiful jewellery, lovely packaging, exciting new designs, happy customers and everything looking effortlessly put together.
And honestly, sometimes it really is that wonderful.
But behind the scenes? There are broken chains, supplier dramas, parcels going missing, endless decisions, late nights and quite a lot of wondering what on earth I’m doing. I’m often questioning my life choices 😅
After more than 20 years of running Anna Lou of London, I’m still learning. And lately I’ve been thinking about something rather interesting.
What if our real genius isn’t about working harder, proving ourselves or getting everything right? What if it’s simply about finding what makes us feel most alive?
I started this business because I loved creating things. Taking an idea, playing with it, turning it into something beautiful and seeing somebody treasure it.
Somewhere between the spreadsheets, Instagram algorithms, invoices and never-ending to-do lists, it’s remarkably easy to forget that bit.
And yet that’s where the magic is for me.
The creativity. The curiosity. The ridiculous ideas. The moments when you’re so absorbed in what you’re making that you forget to look at the clock.
Of course a business needs to make money. Of course there are responsibilities, challenges and some days when nothing goes to plan.
But surely we’re allowed to have fun doing it too?
I sometimes wonder how much of our energy goes into how things look from the outside, rather than how they actually feel on the inside.
And whether our most brilliant ideas come when we’re trying desperately to succeed, or when we’re simply enjoying being ourselves.
I’m beginning to think there’s rather a lot of genius in play.
So here’s a little question I’ve been asking myself lately…
If nobody was watching, liking, buying or judging, what would you absolutely LOVE to create? 💫
