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“Your Instagram account has been suspended.”
That’s the message we received this week.
At first, we thought there had to be a mistake.
We opened our Instagram account in 2021, around the same time we started making our first greeting cards in Switzerland. In the beginning, it was simply our little portfolio: new cards, short videos of the creative process, first market tables, and pop-ups.
Over time, it became more than that.
It was where many of our business memories lived. A way to stay connected with local makers, shop owners, customers, and other young entrepreneurs.
And then, in an instant, it was all gone.
Instagram doesn’t really explain much when they shut down an account. You receive a few vague sentences saying you “didn’t follow the rules.”
Then came these lines:
“All your information will be permanently deleted.”
“You cannot request another review.”
Those are strong words to read when they’re attached to years of your work.
After trying to understand what happened, we realized the issue came from another account connected to SoliaVenture. A few months ago, Solène created a new pet-sitting account. Because she was under 13, the account had been created through our parent-managed SoliaVenture account.
Looking back, we probably should have made it much clearer that the account was parent-managed.
Instead, with our approval, Solène posted a flyer saying she was a 12-year-old pet sitter.
Instagram’s automated systems likely interpreted it as an underage account and, because it was connected to SoliaVenture, also suspended our main account.
The hardest part wasn’t only losing the account itself.
It was realizing how inhuman these platforms can feel.
A bot flags something.
A bot asks for ID.
A bot sends a final decision.
No warning. No real person to explain the context to. No way to clarify the situation or separate the two accounts. Just a few automated sentences deciding what happens to years of work and memories.
When you build part of your business on a platform you don’t control, you realize how fragile it all can be.
An account can disappear overnight.
So can the audience you spent years gathering there.
At this point, we’re not expecting to get the account back. We may eventually create another one someday, because even after this, it’s difficult to completely stay away from social media.
But if we do restart, it probably won’t feel the same.
No old market photos.
No first cards launches.
No years of gradual growth.
But this situation also reminded us of something important:
The real business was never built around Instagram.
Our website is still here.
Our newsletter is still here.
Our cards are still in stores.
Markets and pop-ups are still happening.
The skills we learned are still here.
The relationships we built are real.
Instagram gave us a certain type of visibility. But it was never the foundation.
And maybe that’s the biggest lesson we’re taking from all this:
Build things that exist beyond platforms.
Things rooted in real people, real places, and work that still matters even when an account disappears.
That’s what we want to keep building.
Instagram may be gone, but you can still find us here in the Sunset District.
Before you go
💌 New here? You can still catch up — read our previous newsletters here.
🔁 And if you know someone who might need this newsletter today, feel free to forward it their way.
Solène & Zélia, for SoliaVenture
P.S. Zélia still has her personal Instagram account where she shares her art and illustrations, so you can still find her there 🙂
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SoliaVenture is our creative adventure as young entrepreneurs, and we’re excited to share it with you! While we design and create the cards ourselves, we receive the support and supervision of our parents for managing the business operations as we continue learning and growing.