A Letter from our CEO

As Hillary Said, It Takes a Village 

Running a business is like raising kids. You have great aspirations for them and what they can achieve. I see them wearing this dress or outfit, I think they’ll enjoy this instrument or this sport, they’ll make great grades and enjoy a perfect friend group all with the goal of them becoming independent and productive members of society. But what really happens? They have different plans. They decide they don’t love sports after all, but love to dance Ballet Folklorico. They might not enjoy a sharp tucked in shirt, but rather a hoodie. All the mapping and planning for a free thinking child might not turn up the results you expected…but in the end they might be better.

When you map out a business, you also have great expectations to see your ideas come to life. We want to make an awesome work environment for employees to thrive within, we want collect the finest furnishings to rent to clients, we want all the events to run smoothly.

But sometimes, the business, like kids, has a mind of its own. Not all the events go as planned, not all the employees show up and sometimes like kids, the inventory comes home with a big food stain on the perfect upholstery. That’s not what we planned or expected.

But what makes good parents or business owners, I believe, is to be able to roll with the punches. Your son woke up today sick and now can’t attend school? The day of his big exam? A couch returned to us with a broken leg and now can’t attend the next event tomorrow? How do we pivot to make the best out of these situations? 

With parenting, making time for your kids, creating clear expectations, being able to listen and adjust and grow is part of what it takes to raise healthy humans. And with a business, the same is key.

So we’ve listened, we’ve pivoted, we’ve practiced grace when something didn’t go as planned. We learned and grew. We’re always growing… and sometimes the business wants to keep growing even when we’re not ready (does this ring true for any of you parents out there?)

Looking into the new year, we feel very optimistic having learned a lot in the past year and experienced a lot of humility (parenting or running a business can do that). We didn’t ignore the issues that came up but asked how can we do this better. How do we create a path of progress so these issues don’t come up again. The world has changed a little, how do we adjust to fit in it? 

For one, we have hired outstanding people to help us parent this baby, Loot. As Hillary said, it takes a village to raise good kids and a business is no different. We’re excited to bring in more people in the new year to nurture the inventory and goals of the business and help share the love to all our clients and friends. If we’re all working toward the same goal of providing excellent inventory and services to help you enhance connections among your clients, family and friends, then everyone is happy.

We’ve also improved our processes to eliminate issues that we’ve experienced in the past creating a stronger organization providing excellent product and services, and to help us stay the course rather than get lost in the shuffle. We will make damn sure that our inventory shows up to the party in its finest dress. With the best party hats. 

Lastly, we’re hoping by these little measures we will be able to take on more events than in years past. We have been so fortunate to receive so many inquiries from people wanting to invite our Loot to their parties, but there hasn’t been enough capacity for us to deliver with excellence. We know 2022 is already considered “the year of the wedding” and we are so looking forward to creating these love events with you! 

Raising a company is no easy task. Like raising kids, we’ve found it is the hardest job we’ll ever love. And it is worth it if that means we’re producing something that helps enhance connections with others and promotes a greater good. After all, isn’t the biggest goal as we send our kids out into the world the hope that they help make the world a better place? It’s no different for what we want at Loot. 

Happy New Year! Looking forward to making 2022 the best ever! 

Lootfully Yours,

Rhoda