Hello, dear blog family 🥰!
Here's another weekly summary for the 1st week of 2025 😊.
This week was marked by the start of the sales. This year, we decided to treat our customers to initial sales at final sale prices, meaning -50% 🤩🤩! Our website has been a great lever, as it has been a huge success.
You've probably noticed that I'm back to making videos more frequently, and the combination of the two (video and website) has been working wonderfully. I'm super happy 😀: as soon as I post a video, a sale immediately comes in on the website for what I just showed. I couldn't be happier 😀!
In reality, the website is very practical and takes minutes. It's fast and effective. Often, it's not possible to respond immediately to messages, either because it's dinner time or because it's after hours, but on the website there's no such problem: it's available 24/7, even for our dear competitors to have fun adding and removing items from their cart 😂😂😂 (sorry, this is my blog, so I had to mention it). Thank you, dear hidden fans ❤️.
By the way, for those who haven't peeked yet, here's the link: www.carlavalente.pt (easy).
Let's talk about the new team. There's not much to say or speculate about yet. I can only say that the week, despite being a trial by fire, especially for the online girl, went very well, with a positive balance.
In the store, you already met Carina, who had a dream of doing a live stream with direct sales. I made that dream come true 🥰. With time, it will get there. No one is born knowing everything or with this gift that God gave me 😂😂😂😂. I like cameras more and more, and the front of the store less and less. For me, I would spend all day creating content. I discovered this passion when I had to be more present in the store. I missed showing new arrivals, being more with you. I felt like I could have been more present during these festive seasons and couldn't because I was physically in the store for 8 hours! Let's see how things go in 2025. At least, so far, I feel lighter! Bring it on, 2025! I have faith 😂! (We also have to work for it!)
This paragraph is now dedicated to my wonderful online customers. As you may have noticed, I only included half of a comment that one of my customers, since the pandemic, left me after meeting me in the store. I confess that I get very touched and awkward when I read the compliments. Perhaps because I grew up responsibly doing things like: "You're only doing your duty." That's how I always think when wrapping a package, making a sale in-store or online: to do it professionally, as I would like it to be done for me. To feel that, in some way, I made a difference that day for someone is, without a doubt, a feeling of duty fulfilled! Thank you for so much!
Approaching 22 years of physical store, as you can imagine, I have a fantastic customer base who have been with me, some since then. Customers I met when they were single, then married, and now with sons and daughters. Family-customers who bring a little of themselves and take a little of us. But I also want to emphasize that it was online where I received the most affection in words, the best gifts and compliments for my work. Is it because I'm behind a screen that people can express themselves better? Surely it is 🙌. Nowadays, it's so hard to get a hug from someone. I can't explain it… I'm not into pecks or "fuss." I don't know why, but I'm into hugs. Even if they're given in silence, they're worth more than a thousand words. You feel it, it doesn't sound false. Can you understand what I'm saying and feeling???
That's why, after certain online messages, which they weren't forced to write or say, I feel it as a strong hug 🤗. Thank you!
This blog post is already long and full of nostalgia. But after such an emotionally heavy 2024, I feel that this turn of the year has brought me more clarity about what I want and don't want for my life!
I'm full of dreams, full of plans, eager to learn. And speaking of which, on the 20th, I'm returning to training. This time, I won't miss it!
We also changed the physical store's hours so I could have a little more freedom to do my own things, as I was the only one who only had Sundays off and nothing else. It was months and months working from 9 am to 9 pm, only with Sundays off. And even then, I often recorded a video. I had to stop and reflect: I'm 50 years old and I need to slow down. Life isn't just work!
Another goal for 2025, family! I want to enjoy my children, my husband, my granddaughters, and the rest of my family more, of course!
My granddaughters are so grown up, and I barely participated in that growth because I was working!
One more day off will surely make all the difference in my life. No one loses, only gains. This way, I come to work lighter (there's that word again), with a lot of love in my heart to put into my work too!
So now you know: the physical store will now be open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 am to 7 pm, with a lunch break from 1 pm to 2 pm!
We will also publish the weekly content schedule on social media every week, so stay tuned. I promise to be more organized with live streams this year!
Before finishing, I remind you that a contest is underway where you have to send a photo of yourselves dressed in a Carla Valente look. I think no one has understood it yet 😅😂. I'm waiting for your photos! Let's show social media our huge online family. I'm counting on you!!!
Here I end this long conversation. Today I just can't stop talking 😅. I'm inspired, or perhaps (again) so light that my imagination is soaring. Even the weather today is beautiful: it's sunny 🌞!!!
Happy Sunday to all. Once again, thank you!
A kiss to your hearts 💕
With affection,
Carla Valente
