What took me so long?

Hi friends! After a weekend of recharging and Christmas-ing, I'm back in action! That's a picture of our Christmas tree. It's a Fraser fir, so I may call him Frasier. What were you up to?

I also met up with Jess for lunch and to go to the One of a Kind show. We also talked business for a bit. One of her questions was, "What took me so long to start the business?"

The answer is similar to Jon Acuff's most recent post about ignoring your dreams. Or getting distracted and focusing on something besides your dreams.

As you can tell from my blog header and About Me page, my favorite board game growing up was Monopoly. I've always understood and enjoyed business.

In 3rd or 4th grade, I sold friendship bracelets to friends and at school. I even kept an inventory and had a "catalog" in a binder with notebook paper. Each page was a different style, with a small sample taped or stapled to the top of the page. I then listed the different color combinations, lengths, and prices of each item.

It was my first foray into entrepreneurship. Since then, I've known that I wanted to own my own business.

Some of my high school totes

In high school, I remember reading an article about Kate Spade. I loved her concept of a classic purse, with a pop of color on the inside. I also sewed totes for my friends as birthday presents. Around then, I thought it would be fun to be a purse designer or boutique owner. My own version of Kate Spade.

I learned about Etsy in 2008 while planning our wedding. It was this post on Weddingbee. SnappyShop was my "gateway" shop and I fell hard for Etsy. I loved the concept of the online marketplace for handmade goods. Etsy is such an easy and approachable way to start selling.

Going to business school and learning about accounting was extremely helpful. And working in accounting continues to teach me how to run a business and deal with the books.

So why did I wait so long?

I didn't have the time with the last job. Now my hours are better.

I didn't have the space when we lived in apartments. Now I have space for a "studio" in our new house.

I didn't have the resources. Now I have a sewing machine. And a place to sell.

I didn't have the "know-how." Now I have more knowledge of social media and design trends.

There were so many distractions with planning a wedding and moving from St. Louis to Chicago to a house.

I could have made it work before, but the pieces didn't really come together until the last 3 months.

Or maybe I didn't believe in myself until now.

Either way, I'm making it happen now!!! Thanks for following along my journey and I'll be sharing more posts about starting a business in the future.
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RIP Steve Jobs

via apple.com


Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

-Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford commencement speech
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One of Those Days

Print from LuciusArt on Etsy, via decor8

Sometimes you just need a little inspiration.

What are you favorite quotes for getting through the day?

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Thoughts for Friday

How about some cheerful inspirational for a Friday?

Have a wonderful weekend. I hope all of you have a chance to slow down and play.

(Print can be purchased from thewheatfield on Etsy.)

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Twentysomething

This week has been interesting. A combination of highs, lows, and every gray area in between. Thank goodness John is so loving and patient.

And for some reason I've been on a Jamie Cullum kick. He's a British pop and jazz singer-songwriter. He plays original songs as well as covers. The covers are darn good. Check out his version of Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" and Radiohead's "High and Dry." I first heard him in 2006 on a PBS special. And I've been listening to a CD of his this whole week. On repeat. The song that really stuck with me this time around is "Twentysomething."

In this song he describes all the different options he has as a twentysomething trying to figure out his purpose in life. I'm totally there. Is it because I'm a perfectionist? Or because I'm a Millennial? I don't know. These are just thoughts circling around my head. My overly analytical mind is processing and reprocessing faster than I can type.

Another interesting discussion around the blogosphere was started by Crystal at Plush Palate. She asks how one defines success and failure. Jess chimed in and I'd like to share my response.

"Like Jess, I don’t think money is an indication of success. I have a job that pays pretty well, but it doesn’t fulfill my purpose (personally and professionally). Raising a family and having a purpose-filled job would be pretty darn successful to me. Being paid well to do what I love would be a nice bonus."

So here I am. I feel like I'm on the cusp of greatness, but there are a few things that are holding me back. Some are in my control, while others are a bit out of my hands.

Until I figure those things out, I think I'll take Jamie's advice:

I'll enjoy the roller coaster of life and I'll continue to be the best version of Cathy that I can be.
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No Limits

Have a great weekend! Do something daring!

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To the Dreamers

source

As I'm editing this post, I'm watching Disney's "Ratatouille." We made coq au vin (a French dish of chicken cooked in red wine) for dinner last night and I've wanted to watch this movie ever since. Remy, the main character, dreams of becoming a renowned French chef and is torn between his family's wishes and his true calling. I guess it's appropriate since I needed some sort of finishing touch for this post.

There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savor it.      --Gusteau, from "Ratatouille"

While driving back to Chicago after Thanksgiving, John brought up a good point about the blog. Right now, my tagline is "Saving Money with Style." He suggested that I expand on that thought since saving money and spending it wisely can only go so far. Unless you make some changes, your funds are limited.

So what can you do? Begin creating wealth. It can be something as simple as putting funds in an interest bearing savings account or starting to invest. Or...you can do something a little more dramatic. Like inventing a new product or starting your own business. Not only is that beneficial to you and your family, but it also helps improve the economy.

There was a story on NPR's "Marketplace" a few weeks ago that talked about this very thing. Robert Litan of the Kauffman Foundation has analyzed statistics on job-creation going back to 1980. Per Litan, "Start-ups, companies that are in their first five years of life, account for virtually all net job growth in the United States economy. The existing firms' job creation is more or less offset by the destruction of jobs. The really only way we're really adding jobs over time, on net, is through the constant influx of these new firms." Specifically, it's innovative start-ups designing new products or processes that make the biggest difference. These products can lead to entirely new industries. Think of the invention of the computer or the Internet. Or what about Groupon? Groupon has only been in existance for 2 years, and Google wanted to buy them for $6 billion!

But don't be overwhelmed if you don't have the next Google or iPhone waiting to be discovered in your back pocket. I want to encourage all of you with entrepreneurial aspirations to keep dreaming and follow your passions. Niki coined the term “Midnight Hustlers” for this band of entrepreneurs growing their businesses late at night, early in the morning, and on the weekends. If you need some inspiration, you can read interviews with a few Midnight Hustlers on Makeunder My Life. Who knows where the future will take you. You might even surprise yourself!

You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great.            --Gusteau, from "Ratatouille"

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