HELLOOO GIRLS!

I re-read the beginning of my September journal to avoid repeating myself and… BOOM: I’m repeating myself. What a whirlwind of a month! I feel like October just flew by. I’ve been on the road nonstop—from Québec to Sherbrooke for Sans-Façon training sessions with cosmeticians, a panel in Montréal, boutique tours in Trois-Rivières, Laval, and Dix30… Every single week, I was somewhere different. Seriously, not one week sleeping in my own bed!

But right now—as I’m writing this (October 28, 2025, 12:38 p.m.)—I’m going nowhere. I’M STAYING AT THE OFFICE ALL WEEK! And wow, it feels sooo good. I really needed a little break to be close to my team and my crew at home.

I have to say, I’m comfortable with my external obligations — I actually enjoy them — but sometimes, it’s just a lot. It’s hard to fit everything into the schedule. When I can, I take the train (thank you, deep work hours!), but that doesn’t always work with the timing. The result? Many work nights spent in hotels. And what bugs me the most about that is that my creativity takes a hit. I feel it right away: I’m less inspired. But hey, I keep reminding myself that it’s just a busy season. Fall is always like that — between the Holiday season approaching and Black Friday madness, it’s full-on chaos.

And I absolutely have to give a shoutout to my boyfriend. Honestly, he helps me SO MUCH through all this. With his schedule and shifts, it’s not easy with our little dog, but he’s always there. He’s never once complained and supports me 100%. We also have a trusted person who comes to check on Rofi for a few hours when needed — such a relief.

A little break for now, but not for long: next week, I’m gone again from Tuesday to Saturday for school… and then, back on the road until mid-December.

Our next module’s theme is “Measure to Improve.” I can’t wait to see the content! As the company grows, we’re paying more and more attention to our data — and it’s essential to measure our decisions and initiatives properly. Slowly but surely, I’m becoming a real KPI fan (yes, me!). At first, I found all those numbers heavy to deal with, but now that we’ve built our own internal dashboard, everything’s so much clearer. It’s not a big fancy ERP system, just a custom internal tool that we keep improving month after month.

What I love about school is that even if the topics don’t always line up perfectly with what we’re living at the moment, there’s always a way to connect theory to real life. And personally, I need ideas to simmer in my head a bit before applying them, so the timing works out perfectly. 

Two weeks ago, we had a strategic retreat with the Womance team at Manoir Richelieu, in La Malbaie. It was the first time we did it this way! Usually, directors would present their already-prepared plans. This time, we truly brainstormed together to build what’s next. And on my end, I worked on Womance’s mission, vision, and values — big fancy words we hear often, but rarely take the time to truly define. Yet, they’re so important!

I thought about them for a long time. I wrote, re-wrote, rephrased, questioned… until everything aligned with how I see Womance evolving. For some, it’s just corporate talk, but for me, it’s the foundation of everything we’ll build next. I really feel like Womance is entering a new phase. Ten years is a big milestone, and I want us to cross it strong. I’m learning, challenging myself, surrounding myself with the right people so we can reach our goals.

And here’s a first: I created my very first BHAG for Womance! (For those who don’t know, that stands for “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” — a big, bold, ambitious target.) I’ll probably make one for Sans-Façon too, maybe in a year or two, once I get fully comfortable with the concept. Have you ever made a BHAG yourself?

Mine is huge… but I’ve never been more motivated to reach it.

And to finish strong: we’re READY for Black Friday! It’s always such an intense but super exciting time! The web team, social media, warehouse — everyone’s involved. And our promos are INSANE! Honestly, some of the biggest we’ve ever done, both at Womance and Sans-Façon.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

- Andréanne Marquis, founder of Sans-Façon Cosmétiques and Womance