Unplugged: CMD Summer Break!

It’s hard to believe that come September, I’ll be celebrating 18 years of CMD.

I could tell you hundreds of stories of all the trials and tribulations those last 18 years have held. There have been highs, lows, and countless hours put into making this business a great success. We continue to face challenges as we grow, and I’m constantly looking at the bigger picture. Where are we heading as a team? How can we achieve ultimate balance between work and play? What does the next phase of CMD look like?

At the start of 2023, I made a pact with myself to find a better way to unplug this year. Not just for me, but for the whole CMD team. Being such a small company and team (there’s only five of us!), one person being out can add pressure to the already heavy workload. I'll be honest, I'm currently at the helm of THE most INCREDIBLE team -- and we make it work. We all wear several hats on the smoothest of days, but occasionally, **** happens. We step up and fill in for one another when we're sick or on vacation. We're hard-working, we're nimble, and we adapt... as a team, and as a company.

As the founder of CMD, I really strive to improve myself and the business on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s the small things, like giving my team a few paid days off on their birthdays or throwing in a bonus day at the end of our holiday break. Sometimes it's more logistics-based, such as offering the option of a 4-day work week, or building a home studio for Sam to reduce the burden of her long commute. But with vacation, I really wanted to start to think about how can we really unplug. I feel so grateful for how much CMD has grown in recent years. It's amazing to think about how we've expanded our reach to people all over the globe. However, the pressure of constantly being "on" and "available" (eh hem…social media) all the time can be exhausting for us all.

So….this year, I decided to create an official CMD Summer Break and an Extended Winter Break (yahoo!!). The goal is that all of my team take vacation at the same time (if possible). This way, we’re all out of office and fully unplugged (even me).

For just over one week beginning Monday, August 28th, you won't hear much from us! We won't be posting on social media and we won't be answering phone calls, texts or emails. While we're away, the website is live and you can place orders as usual. We won't be offering express shipping as we'll be out of the studio. Production time on orders received during the week will be slightly delayed until our return on Tuesday, September 5th.

I personally plan to completely go off the grid. I’m going to be heading to the desert and plan to put my phone in the glove box and allow myself the space to really reset and recharge. Just the very thought of it makes me excited! Some of my team is off to places like Italy…or to the beach to go camping. Others on my team will spend time with family and friends, read books, work on creative hobbies, etc. I’m thrilled for us all to really reset before we come back to the busiest season of the year. With this break, I expect to come back feeling even more creative than before…and I think my team will, too. Then, at the end of the holiday rush, we’ll take another two weeks off to recover from the wildly busy holiday season.

The Happy Hour Sale is live all week while we're away and will end at midnight PST on Tuesday, September 5th when we return from break. We appreciate your continued support and we hope to get a big thumbs up, some high fives, and a few "woo"s for taking this step back and giving ourselves a break. We know we deserve it, and we think you do too. 🙂