How is it already AUGUST?
I truly do not understand. Summer is flying by at one million miles an hour, and somehow Hedley & Bennett is turning 14 years old.
FOURTEEN.
When I started this adventure, I was 24 years old. I thought I was making a better apron.
It turns out I was learning how to build a business, a community, and, in many ways, a life from scratch.
Starting took courage. But staying with an idea long enough to grow real roots—through the mistakes, the absolutely freaking terrifying moments, and all the times I had no idea what to do next—that has been the real work.
Most days, I’m running full speed toward whatever comes next. But anniversaries are a good reason to stop for five seconds and say:
You did some things right.
You could have done some things better.
You learned. You grew. You kept going.
And, most importantly, you’re still standing and still trying every day. Huzzah!
So whether you’re building a business, learning to cook, creating something from scratch, or just trying to be a good human, here are seven things 14 years of Hedley & Bennett have taught me.
1. Nobody is going to hand it to you.
Send the email. Ask for the opportunity. Apply for the job. Invite the people over. Raise your hand. Say what you want.
Build it into existence.
Most people won’t understand your idea at first. They might think you’re completely nuts—until one day they don’t.
Or maybe they never will.
Who cares?
It wasn’t for them. It was for the people who needed it.
So build the damn thing.
2. Protect your enthusiasm.
Things will go wrong. Dinner will burn. The idea you were convinced was genius might completely fail.
You can give something everything you have and still not get the result you wanted.
Success is learning from failure without letting it steal your willingness to try again.
Take a walk. Look at the trees. Don’t take it personally. Give it another go.
3. Real roots take time.
You can rush how something looks.
You cannot rush the roots.
A business. A friendship. A family tradition. A great meal.
Anything meaningful is built through attention, repetition, and care.
Do the work. Let it take time. Keep showing up.
4. Your word is gold.
Say what you mean. Do what you said you would do. Show up when you said you would.
And when you mess up, own it. Clean up the mess. Fix what you broke. Say, “I’m sorry.”
There is a real human on the other side of every order, meal, promise, and commitment.
It is never just a transaction.
Someone trusted you.
Never take that for granted.
5. Give a little more than expected.
Add the extra scoop. Write the note. Bring flowers. Put out the good plates. Make the sauce.
Not because anyone is watching, but because making another person feel cared for is one of life’s greatest joys.
The little things really are the big things.
6. Stay a little left of center.
Use the unexpected color. Make the weird thing. Serve dessert first.
The world does not need everything to look, sound, and feel exactly the same.
The thing that makes you different is usually the most interesting thing about you.
That is where the magic lives.
7. It’s always about the humans.
A company does not make it 14 years because of one person.
It happens because so many people put their hands, hearts, ideas, and energy into making the thing better—one stitch, one email, one day at a time.
To the people who were there at the very beginning and every team member who has carried Hedley & Bennett forward since.
To the people who cut, sew, make, pack, and ship every piece.
To our vendors, warehouse teams, restaurant partners, collaborators, friends, and customers.
Thank you.
Whether you have been with us since I was selling aprons out of the back of my Mini Cooper at the farmers market, or you just found us because you needed something to wear while making Tuesday-night dinner, thank you for letting us be part of your kitchen.
Your restaurants. Your dinner parties. Your experiments. Your disasters. Your ordinary Tuesdays and your biggest celebrations.
Fourteen years later, I still do not have everything figured out. Not even close.
But I do know the life you want is built through what you choose to do today: the brave asks, the promises you keep, the care you give, and the things you continue showing up for.
Surround yourself with people who lift you up, check your ego, and remind you where you came from.
And accept that some people are seasonal. You can be grateful for a chapter and still let it end.
So maybe that is the question for all of us:
What are you willing to keep showing up for?
It has never been just an apron to me.
It is an invitation to make shit happen.
To try. To learn. To hustle. To feel pride in the journey.
And because no birthday is complete without a little celebrating, we have something fun coming later this week—some of our all-time favorites, a few overstock gems, and a proper 14th-birthday moment.
Keep an eye out. :)
Fourteen freaking years. Happy anniversary to all of us!
LET’S GO!!!!
xoxo,
Ellen Marie Bennett
Founder, Hedley & Bennett