Many of you probably don’t know this, but for the past few years I have worked another job while doing “The Preppy Hostess.” I started this brand in 2013, and slowly over time have turned it from a blog to a business. I actually worked various jobs since 2013, but I was never really fulfilled. Nothing energized me like owning my own business did. About a month ago – I left my job as an interior designer and started doing this business full time. There is something really scary about leaving a job where you have a steady income coming in every month and not knowing if your business will succeed or not.
But it has also been the most invigorating and rewarding experience. They say your dreams are what can get you through even the worst days. If you are struggling, your dreams are your reason to keep going. They are why you wake up in the morning and try again. They are what makes your entire life worth living.
I have always believed that when you are this motivated, it’s very hard to fail. One of my most vivid examples of this was about two years ago. I would have done almost anything to get on television and do a television segment on parties and entertaining. Right when I was ready to throw in the towel and quit, I received a e-mail from WESH 2 News in Orlando asking me to do a segment on holiday entertaining. Since then, I’ve done one to two shows a month on various networks across the East Coast. Of course, I’d love to do a segment on national TV, and sometimes I get frustrated that I haven’t yet, but I know my time will come eventually. My point here is, remember that once you dreamed of being where you are now.
I’ve had so many other instances like the one above that if I listed them all here this post would be pages and pages long. The bottom line is, being a small business owner is no easy task. At all. You have to be your biggest motivator. No one will be able to understand how you feel on your off days or know how to encourage you to get out of your creative rut. The only reason I was able to quit my job and get to where I am today is because I always kept chugging along. I also have had a fabulous support system through my parents. My mother is a small business owner herself, so she understands the struggle as well. My parents just never let me quit. They always said, take a break, but don’t quit… you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are now.
I encourage you to follow your dreams. Do what you love, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.
Without our dreams, we are nothing.