Since I was little I've dreamt of being in business for myself doing something I love and bringing others along for the ride. My first idea was to start a dog kennel/boarding business. I had the floor plan, the plot, and the schedules drawn up. A friend was even on board, but I could never convince mom and dad to bring more dogs into our lives. Whether or not we're better off for not following through with that dream, I'll never know.
I'm hesitant to use the word "finally" but I feel I actually have finally found created a business that may actually work. Sometimes I'm on cloud 9 and making things happen, and other times I'm dragging anchor trying to figure out the next logical move. Its during the anchor dragging moments I feel most alone and I can't quiet shovel coal fast enough to get the engines going quickly to bring in money. (This is all metaphor of course for boats and trains. There is no coincidence I'm using 2 separate forms of transportation as a platform for the metaphors. Travelling has always been in my heart, and I can't get enough of adventure.)
I face an obstacle that I've been avoiding for some time; months, perhaps even years. It started when my dad handed me a book titled True Spirit: The True Story of a 16-Year-Old Australian Who Sailed Solo, Nonstop, and Unassisted Around the World
It's a book about a young Australian girl who sailed solo around the world unassisted and was the youngest person to ever do so. It took her 5 years of careful planning, collaborating, moving past criticism, and enrolling people and sponsors into making her dream a reality. She is factual in her writing and throws in some emotion in spots. It required her to be persistent and forge through frustrating times, bouts of criticism, and people who wouldn't take her seriously to then finally get her plan rolling.
My jewelry line doesn't match the scale of sailing around the world, but I can relate to her experience of hitting so-called-walls. The obstacle I'm facing is support from my own family. I love my family dearly, and know them well enough to confidently share with you that they take things personally (as I do) so I'm afraid to even bring this concern of mine to them as I don't want to stir the pot, and I'm even more afraid to share this with the world as my family may feel the need to defend themselves and may potentially be upest with me. Nonetheless, I love them dearly and it means the world to me for them to support me in my dreams and assist me in getting there. Ultimately what I do does affect them too. Instead I only hear warning after warning of "be careful" "be sure you make enough money before you quit any full time job" "I don't want you to get your hopes up" and "I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did." Those types of phrases coming from people I love and that are close can feel like blind side blows to nurtured dreams. None of them are uplifting or encouraging, but when boiled down seem to glare with "It's possible you'll screw this up, so good luck..." I use to be easily derailed by such comments, now my skin is thicker and it doesn't take me long to shake it off and move on. However, its usually followed with a desire to want to cut those people off and not share what I'm up to in life. Starting a business is time consuming and the only thing that I'm really doing in life right now. I don't want to hold back on sharing my hopes and dreams with them.
If they're afraid that I'm going to make irrational decisions, instead of trying to steer me away from even trying, why don't the help me come up with creative and logical ways of making my dream a reality? Not once have I heard from anyone, "How can we make this real and how can we do it sooner then we would ever expect?" Does that attitude exist, and if so I want to have that person as my mentor and confidant.
Clearly I've given energy and thought to this, and I suppose by writing this I hope one day they come across this post and can see where I'm coming from. There are several things I'd like to do in this business and I'm stating it for the record:
Design unique lines for boutiques
Write an eBook on how to launch a jewelry business
Hold classes on bead work
Travel and sell my jewelry
Simultaneously be a sartorialist
Ultimately I have a lifestyle in mind that I want to achieve, and my dream is to show people how to also create the lifestyle they want. Here is my current ideal:
Walk my dog daily in the morning with a coffee in hand down to the beach to check the waves
If the surf is good, go surfing
Shower and get ready for the day (fashionably of course)
Research ideas and find inspiration
Meet with friends/clients for lunch
Design
Attend shows/dinner in the evening
Travel (road trip as much as possible)
Have beach fires regularly
Meet creative people along the way
Smile often
Exercise daily (yoga, run, bike, skate, surf, kayak, rock climb, hike)
Write (and get paid for it - or create a means of passive income from it)
How do I make it all happen? How do I do what I love, and how can I do it in the shortest amount of time?
Like Jessica Watson from the book True Spirit
, I think it's going to take some planning and action on my part.To all of those who are supporting me, I thank you from the depths of my heart. Thank you for believing in me.
Special thanks to Stephanie Manos - you've been here for every stride.
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