30 June 2026 · 5 min read
The June Business Diary: Behind the Scenes of a Mum-Owned Small Business
A behind-the-scenes look at June in my mum-owned UK small business, from product launches and Etsy updates to real business struggles.
June 2026 Roundup
Welcome back to my new mini-blog series, where I reflect on what happened while running my UK small business over the past month. Check my roundup for May 2026 here.
June has traditionally been one of the slower sales months; however, this year I have noticed a slight increase in sales compared to the previous months. I still had the time to work on some new things and sat in on some live videos to help with sales
As I write this, we are at the tail end of a record-breaking heatwave here in the UK, so working on the business and being a mum has been difficult to do in this heat.
Even though sales have been a little quieter, June has still been very busy in other ways.
So let’s break the month down and take a snapshot look at what’s been happening.
Sales Snapshot 📦
Overall, sales for June have been up a little compared to the previous month — still slower compared to this time last year, but honestly, it's the summer, and everyone is out enjoying the sun or away on holiday and not on their phones browsing online shops.
I have taken advantage of the slower days and really got stuck in on making improvements on the business.
Overview of Shop Stats:
- Best Seller: Sci-Fi Door/Wall Sign
- Unexpected Performer: Personalised sweet/biscuit tin – tins always surprise at how well they do
- Slower Product: Bee and lavender bookmark. Usually does well, but seems not to be getting much interest this month.
The website got updated, and I don't know where the website stats are in the new backend. But I hope the website is more enjoyable to use. Use the Contact Me page or social media to let me know if you spot any issues.
Repeat Customers: Only two repeat customers for the month, and one left a very lively 5-star review. Reviews really do help small businesses get seen, so please leave a review if you can.
What Worked Well: Videos have really worked well on social media for engagement, especially around coffee and book themes.
What I’m Changing for July: School holidays start in July, so I will be upping my planning for product launches and social media.
Product Development Corner 🎨
June has mostly been a mixture of a few extra orders and launching new designs and products
I managed to launch:
I will soon be launching some new products that are new to me for sublimating, as well as reworking a popular design for use on a tote bag.
Just an example of a new product this month.
Looking ahead to July, I will be launching some new products and start working on my Autumn designs. I also have the school summer holidays starting. So it may be a bit slower to get things out.
Community & Connection 🤍
As always, the small business community is amazing.
Right now, it’s incredibly difficult for many handmade businesses. Rising living costs and changes to import taxes are making it much harder to maintain profit margins, and even long-established small businesses are openly sharing their struggles.
More than ever, supporting small businesses truly matters
Big shout-out to Emmi at CreativeKinsfolk for her creative thinking prompts — reminding us that play doesn't end in childhood.
And another lovely shout-out to HJ'S Handmade for tagging me in posts to help with visibility and lots of likes on my posts.
Please do check out their pages if you love discovering other small businesses.
The Reality Check
The summer months are usually quieter for my business, and after three years of patterns, I’ve learned to expect that seasonal slowdown.
Instead of fighting against it, I’m trying to use this time productively by:
- improving listings
- retaking product photos
- developing new products
- reviewing older listings that may no longer work
Even on slower days, I still genuinely appreciate every single order that comes in.
Honestly, I still have moments where I can’t quite believe someone chose to buy something I created.
Life Behind the Desktop☕
June marks the countdown to the school holidays, so I’m even more grateful for the flexibility this business gives me around school life.
This month, I:
- Sat in on some live videos on how to improve my listings
- retook more product photos
- updated listings
- launched new designs
- worked on future product ideas
The income will help me fund days out and ice cream over the summer school holidays, endless fruit bowl restocks (because children are apparently bottomless pits), and plenty of coffee for me.
It can absolutely be hard at times, but it’s still worth it.
Looking Ahead to July
As July arrives, I’ll be planning my social media more due to the summer holidays and needing to be there for my son. I will also begin the planning for new designs for my Autumn range I have ideas for:
- autumn-themed mug
- autumn-themed notebook
- tea towel design
Listing photo and description updates will continue too — especially considering I still have nearly 100 products left to review. I have done quite a lot, but more needs to be photographed and uploaded.
I won't be doing very many new product launches for July, but it still gives me a chance to work on my Autumn and Halloween designs.
And of course, I have to work around keeping my son occupied. I will also be taking a week off in August for a family holiday.
July is definitely shaping up to be another busy month behind the scenes.
Until Next Month
Thank you for supporting my little business this month. Whether you ordered, shared, liked or simply cheered me on — it truly means everything.
If you’re a fellow small business owner, I’d love to hear how your June went. Why not share your own reflections in the comments?
Until next month 💛