This week in the One Funnel Away Challenge our focus has been on publishing. We were instructed to pick the way we feel most comfortable with – FB/IG Live, Podcast – and start publishing.
I’ve been publishing my thoughts through this website for the last few weeks for accountability purposes, but it was suggested that we go to one of the bigger publishers and start publishing there. So I did.
Super out of my comfort zone – but – the people I need to serve are not located in my comfort zone. I didn’t have a super inspiring topic to start with, so I just pulled right out of the top of my head to get the assignment complete.
I think during these last 9 months of absolute uncertainty in our world there are many men and women who have received that same phone call. My thoughts are just to let them know they are not alone and to introduce them to the idea that there may be another way instead of getting another job.
Anyways, back to today’s homework assignment – We’ve been assigned to publish our origin story… so here ya go!
Growing up, I didn’t have parents… I had guardians. So, as it sometimes goes, at about the age of 16 I was out on my own. I found jobs and worked like my life depended on it.
Naturally, I always climbed the ladder at the places I worked because I would treat every job as if I was the owner of the company. My work ethic was always A++. It’s safe to say I cared way too much.
Last year I found myself working at a job with no career advancement – there was nowhere up to go. I was undervalued, and miserable when I got the call about being laid off.
Don’t get me wrong, I was delighted about it. But dang, waking up as a 40+ year-old with no “formal” education, a large pile of bills that would all now fall on my husband’s shoulders… Sucked.
Once this happened the natural thing for me to do would be to find another job right?
WRONG
… that is exactly what DID NOT happen.
In my heart, I wanted to be an entrepreneur and run my own business. I had the skills to do it, and surely I had the work ethic. I knew there was no freaking chance, I would take on another job.
I knew I wanted to work for myself but I had no idea “what to sell”. This became a stopping point. Month after month I didn’t take action because I didn’t know what to do to start.
As a woman who has always prided myself on ‘holding my own’ in a relationship, this was soul-crushing. I was stuck.
I had hit rock bottom and finally had to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with myself. Either you want to be an entrepreneur and you’re going jump in and do something to make money – or you’re going to stop acting like one and go find a job, immediately.
Out of the blue I received a call from someone I’d worked with, in the past. One of his clients needed some freelance contract work done – so technically- working for myself! Just what I was looking for. This gave me the instant relief of contributing to the household bottom line again.
After doing this freelance thing for a few months, I started to experience one specific situation that I’d previously had while working at the job that drove me insane… sitting in my chair, twiddling my thumbs waiting to get a small question answered. Waiting around just isn’t in my personality type.
Feeling completely frustrated, I quit freelance work. I knew I had the heart and the ability to serve others… but this was not the way I wanted to do it.
Once I freed up my time, I had the mental capacity to design the business that had been rolling around in my head.
At that moment, the light flickered on. I could take my life experience and combine it with the knowledge from everything I had just been through in the last 9+ months.
I took the time to build the system out. I wanted to deliver something affordable that will help newly started business owners to train their operations teams so they could work on the business, not in the business.
In the end, I knew all those years of writing in my Start Today journal ” I will own my own company” would pay off. I no longer had to sit at my computer all day long, waiting around for someone to throw me a bone.
I finally made it to Business Owner!
Wow, talk about vulnerable. EEEKS! Thanks for listening.
Here for your success,
