This week in entrepreneur-ville.... We struggled. Everyday it is a struggle for us to make time for all of our ideas, sift through the ideas to determine which will return the most value, and to just let some ideas go. The learning curve can be HUGE, and it's easy to get discouraged when our hard work isn't seeing big rewards. Yet we know we need to keep going. Our real estate investment business has had a couple of leads that have fallen through this past month. John and I both moped around a bit after our hopes were dashed. We recalibrated our plans. Again. After an evening or two of moping we found time alone together to have a heart-to-heart where we took stock of all that we do have and reaffirmed that our plans are still on track. Our willingness to work hard for it is a constant. I have two other start-ups in the works, and I am endlessly frustrated that I do not have the time to devote to launching them...like yesterday. I will readily admit that I have a child-like enthusiasm when I have an idea for which I have a passion, and sometimes that enthusiasm results in me running in many different directions before I collapse exhausted. And this is exactly what happened this past weekend. I was completely spent. I had flu-like symptoms, but after resting and recovering for half a day, I bounced back. I believe it was just lack of sleep and stress. #momlife #entpreneurlife #serenitynow #justkidding #butreally So the first idea that I have been working on for months...MONTHS (for the child-like entrepreneur inside of me this is an eternity, I know, laugh at the absurdity) is a social media start-up for small local businesses. This by itself is nothing innovative. But I do have some organic leads from other budding entrepreneurs that have come to me and said they have no time and/or interest in running the social media marketing that they know their businesses require in today's age. There's no shortage of need. The question is how can I best meet their business needs while holding down a day job, being a mom to 2 young-un's, and not burying myself behind a computer or a phone in my limited free time. You can see that the equation is challenging...However, I am a problem solver. Isn't every parent? There's a need so you fix it! My other start-up is {drumroll please} The Modern Wreath Co. It's an Etsy shop, which entails it's own learning process. I have always enjoyed making wreaths. It started as something I did with my mother in her kitchen years ago. She was more in the mindset of "let's quickly put this Christmas wreath together before the season passes us by and I have nothing on my front door", but I think we both enjoyed the process and enjoyed even more the end result. We had created something! Ta-da! Ok, so, it's no monumental feat and certainly doesn't rival the work of Da Vinci or Pollock, BUT we brightened up our corner of the world. And it was pretty. So here I am hoping to bring some beauty to a few other front doors with a modern, contemporary spin to the door hangings of yesteryear. I believe I have the added benefit of rescuing busy individuals who have no interest in cruising around Hobby Lobby for glue guns and millions of rolls of ribbon. Oh! Also, I have these snazzy leather straps to hang the wreath. They can be engraved with initials, family name or just hello. What do you think? I have more in the works (being made from the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.). Last week I reached out to other entrepreneurs, in particular mompreneurs, in an effort to form an encouraging community. I have the passion and the drive, but encouragement is necessary on the pathway to entrepreneurial success. Once I started looking, I realized that there is such a supportive community out there, and I hope to provide that same encouragement to anyone I can. It starts in my home and extends to my community and beyond. I've included a list of support networks for entrepreneurs in the Houston area that I'm working with or hope to connect with soon. Any other entrepreneurs out there that want to connect? I listed some of the organizations I'm connecting with in the Houston area that support and encourage entrepreneurs - check them out! Every Tuesday I will be updating you on our start-up journey. Be sure to sign-up for my newsletter to make sure you don't miss it! #communityovercompetition So chasing the dream of being your own boss comes with TONS of trade-offs. I forgo sleep. I lug my kids around with me to meetings or supply runs. I don't have nearly enough time laughing and cutting up with the love of my life. I wonder if I died tomorrow would I regret the time I put into these businesses? The answer is no. No regrets. The alternatives just aren't long term solutions for me and my family. We are on the same page that sacrifice now will hopefully mean a very comfortable life later. If that ends up not being the case, then the journey was not in vain. We learned together. We experienced together. We went for it. And shout out to my projectile vomiting family. All of them were taken down this month by a mean 24 hour virus. I want the public record to note that I was thrown up numerous times, cleaned up after numerous people, and lived amongst 5 of you and DID NOT contract the virus. I believe I now have super-hero status. Ok, not really, just regular old everyday mom life. Back to the grind... ~ K i m Houston Area Entrepreneur Networking & Community Organizations1. West Houston Chamber of Commerce
2. Rice MBA Mompreneurs Think Tank (Facebook Group) 3. Rice Entrepreneurs Organization 4. Tuesdays Together - Houston Chapter 5. I just found this new meet-up hosted by Christa Clarke called Cubicles to Cocktails for those ladies making a transition from corporate world to the entpreneurial world (so me!). I'm so excited to see what they are up to!
4 Comments
10/4/2017 01:22:15 pm
I feel the struggle of waiting for months. I have known that I need to redo my website for about a month not, but am also aware that I will not have the time to do so until December. In the meantime, I sit and notice that small things that bother me and that I know I want to fix.
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Kim
10/4/2017 02:37:06 pm
Theresa, I’m right there with ya! So much to do, so little time!! But it’s also the most exciting, fun experience I’ve had. I try to celebrate all the wins and all the joys of entrepreneurship.
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A. Tak
10/4/2017 01:25:06 pm
Girlllllll lets get coffee sometime! I think you and I could fill hours discussing the business ideas we have that have withered and died haha! Find my on IG (@aTakCrafts) and lets connect in person soon!!! (Plus thank you for the TT plug! I LOVE our community!)
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Kim
10/4/2017 02:33:29 pm
Ashley, yessss! Let’s definitely grab a coffee and commiserate and more importantly celebrate! We are doing the thang! ?
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