Happy 2021 Everyone!
A little late on saying this, but since we’re in early
January, I think I’m still allowed to say it and not have people look at me
strangely.
Since my transition from “Corp to Crafting” in early December,
I’m finally getting around to writing my first blog.
The first Monday after leaving, I woke up bright-eyed and
bushy-tailed with a mission and a plan for the day. However, 10 mins into
sitting down at my laptop, my squirrely mind said “hmm…a Hot Cocoa Ball sounds delish”. Next stop – the Kitchen. As my
milk heated up, I said to myself “Self, you will create a 90-day journal of what
it looks like in the day of your life from “Corp to Crafting”. Welp, that didn’t
happen… soon after finishing my Hot Cocoa, my first nap of the day took place.
Later that evening, my prior manager reached out to me to
ask how my first day went. I told her “the manager (me), had to have a stern
conversation about the amount of breaks, and lack of focus with her employee
(me) already. She cracked up, and said “tell the manager (you), to be easy on
the employee (you)…this is all new to her”. We both had a great laugh …
Several days into this transition, I thought “wow, this will be easy breezy…my own boss, I can do my own thing and manage my own self”.. Well… I’ll tell anyone, if you think it’s easy, it’s not. In Corp America, I had a Marketing/eCommerce team to help me create and share my messaging to the employees, I had a team (the Squirrel Squad) that was my support system, lots of cool people to do watercooler talk with, and ask my daily famous line “What’s for lunch?”. Being a start up small business, you only have YOU!
The second week rolled around, and again I woke up bright-eyed
and bushy-tailed with a mission and plan for the week. HOWEVER, I got derailed a
few times. (i.e. Naps, Netflix, Amazon and YouTube). Given there were a few diversions,
I managed to create a few Facebook/LinkedIn entries, and completed a few
orders. Mid-week, I started to get a little concerned on whether I made the
right decision, self doubt started to creep in.
My “mentors” (won’t mention their names, but they know who
they are) called and checked in on me. I conveyed to them that some days were a
bit unproductive, and questioned if I made the right decision. They said “Jan,
you haven’t had a break in over a year, this is your time to breathe…you’ll be
fine. We have faith and confidence in you.” (the photo is the beautiful gift
they sent me…love them and wouldn’t trade them for anything)
I wasn’t concerned about orders, because they were steady prior
to taking the leap. It seemed once I gave my notice, it was like the floodgates
blew open and the orders were coming in via email, text, phone, and any other
way customers knew how to contact me… I think some even arrived snail mail.
Fast forward, January 4th, marked my one month of
being my own boss/CEO. WOW, never thought I would say that…still pinching
myself.
As I look back, the month of December was my time to rest,
regroup, get focused and ready for all the great things that will take place in
2021.
What solidified this thought, was the Friday episode of
Kelly & Ryan…
Kelly said “January” is now changed to “Jan-U-Ready”. I felt
like she was speaking directly to me! She is my new best friend in my head!
For those who might not get it, let me break it down for you.
Jan is my name
U=I’m/Me
Ready-Ready to take on the world/2021
No doubt it was a huge leap, with long days and nights, (but
that’s because my creative brain can’t shut down.), but I wouldn’t trade it for
anything in the world…oh wait…there are two things I do miss…the steady/guaranteed
paycheck every two weeks, and the company paid benefits. LOL
If you have a passion, follow it. Don’t let your dreams pass
you by, life is too short…live your life!
Hope you enjoy some of my December creations, had a ton of fun creating/making
them….
My motto is “I Turn Your Vision Into Reality”
Stay blessed and Healthy!
Jan
