We were excited, ambitious and a little too eager to “look legit.”

When Azulike was just starting out, we were juggling a thousand moving parts: sourcing, logistics, photography, website building and trying to learn how to market ourselves all at once.

Somewhere in the middle of that chaos, we made our first big mistake.

We Signed a Contract We Weren’t Ready For

Early on, we started working with a professional SEO firm. On paper, it seemed like the right move: “Invest in visibility now so you can grow faster later.”

We signed an annual contract. It was a big financial commitment on top of the investment in products we had just made, especially for a brand that hadn’t even found its footing yet.

Here’s What We Didn’t Realize:

• We were still building our first site (on a platform we’d later abandon)

• We didn’t have enough content to optimize

• Our product catalog was based on all one of a kind pieces

• And most importantly: we didn’t yet understand our voice, audience or identity.

The SEO firm wasn’t “bad” but we just weren’t ready to benefit from what they were offering. The timing was off, and we were locked in with a company who didn't necessarily suit our voice and goals once we signed on with them. 

What It Cost Us

Besides the money (which was pretty painful), we lost time — three crucial early months when we could’ve been focusing on building community, refining our visuals and learning our customers.

It was a harsh but valuable lesson in sequence, not everything needs to happen at once.

What We’d Do Differently

• Define your foundation before you outsource. Know who you are and what you offer.

• Start small and grow strategically. Visibility only helps if the customer experience is solid. Like us in the beginning, if your website is not where it should be.. why drive traffic?

• Don’t be afraid to press pause. We eventually switched platforms, rewrote ALL our content and rebuilt Azulike from a stronger place. We were able to utilize some skills we learned through this mistake however it was not nearly as beneficial as it could have been at the right time.

If You’re in That “Early Startup Scramble”…

You don’t have to do everything at once. You don’t have to look like a polished brand from day one. Focus on the heart of your business — the product, the people, the story and the rest can grow in layers.

We’re still learning. Still growing. Still building Azulike with more intention every day.

We’ll probably make more mistakes along the way. But this one? We won’t repeat.