I was just recently nominated for the San Diego Business Journal’s Business Women of the Year Awards. As cliché as it sounds, I am truly honored just to be nominated. (But if you’re reading this SDBJ, make no mistake, I want to win.) The recognition for my hard work and dedication to my business, my team and my community is validating. For a small, self-funded, woman-owned business, recognition is everything. I started this business with a deep conviction that this luxury picnic/micro-event concept would be something big. It has blossomed into an industry with dozens of companies across the world- and I don’t say that with hyperbole. There are 75+ picnic companies in the US and we’ve seen our concept adopted in Australia, Great Britain, South Africa and Tanzania.  

But here’s the truth: confidence + passion wane over 10 years, and it gets pretty lonely, too. So much of my time is spent analyzing my business and every painstaking decision. I still haven’t mastered the work-life balance I envy in so many ‘successful’ women (I also wonder if they envy their own heroines.) So when a shoutout to all my effort came from a well-respected source (ahem, SDBJ) it just made me feel seen. I was being recognized in every sense of the word. And that is not what normally happens as a small business owner- we rarely get our due. Much of our work is unseen and underappreciated. 

Growing a business is hard. It’s so much more than the product or service you offer. At its core, a business is about cultivating relationships. You grow and nourish a relationship with your employees, care for customers and give back to the community; and it can become all-consuming. As a small business owner, you never put down the responsibility you carry. Weekends and evenings are a bit of an afterthought. You can carve out time but you never put the business down entirely. Even on vacation, or home sick with your kids, your business is ever-present. 

So many of the relationships that build a small business into a big(ger small) business are hidden away behind closed doors that only open with the right introduction from a small number of gatekeepers. There are barriers to funding, legal council, financial planning and more. As a member of the inaugural class of the San Diego Tourism Authority Accelerator, I have peeked behind the door- there’s a whole world of business and mentorship to be had. This program has inspired new business for Pop Up Picnic Co as we expand into corporate events, meeting planning services, company lunch catering and more. 

Pop Up Picnic Co is growing, as always. We are an ever-changing, ever-improving business. That is one of the secrets to our success- we never stop trying to get better. I suspect that’s what all successful businesses master over time: staying true to your values but always looking for new ways to keep it fresh. I have so much respect for small-business people- our journeys may be different but we share a common commitment to our self-made community. We build and we cultivate and we inspire. You may not see your efforts as meaningful today, there are many days I don’t see it myself, but today, the clouds are parting and I see the sun peeking through. Let me shine a little light on you, too. I see you, I’m proud of you and keep going.

-Lauren Kimmons

Owner, Pop Up Picnic Co