Diving In Or Getting Pushed?

Over a year ago I experienced one of the biggest blows to my ego - I got laid off. There were so many things that ran through my mind that March morning. My feelings went back and forth between anger and sadness, But my underlying thought was, I AM PISSED OFF. I am a hard worker, I pour my heart and soul into my job - always have, always will.  At the time of this "dismissal", I was helping a new start-up build a corporate sales program. When the news came that they no longer “needed me”, it hurt deep into my soul. After that pronouncement, I walked into my house and tearfully said to my husband “I got laid off, I don’t have a job anymore”. I expected him to say “there, there” it will be alright. But, and this was a biggie, he told me (and I quote) “This is the best thing that ever happened to you”. I definitely did not believe him at the time -  but it was.

The next day, I woke up, went for a run and dove into what was next....I told myself I had until January 1, 2018 to have a successful entrepreneurial business. It was that or back to the grind of a nine to five lifestyle (spoiler alert -  it has been over a year and I have met my goal and cannot imagine going back to the office environment).

Image From: some ecards

I would love to say that, boom, day one I was doing exactly what I liked and what I was good at, but that was not the case. Initially I just needed to make money, pay the bills, you know adult stuff. So there I was with a list of my contacts, years of relationships and now I just needed to figure out what to sell. I started my company as a wholesale representation firm, working to get brands into stores and corporate accounts.

As time went on I began to focus more and more on corporate sales, which is my true expertise. A few things I knew going in,

• It needed to be a great product, something unique if I was going to represent it
• I did not want to be limited to one product, I wanted to be a one-stop shop
• I never, hardly ever, say “No” (good and bad, mostly good!)

Image From: Netflix

It was not until I was working with a client that my regular representation business turned into a design firm creating bespoke merchandise and SWAG for companies, brands and individuals. They asked, can you do a sweatshirt, flip flops, beach towel in addition to the brand name items I was already providing them? And of course, the answer was YES I CAN!  I knew the steps to take. I got a resale license, signed up for a square account, did the other logistical things to pivot my business and got my company “up and running”. I got my client everything they needed for a camp themed event in upstate NY. Due to saying “yes”, I have continued to work with this client  creating gifts for their amazing sales retreats as well as the famous Cannes Lions event in the South of France. My clients now range from media companies to dating apps. Every day is exciting, unique and creative. I develop unique merchandise for a wide variety of end users!

My advice to anyone questioning whether to “take the leap” is if you can, DO IT!

REMEMBER…

• Say YES!
• Do your research
• Network
• List your strengths
• Go after your dream!

Make sure you give it everything you’ve got and that way you never look back thinking….What If?