I am hope | Chocolate Queen

Thank you, everyone, for your amazing support in following the Notion inspiration, and especially to all of the awesome customers who have purchased with Notion.  Notion is a small company with massive goals. These massive goals are tucked away in the Chocolate Queen’s head, growth, growth, growth. The goals are massive but we take it one step at a time, one day at a time.  Patience is important, I am not so good at this but I am learning. The goals are 110% worth sticking around for in this world. One goal has started its journey with $920 deposited towards I AM HOPE. Being completely honest we haven’t 100% covered the production costs of the t-shirt prints, production video, and media releases, so there is more than 100% profit going to I AM HOPE because I have added in a personal donation.  

Chocolate Queen 

For those who have signed up to Notion and started following my name is Megan Fairley and I am the creator and owner of the Chocolate Queen and King t-shirts and the awesome Notion.  Notion was started to be built in 2017 when I was a Front Line Leader at Cadburys Dunedin. This is where the inspiration for the smile on your face “Chocolate Queen & Chocolate King” t-shirts originated. You can read the full story about our Chocolate Queen t-shirts by clicking this link.  I have loved designer fashion since my early 20’s and as I got older had a strong desire to lift the service game in the fashion industry in New Zealand. I also have a strong love for sustainable fashion but have different thinking to some. I have this same thinking….

“ The idea that sustainability needs to sacrifice the quality of life is a flawed one.  It’s a design challenge, a challenge to build something that will increase the quality of life for all of those around it.” 

Danish Architect, Bjarke Ingels. Written by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

I 100% support the efforts of our designers who upcycle like the Courtney Pellow of Auckland, New Zealand, and Better World Fashion from Denmark.  I even went as far as rock paper packaging for all customers who come directly to Notion. I was told by some in the business community I was wasting my money when it comes to sustainable packaging.  We have only one planet right, so it’s best we start working towards making this a better planet for our future generations to come.    

Growing a business is extremely hard work, and mentally challenging when you add it on top of redundancy,  there have certainly be times when you think you have hit rock bottom and then you realize you are still falling and haven’t hit the bottom yet.  The fashion world is not all completely glam either, it’s a tough industry but so was working for Mondelez International. I have already encountered plenty of bullying from the retail industry, people don’t like competition and they certainly don’t want Notion around!!  I don’t care whether or not you have been in industry 5 minutes or 25 years you have no right to bully people. The bullying stops with Notion Fashion!!! 

I run Notion every morning to mid-afternoon 7 days a week and then in the afternoon I trot off to my afternoon job which is independent of Notion and work 8-9 hours.  I do this to pay the bills and put food on the table I do not collect an income from Notion. Designers get paid first!! I run all of my social media which is almost another full-time job in itself!!  Before the launch of Notion in 2018, I had no social media accounts, yes not even a Facebook page. You could say we have jumped headfirst into this and are learning every day about what works and what doesn’t work.     

We have had some extremely special moments in 2018 like our four-page spread in the amazing Next magazine, thank you Next for your outstanding support for this woman from a Chocolate Factory in Dunedin, outstanding.  For those who had an association with this article in Next on Notion Fashion and never supported this article, you get a smile back from me and it doesn’t damage you to support another person. Then there was a very proud moment of the launch of a Chocolate Queen & King t-shirt to raise money for I AM HOPE.  And the proud was filming of a video for the launch of our Chocolate Queen and King t-shirts in another Chocolate factory. The OCHO chocolate factory. This was an amazing inspiring team to work with on our video. We started at 4 am on a Sunday morning and finished up at about 6 pm that evening. I am truly grateful for the team of 7 who filmed and worked on this production especially Amy and Tom @11eleven. We also had the awesome experience of meeting Mike King and his amazing team, it was truly an inspiration to listen to Mike talk to the youth of New Zealand and the adult population of New Zealand.  Because of Mike, I have a better understanding of my feelings towards suicide, and why I have felt the way I have done in the past. I wish someone talked about this years ago in New Zealand. We ran events to sell our fashion and supported I am hoping with meditation for mental health with the help of Mel from @iamyoga, Mel from @selfmindandbody , and @ayu. Just over a week ago I filmed my very first podcast talking about Notion and the Cadburys redundancy. Thank you, Natalie, for this opportunity to let me speak – The Social Experience. The Chocolate Queen and Chocolate King t-shirt have been press released to the New Zealand media twice.  Just before the second launch something a little odd happened….

Will you promote Caramilk?

Mondelez’s marketing team contacted me at Notion of asking if I would promote the Caramilk.  I couldn’t believe it!!! I humored them and asked for more information, and of course, they came back with details wanting me to say fantastic things about Cadburys and to promote a Caramilk giveaway on Notion.  I have promoted Caramilk in the past, this Caramilk, however, all originated from the Dunedin factory. I am proud of the efforts of the staff as the running of Caramilk was not easy and the treatment of staff when they requested a second run of the Caramilk was disgusting.  I email the Mondelez marketing team and said I needed to place a phone call. When I rang them there were two staff members on speakerphone, straight away they said: “We are so sorry we have just seen your website and read your blogs.” I like many of the Cadburys staff that worked so hard to keep the factory going and acted like owners every day, I felt used by the Cadburys/Mondelez International factory closure.  I felt used again that they didn’t even care about who I was as a person or how the staff have mentally suffered they just wanted promotion and profit. Every time they keep repeating the word ‘sorry’ it took me right back to the day of the redundancy. I spilled my guts and feelings to them, trying to be professional along the way this is incredibly hard when you are so angry. When I finally hung up the phone you can imagine what happened the tears started flowing and they did not stop for days.    

I know we have a massive story, and it is getting bigger by the day.  I told Natalie from our marketing team that I feel like the Erin Brockovich of New Zealand!!  We are not interested in YOU Cadburys & Mondelez International this is about our staff and has always been about our staff.  Why is it when you are made redundant that you feel ashamed and worthless? The same when you are bullied. The same when you suffer from mental illness.  The beautiful people of New Zealand are struggling with mental illness, people need connection and community. Chocolate is another word for love, joy. It’s about healing and dissolving the anger and sadness and building people back up again and making them feel proud, not ashamed.  The Dunedin factory was so full of kindness, respect, laughter, and love. It is mindblowing in this world that there is less and less respect for human beings and more focus on money and profit in this world. In a PR world sometimes things that look like sugar are actually salt.  

I feel for our future generations if this situation happens to our youth again in their lifetime, how will they cope?  If we have struggled, how will they cope? They need the support networks around them now, they need hope, they need I am hope.  

Mindset

Stay positive, put yourself around people who inspire you.  Hustle with a heart. Know your worth and don’t settle for anything less, you know how hard you have worked!!  Focus on your Rainbow family, these are the people who lift you up when you are feeling down. I describe my mental illness in three circles around the outside of me with the Rainbow being the closest….

Rainbow Family – people who helped pull me through the mud every day, people who will travel with me on the bus when the limo is broken!!  This is my Cadbury’s family and inspirational people I have connected with during the growth of Notion. 

Grey Circle – people who I have supported over the years but since starting Notion and being made redundant they have walked away and have no contact.  Across the easiest form of communication social media, there is nothing no support.  

Black Circle – people who don’t even know me but have bullied me. 

You have got to keep going for the Rainbow family these are the people who will travel with you on the bus when the Limo is broken!!!  Going through struggles does clearly outline who will be there to support you and who will not. Make it a positive thing at least you really know who will be there for you when you need support.  Focus on the Rainbow Family, they are the reason why you need to stick around in this world.

Thank you for your awesome support, stay safe, and be kind to one another.   

Chocolate Queen M xx