Monday, November 2, 2015

Sayonara, Nine to Five

Well, it’s been pretty quiet over here for the last few weeks.  I wish I was one of those bloggers that could consistently post great content, but when my life gets busy my blog always takes a back seat.  So, the reason life has been pretty busy for me lately is that I’m preparing for my last week at work.  It still feels weird to even write that. 

Photo Cred: Will Crooks

Am I leaving my job to be a stay at home wife?  Hell no.  I wish we could afford that, but that’s not even close to being in the cards for us.  I’m leaving my 9-5 to pursue my jewelry business and hopefully grow it into the well-oiled machine that I think it can be. 

A little over a year ago, I started a little jewelry business, making necklaces for friends and family, and over the last 8 months, it’s become much bigger than that.  My jewelry is now sold in stores in five different states, and I’m still continuing to grow.  It’s become more than just a little side business for me, and if I ever want it to grow into something bigger, I have to take the time to devote to it.

Am I scared?  Hell yes.  Terrified.  I’m worried that I’ve left a secure job that I love to pursue a risky business with nothing to fall back on.  Not to mention in an industry that’s already completely over-saturated with businesses that make products very similar to mine.  But, I’ve weighed my options and at this point it’s worth the risk.

T and I heavily rely on my salary to pay our bills.  I’m not the breadwinner, but my income is needed to make things work for us.   Several months ago, I set some goals for myself.  I figured out how many necklaces I’d need to sell per month to still bring in enough money for my end of the bargain.  Three months in a row I almost doubled my goal amount.  That made me realize that ready or not, it was time. 

I put in an 8 week notice at work, the last thing I wanted to do was screw them over.  After all, if people suddenly stop buying necklaces, I may be crawling back to them asking for my job back.  And, I also hope to help them with some freelance work on an as-needed basis in the future.  ( I’m an HR Generalist for a local advertising agency, so they may need occasional admin support that I’d be happy to come in and help with. ) 

So, what are the next steps from here?  Step number one is to just make it through the Holiday season.  This is my first true Holiday season, I was just ramping up this time last year.  I have goals to fully stock my Etsy shop, do a few Instagram flash sales, and attend several Holiday shows around town.  And after the Holidays are over, it’s time to really get down to business.  Setting yearly and monthly goals, finally having organized finances, creating a business plan, and developing a strategy for what I want my business to become. 

I assume we’ll have a few tight months here and there.  We’ll probably be eating PB&Js for dinners some nights.  But that’s nothing that we’re not used to.  T and I lived on very small salaries for a few years after graduation. Our combined income was still less than a lot of my friends’ starting salaries, and we somehow made it work.  We know how to scrimp, we know how to save, and we can do it again if we have to. 

I've always dreamed of being a stay at home mom once we have children, but since we rely on my salary now I know we'd definitely need it once we grow our family.  Being able to run a business from my house would give me the perfect combination of making money for the family while still being able to stay at home with children.  And getting a good head start on this makes it even more possible when I have a while before kiddos enter the picture. 

What does this mean for your blog?  I still plan to continue to blog, I actually hope to have more of a presence on here than I’ve had in years past.  Don’t worry, I won’t just use this as a platform to shill my goods.  I really don’t plan on doing that at all, actually.  I do plan on sharing some small business tips that I’ve learned along the way, as well as continue to share what’s going on in my life.  From a business perspective, I think it’s cool that customers get an inside peek at who I really am, and how that influences my brand.


So that’s all I’ve got for now.  I’m so excited for this season of my life, and can’t wait to share the good bad and ugly with you along the way.  Have a great week! 


11 comments:

  1. Congratulations!! What a hugeeee accomplishment! I was wondering if you'd eventually take this step! Sounds like a really exciting new chapter :)

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  2. Congratulations on this big step! Can't wait to see how you grow your business now that you're able to devote even more time to it :)

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  3. Congrats! Big risks means big rewards! :)

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  4. Congratulations, and good luck!!! Very exciting, but how rewarding, to be doing something you love!

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  5. How awesome! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you. I know that you will do great things!

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  6. Congratulations, I am sooo happy for you! I can't wait to hear more at our next dinner…can we go ahead and plan that?!

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  7. Congratulations!!! What an exciting adventure.

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  8. Congratulations! I've been following you on Instagram and watching you grow your necklace business over the last year, and I'm excited to hear how successful it's been! A store you might consider looking into is Mostly Made in the South - it's a Greenville store (on Verdin, just off Woodruff, near the new Fresh Market) and they sell almost entirely local Greenville home decor, accessories, candles, those kinds of things. I think your jewelry would fit right in!

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  9. This is so exciting, Laura! I can't wait to see where it takes you and am certainly excited about what you'll come up with next. I rarely go without wearing my necklace!

    Heather | Style Prescription

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  10. This is great news! Congratulations to you and good luck with your new adventure!

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  11. Wow that is awesome news! Kudos to you for giving work plenty of time too.

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