Expansion, Overwhelm and Other Things I Didn't Properly Think Through

One of my most popular womtras is: "Held together by delusion and Pritt-Stick." Unfortunately, it turns out that may also be my business plan.

Everyday Womtras has been accepted to exhibit at Autumn Fair 2026 and Spring Fair 2027. For those outside the retail world, these are two of the biggest trade shows in the UK. Buyers, retailers, distributors, licensors and all manner of important people wander around looking for products to put on shelves - the next big thing. It's a heady mix of excitement and terror.

The thing nobody really tells you about growing a business. Particularly when you're neurodivergent is you spend years desperately clawing for opportunities to get your work in front of the right people. But, then they arrive, and your brain immediately starts screaming: "Excellent. Now let's consider every possible way this could go wrong."

For a long time, Everyday Womtras was just for me. My random doodles and the contents of my own mind purging itself, never considering they'd resonate with so many others.

Then people started laughing. Not politely. Not the kind of laugh you do because someone is standing there watching. Actual laughing. The sort where people point at a print and say: "That's me." Or: "Oh my God, that's Sandra." Or: "Why are you spying on my life?" And these people don't know it's all from my mind. They assume I'm distributing something mass produced, as opposed to the reality, which is me sitting on the living room floor in front of Netflix, baking mugs in my little crafty cricut oven while simultaneously heat-pressing notebooks, scoring and sealing greetings cards and prints, and the kids are either desperately trying to "help", wanting to sit on me, or moaning for more tablet time.

And somehow it's all snowballed into trade shows, awards, wholesale enquiries and conversations that feel far more grown-up than I feel qualified for.

The truth is, growth as a small independent business owner is complicated. People see the exciting bits: awards, opportunities, promotions, announcements. What they don't see is the spreadsheet I've forgotten to update, the admin I've accidentally ignored, the half-finished ideas, the notes written on receipts, the constant battle between creative energy and executive dysfunction, the fact that sometimes running a business feels like conducting an orchestra while simultaneously being trapped inside a tumble dryer.

Being AuDHD means I am brilliant at some things: I can spot patterns, I can see opportunities, I can create things that don't exist yet, I can connect ideas that appear completely unrelated. What I struggle with are many of the things businesses are traditionally built on.

• Consistency.

• Routine.

• Administration.

• Systems.

• Paperwork.

• Anything involving filing.

Honestly, if I ever become rich enough, I'm hiring someone whose sole responsibility is following me around shouting: "JO. FINISH THE THING."

But despite all of that, Everyday Womtras keeps growing. Not because I have a flawless strategy, not because I know exactly what I'm doing, but because people connect with it. The characters are imperfect, the language is imperfect, and that's the point

We're surrounded by polished Instagram positivity. Perfect homes. Perfect lives. Perfect bodies. Perfect businesses. Everyday Womtras is a reaction to all of that. A reminder that sometimes the most comforting thing isn't being told you're amazing. It's being reminded you're normal, messy, complicated, wonderful, occasionally ridiculous, entirely human, and gloriously unique.

Yes, Autumn Fair feels huge. Spring Fair feels huger. The opportunities ahead feel exhausting, and the to-do list is genuinely alarming. But for now, I'm trying very hard to sit with something that doesn't come naturally to me. Pride. Because a few years ago, this was just a collection of drawings, observations and mildly concerning notes scribbled down before they escaped my brain forever. Now it's becoming something much bigger, and whilst I remain firmly held together by delusion and Pritt-Stick, it's something that's worth celebrating, and that imposter syndrome can jog on like the marmite brained bufflewump it is.

So wish me luck. Or for a personal assistant. Honestly, either would be helpful.

You can find the press release about the Autumn and Spring Fairs here.