Trust

I always find myself in a writer’s headspace before leaving for Paris—why, I’m not quite sure. But here we are. But, with so much weighing on my heart right now, trust is at the forefront of it all.

Trust is everything in business. Really, it’s everything in life. It’s the foundation of it all, isn’t it? Trust in a business transaction, trust in the process, trust that a company isn’t just collecting money and never shipping out your items. Trust that the drivers on the highway know what they’re doing. Trust that your job will pay you. Trust that things will work as they should.

Most people don’t think about trust in this way, but we rely on it every day—when we drive, when we shop, when we talk, when we live. Trust is woven into every aspect of our lives.

I never used to think of it like that. In fact, I didn’t truly understand trust until we were deep into our journey with Maetiques. And, honestly, I didn’t have the faith required to understand trust. Nothing in my life had ever forced me to grasp its core meaning.

Through this journey, we’ve learned to build faith. We had no choice. When you chase your dreams, you have to, as I like to say, leave it to Jesus.

This realization hit me recently when someone asked during a Q&A if I was less nervous about getting a container this time around. My answer was simple—yes, I’m less nervous, but this entire business is nerve-wracking, and sometimes, you just have to leave it to Jesus.

I’ve said that for years—“Leave it to Jesus.” I used it when I didn’t understand something, when someone hurt me and I needed healing, when I had to lay something down and let Him handle it. But running this business has taught me that trust is so much more than that.

Doug and I have been through the trenches with this business—our lowest lows and highest highs. We’ve experienced joy, passion, pain, and love. But nothing could have prepared us for just how much trust we would need in His plan—and in each other.

Maetiques truly kicked off with our first trip to Paris in 2023. Back then, we had no idea what we were doing—hell, we didn’t even know where the markets were. But we figured it out. As we grew, we knew we wanted to bring more home. The finds became more refined—and larger. We saw so many pieces we were dying to bring back, but our luggage simply wouldn’t allow it. It was time to grow. Time to bring in a container.

Enter September 2024. Our First Container.

The understatement of the century? We had no idea what we were doing. We researched endlessly, talked to experts, and spent countless sleepless nights preparing. But nothing could truly prepare us for what was ahead.

At a holiday gathering in late 2023, we had a conversation with Doug’s uncle, a VP at a large delivery service. He offered to help us get items back and forth, and we immediately jumped on the offer. From 2023 until one week before we left for Paris, our plan was to work with his logistics service. The catch? They had never handled antiques—only commercial goods.

Now, if you don’t know, shipping commercial goods and antiques are light years apart. But at the time, we had no clue. This logistics company bombarded us with acronyms and procedures we didn’t understand. And, if you know the French, they don’t lay things out easily. We spent a year in communication—phone calls, emails, video calls. Then, one week before our trip, I looked at Doug and said:

“This isn’t going to work. We are about to spend our life savings, and this is going to fail. We need to find another option.”

Yep. We walked away from a year-long logistics plan one week before takeoff. Looking back, I laugh. But at the time? I was devastated. I couldn’t see past the time we had “wasted,” the energy we had poured in, and the now slim-to-none odds of getting a container.

But if you know me, you know I don’t take no for an answer. Doug and I pushed harder than ever, reaching out to every single company we could find. And in seven days, we secured another logistics company—one that specialized in France and antiques.

I trusted the process. I worked like a madman. And I left it to Jesus.

What did I learn? That time wasn’t wasted. We gained invaluable knowledge. Mistakes are lessons. Redirections are blessings.

But the story doesn’t end there…

Even in France, we had a million questions. Were we filling out the forms correctly? Did we have everything we needed for transport? Would this even work? We were spending our life savings with no guarantee that it would all play out.

Then, on our last evening in Paris, news broke—the U.S. port strikes had begun. The first strike in decades. Our container, packed and ready, was now at the mercy of an indefinite labor dispute.

We had two choices:

Pay $300 a day to hold the container in France until the strike ended.

Ship it immediately and pray for the best.

After a lot of tears and a few drinks, we chose to ship.

We flew home and obsessively followed the news. Every day, we were glued to updates. Then, one night at our usual sushi spot, I refreshed Twitter for the hundredth time—and there it was. A resolution. The strike was over.

Trust. In. The. Process.

But Wait—There’s More

If you’re from the South, you know hurricane season. Big storms usually hit between June and September. October and November? Almost never.

Enter Hurricane Milton—a Category 5 monster in the Gulf of Mexico. Our container, en route to America, had to be rerouted. Meanwhile, my sister was in Florida, directly in its path. While checking in on her safety, I was having nightmares about our container sinking into the sea.

The hurricane passed. My sister was safe.

But there is still more. 

We had been warned time and time again by fellow business owners about the challenges of dealing with customs. Certain materials—like bone, protected wood, and other restricted items—are heavily regulated, so we took every precaution to avoid purchasing anything questionable.

Despite our diligence, some of our product descriptions were flagged by Wildlife and Fisheries. For reasons beyond our understanding, they didn’t accept our descriptions at face value, and our shipment was pulled for inspection. This could have resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in fines and penalties if they had decided to open the container and inspect everything—whether or not there was anything to find.

At that moment, we were completely powerless. All we could do was follow our agent’s instructions, submit the necessary documentation, and wait. By the grace of God, they ultimately released our shipment without further issue, but the experience was a stark reminder of just how unpredictable international shipping can be.

And—after all of this—the container finally arrived.

Here’s where the story ends: Trust in yourself. Trust in Him. Trust in the process.

But let’s really sit with that for a moment. Trust isn’t passive—it’s active. It’s not just believing everything will work out, but making the moves, taking the risks, and pushing forward even when you’re terrified. It’s understanding that setbacks aren’t failures; they’re lessons in disguise. It’s realizing that sometimes, things fall apart so better things can come together.

I’ve learned that trust doesn’t mean you won’t face obstacles—it means you keep going despite them. You may not always see the way forward, but trust lets you step forward anyway. It reminds you that the pieces are falling into place, even when you can’t yet see the full picture.

So, when doubt creeps in, when the road feels impossible, when fear whispers that you should give up—trust anyway. Trust in your work. Trust in your resilience. Trust in His plan.

Because the moment you decide to believe in yourself and in the journey, that’s when the magic happens.