Anti-“socials” behavior

Written By Rock Kong

Hi there, I’m Antoinette—the maker behind KING’S Rustic. I live in upstate NY (the Western Catskills to be vaguely exact) with my goofball of a dog, Milo. Whenever we get the chance we enjoy slow mornings walking through the woods, afternoons exploring surrounding villages, and evenings connecting with friends and family over dinner. As part of building this company, I get the added pleasure of making seed crackers and getting to know all of you.

But as to be expected, there are some not so great things about building KING’S Rustic. For me, the most tedious part is not the baking, the packing, the selling…the schlepping. It’s managing socials.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a leisurely scroll as much as the next person. Puppy yoga videos where a puppy falls asleep on someone’s lap, standup comedy snippets, Coach Jackie’s stories about women’s sports. And, beyond that, I do love how social media has connected people across immense distances and empowered so many others to build successful businesses. Done right, social media content can spur engagement, engagement can ignite interest, and interest can accelerate sales. I understand the digital-first formula. I’ve seen it work. Yet still, it doesn’t feel right.

At the core of it, I think it’s because KING’S Rustic so deeply represents the part of me that’s most at home in the slow, deliberate, physical-first world. The part that loves technology and relies on it, without centering it.

So! What does this mean?

It means that while I’ll maintain my existing Instagram account for KING’S Rustic, it won’t be my primary source of outreach and connection to you. Instead, I’ll rely on this blog and in-person events. The blog won’t be scheduled. I’ll only write when there’s something to share. Sometimes that might just be a sentence or two. And the events will always be curated.

Here’s how I’m thinking about all 3 ways to connect.

  • Events - show up to connect in person

  • Blog - read to follow along on the journey; comment to share your two cents

  • Social media - tag us to share your experiences with our seed crackers and connect with other fans

I know that some people will say “why don’t you just hire a social media manager?” Honestly, I considered that. However, taking the task off of my plate doesn’t make it any more aligned with what KING’S Rustic stands for—bringing people together in the physical world to build bonds over a shared meal. That’s something that I care deeply about…and it’s worth slowing down for.

Anyway, that’s it for now. Be good to one another and I’ll hopefully see you soon.

🖤 A. King


PS

If you’d like to follow along on this journey you can subscribe to my mailing list (for blog and event updates).

Rock Kong