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Where I Started
I think the number one question we get here at Minimalism Is Simple from most folks is how I started my businesses especially once they find out about my minimalist lifestyle. People have a difficult time reconciling business owner and minimalist. To me, they are very complimentary and I wouldn’t live my life any other way. I’ve always wanted to be in business for myself for different reasons at different times starting from when my kids were very young.
Let me give you a little history about me. I have several passions and have had quite a few businesses – matter of fact right now I own three as I write this book. Some of these businesses I really enjoyed and others not so much that I sold fairly quickly. When I first started, I dabbled in different types of businesses. Many times, while I enjoyed the initial stages of creating a business, once it was up and running I quickly lost interest.
On the other hand, I have been in the toy industry for more than 20 years. That is a long time in any industry if you think about it. Many of us bounce from one job to another looking for the one job that feels right. Unfortunately, for many of us we just never find that job because we are working hard for someone else and we think to ourselves “why aren’t we working this hard for ourselves?”
Before the toy industry I was in the oil industry – two vastly different business types but I learned quite a bit from each one. In addition, while working for a large oil company, I took advantage of their tuition reimbursement program and acquired my BS in Business with a minor in Marketing and I found my true love – marketing. I absolutely love marketing and figuring out what makes people tick.
It seemed like it would be the answer to everything to be able to work from home while raising kids. That is where the problem arose though. I was focused on “working from home” and not so much on “launching a business.” Your thoughts are very important in this process.
I think I purchased just about every work from home, business opportunity program out there and I’ll be honest – I learned a little bit. I’m not going to discount these programs because each did add a little piece to the puzzle but they were not the “SOLUTION” that was going to make me “RICH”. Bottom line? There is no such thing as an out of the box, successful business unless you buy one that is already operational and profitable – but be prepared to pay a pretty penny for that business.
The best money I actually invested along the way was marketing. The key is to make sure there are people that want what you are offering whether it be a service, product, or combination of the two. If you are very good at something such as creating concrete sculptures, are their people willing to buy your sculptures? Can your customers afford the high shipping charges that they will incur due to the weight and dimensions of the carton you are shipping? You have to look at all angles of your business – not just that it is something you like. Do you have a market that likes it too?
After I decided which direction I wanted to go, I launched my first online website business which was a hodge-podge of so many things that I did not have a clear consumer I was marketing too. I was trying to be everything to everyone and this is a recipe for disaster. So took a step back and streamlined it down to wedding favors then launched wedding jewelry off of the wedding favors site because I noticed a trend. I was selling just as much wedding jewelry as I was the wedding favors and decorations. So I launched a second website focusing just on wedding jewelry.
As it turns out, I really did not enjoy the wedding industry. It’s actually very stressful! The brides and their families are working so hard and spending a fortune in the process. In some cases, couples spend more than $25,000 for a wedding reception. I had such a hard time reconciling this in my brain plus the stress of dealing with many times unrealistic expectations on delivery for custom items led to my decision to sell both businesses. I actually sold them both for significant profit in about 16 months from when they were launched. Combined with her scholarships, the sale of these businesses put my oldest daughter through college with a new reliable car and started my younger daughter on her college career.
This was actually the beginning of when I started to think minimally. In my mind, I was thinking “Wow! They could have put such a nice down payment on a house or started their married life debt free.” Not too many years later is when my daughter introduced me to minimalism and it coincided with moving to the country in rural Florida and launching a pool toy and beach accessory company. A match made in heaven.
You will see it was a journey but definitely an enjoyable one with bumps and blips along the way. I hope that once you have read my journey, it gives you the courage to take a step forward toward launching your business if that is what you truly want to do.
Blessings,
Denise
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