obstacles as openings

  I started as a "Mom without Pop business" creating my candles while taking care of my then 5 and 8 year old children. I moved 3 times in 3 years. I had several doctors working with me on my health issues while working through insomnia and heart palpitations.

My first big online sale was for One King's Lane. It was a particularly hot summer and I had to ship hundreds of candles; hoping they wouldn't melt. I couldn't afford to invest in ice packs or fancy shipping materials. 

Magically, they arrived safely, (well all but 2 out of 300!). 

I had fun seeing every set back and challenge as an opportunity. I started to get excited when something didn't work because it meant I had to try a different direction and this kept me busy during an otherwise hard personal time. One memorable challenge was finding a logo that represented the struggle I was going through. I kept looking for an image of a bird taking flight, or a nest with eggs ready to hatch. It wasn't in my budget to hire a graphic artist or buy an image. And then I thought "hey! Why don't I just draw my own?!" And so my logo is a drawing I did one day at my kitchen counter.

I've learned that business doesn't have to look like a 9-5 day in an office with a boss and a paycheck. Business is finding something you love and creating ways to share it. Business is taking risks, trusting your intuition, and seeing obstacles as openings.