In November, I wrote a blog post where I shared my nervousness about hiring a product team. At the time, the idea of bringing on more established industry designers felt intimidating. Today, I'm happy to report that I’m close to having that product team in place.
The fear I felt around working with more seasoned designers has largely dissolved. It’s become clear that I actually know a thing or two about design. Despite being self-taught, I’ve learned to speak the same industry language and collaborating with other creatives has felt both inspiring and validating. What once felt daunting now feels relieving and energizing.
But this shift hasn’t just been about hiring. It’s been about growing into a different role.
My role is no longer just designing. It’s directing—articulating a creative vision clearly enough that others can execute it while ensuring the product still feels distinctly Mixed. I need to elevate without losing touch with the day-to-day. I have to stay lean while trying to scale. It’s a strange in-between season, and that feeling shows up everywhere in the business right now.
The company has grown quickly. The team has expanded. We’re updating the office. A lawsuit even crossed my desk—something that would have felt unimaginable just six months ago. Growth isn’t just exciting; it adds complexity. There are more decisions, more responsibilities, and more consequences tied to getting things right.
Part of what makes this stage challenging is the delay between decisions and results.
I’m constantly holding two pictures at once: the scale we’re building toward and the constraints of today. My mind lives ahead. My body operates here. The work is closing the gap between the two.
The state of the business today isn’t a reflection of decisions made yesterday. It’s a reflection of decisions made months ago. The products we’re selling, the team structure we’re operating within, the expenses we’re carrying—all of it was set in motion long before this moment. And the decisions I’m making right now won’t reveal themselves for months. That delay requires conviction—longer-term thinking and a willingness to commit without immediate validation.
In November, my growing pains were narrowly focused on building a product team. Now that that’s underway, I’m feeling the broader weight of expansion: leading a bigger team, managing a bigger budget, allocating time and resources more effectively.
Most mornings, I wake up feeling slightly unprepared for the level I’m stepping into. But I remember that running this business at a smaller scale once felt just as overwhelming. What used to challenge me now feels manageable.
Growth doesn’t take time. It takes decisions. Six months of committed execution can reshape a team, a product line, and your own standard for what you’re capable of. As we inch toward spring, I can feel myself stretching into someone more capable, more skilled, and more steady. Not because the work has become easier, but because I’m increasing my capacity to carry more of it.
~Nasrin