Unexpected Twists & Turns Of Running A Business

Traveling to new places and making friends in along the way are a couple of my favorite things about what I do professionally. I drive to many locations to allow me to experience new adventures and take time to enjoy them as they unfold. This particular trip to Texarkana, TX was not one I was looking forwards to; but before I departed, I gave myself permission to enjoy the journey. This made all the difference as I made the 14+ trek from Northern Iowa to Texas.

A few weeks prior to this trip, I had gone through one of the most stressful weeks of my life both personally and professionally. I won’t go in to all of the crazy details, but it involved taking on a new trade show, massive growth in the offerings of my business, misunderstandings between my husband and I, a police report for a major theft, and the loss of my dad. It was one heck of an awful ride to say the least!

At any rate, I would usually call and visit with my dad on a road trip such as this. If he was busy when I called, there was plenty of time for him to call back and I would be available for hours to come. We would visit about all things gardening, fishing, and the latest going on in our lives. This was my first road trip after he passed away, so I was not looking forward to the reminder that would slap me in the face when I thought to dial him up for a chat. One of the things he would always say when we were driving around on the back roads to the next fishing hole was “everyone is in such a hurry to get somewhere fast to sit and wait”. He lived life at a slower pace and took time to enjoy the journey.

As I traveled along through many new states, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to slow down and enjoy the journey. Why rush to get to a hotel to sit and wait for morning to come. I knew I wanted to make a stop that allowed me to get out and do some hiking, breathe in fresh air, and soak in some sun. I was looking for somewhere other than a typical rest stop in Missouri to do just that. I had almost given up hope when finally, I saw a sign for a state park about 10 miles off the beaten path. I decided it looked worth the extra miles and time it would add to the trip. It promised adventure and nature’s beauty with terms like “bluffs and drop-offs” as well as “stream crossing” and “steep grades”.

As I drove to the state park there were many twists and turns in the road with bluffs overhead. Gorgeous sights that made me wish I was on my Harley rather than in my minivan. Each turn in the road added anticipation of the sights ahead. I passed by a river that was glistening in the sun with large rocks lining the banks. It was tempting to stop, but knowing I had hours left to drive, I wanted to go on that hike that promised the most beautiful of sights. I finally popped out of the twists and turns in the road to the Big Sugar Creek State Park. To my absolute surprise, what I saw was a brick restroom in the middle of the gravel lot and mowed grass leading into a hiking trail. To say the least, this wasn’t quite what I expected or had envisioned in my mind.

Despite the discouraged feeling I felt, I was still convinced that there were bluffs and waterfalls hidden behind the landing point of this park. I swapped my flip flops for some tennis shoes, slapped on some bug spray and a sun hat and off I went to begin the adventure. As I got going along the trail, I quickly realized this must not be as popular of a place as my brain had led me to believe. Cob webs stuck to my sweaty face and arms as I walked along the grass trail. This was one of the most disgusting things I’d encountered, which is shocking since I grew up in rural Iowa on a farm. I wanted to turn back due to sheer disappointment, but I kept going. I had convinced myself it would all be worth it.

I had come to an intersection in the trail and made the decision to keep going deeper into the park. It led me to a dried-up stream and it was not obvious where the trail continued on the other side. I turned back to see if maybe the other leg of the trail would have that beautiful waterfall I was sure existed here. I also wised up and grabbed a long stick to circle ahead of me to avoid taking on more cob webs. As I came to the end of this leg, I found another dried up stream. No waterfall, no large rocks, no amazing sights to be found. As I turned back to return to my vehicle, full of disappointment, I realize how stupid I’d been. If I so much as twisted an ankle out here, no one knows where I am. I have no cell service, there are probably snakes and other animals out here that I didn’t think about until now…..I continued walking carefully to be sure I wasn’t the next meal to some unknown to me snake that would surely eat my carcass if I were to stumble into an unconscious state.

Once I was back to the entrance of the trail, I realized there were signs about the park. I looked them over learning about Missouri being home to 47 species and subspecies of snakes! Five of those snakes are venomous…cool! If I had known this before I went for my hike, I likely would not have gone since I was wearing leggings and tennis shoes. These hardly seemed like the type of clothing appropriate for encounters with venomous snakes!

“There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity and I walk it often with confidence.”

This is when I realized how much the experience mirrored the beginnings of my entrepreneurial adventure. When I began the exciting adventure of being an entrepreneur, I envisioned the flexibility of my schedule, loving every day of what I do, making tons of money, being in charge of my destiny, working the hours I wanted rather than what an employer told me to. I set goals, made plans full of action points to achieve those goals and moved full force ahead with an equal amount of bravery and stupidity….just like the hike in Missouri. I had my 5-year and 10-year plans combined with a ton of energy and ambition to achieve it all.

In both of my adventures of becoming self-employed and going for a hike at the Big Sugar Creek State Park, I have experienced excitement and disappointment with each twist and turn in the road. Both experiences have been filled with adventure, but not necessarily the visions I had in my head going into either situation.

“I created a vision of what being a self-employed person would be like and learned the reality of that vision was a bit unrealistic and delusional.”

One of my goals for my first-born business was to have multiple locations and staff members to go with them. I wanted to work fewer hours when I became a mother to allow me to enjoy both worlds equally. Serving my customers with a unique experience of high-quality products and personal attention with a quick turnaround time were at the top of my list. I had my eye on the target so fiercely that I passed by opportunities along the way and didn’t notice when it was time to ease up towards certain goals no longer serving my mission.

There were surprises around each bend in the road, just like on that trip in Missouri. I was shocked at the support my local community gave to my new venture. Rather than having a cushy and flexible work schedule, I found myself working night and day 60-80 hours a week and skipping out on summer bon fires and time with friends to ensure my new venture was a success. After turning the corner of hiring staff, I enjoyed the blessings I had envisioned of being able to share the workload, but never saw the stress that would come alongside that. I was slapped with the reality that people get sick, their loved ones die, they have emotional stressors that affect their work and so much more. I also had not anticipated the resistance my customers would have towards working with a new face.

My first run with multiple locations included a mobile unit that went to county fairs and other events to create personalized apparel and decals made to order. As planned, this helped market my business, gain new customers, and pay debt off more quickly. I had not expected the wealth of knowledge I would gain from this chapter of life nor the wildly strange experiences I would have along the way.

Once I became a mother, I had staff to run the store like a well-oiled machine while I took my maternity leave. I had planned on that being the usual six weeks, until I had an unexpected c-section that turned into 14 weeks of me wondering how I was ever going to screen print again. I took my newborn to work with me thinking this would allow me to live that dream of being the Mom-Boss I dreamed of. Reality, once again, slapped me around and taught me that a place of business is no place to take a screaming infant that suffers from colic and think that is going to be anything but a disaster!

Eventhough I did not find my waterfall on that hike and got nothing but a face full of cob webs during the search, I allowed myself to be flexible and try to find something positive I could take from that experience. I sat down in the grass, away from rocks that the 47 species of snakes could be hiding out in, and I attempted to make a live Facebook post about my insight of this experience and how it related to my life and adventures as an entrepreneur.

This too was a fail, because I still had no cell service. However, as I sat there relentlessly trying to get that post to work, a butterfly glided into my life and landed on my shoulder. I could feel it’s little legs tapping on my skin ever so gently. This, this part of the experience, was worth all of the disappointment I had experienced. In that moment, I felt like the butterfly gave me a hug from my dad who had passed away a month before. I know, sounds crazy. But it was such a peaceful and happy moment that made all of the horrible moments of this adventure worthwhile. Had I gotten frustrated with my expectations not being met, I would not have had this moment that touched my soul deeply.

“Had I gotten frustrated with my expectations not being met, I would not have had this moment that touched my soul deeply. Life presents us with opportunities all the time that we pass by thinking there is something better down the road, just around the next turn.”

After that, I gave up on the live Facebook post and moved on. I stopped at that river I had driven past, realizing life presents us with opportunities all the time that we pass by thinking there is something better down the road, just around the next turn. I took my shoes off, waded into the water and took time to feel every slippery rock under my feet and to see the glimmer of tiny fish in the water nearby. I felt the sun warm my skin and the breeze gently blow my hair. This was no waterfall, but it sure was a wonderful pit stop along my way. Life is totally unpredictable and full of surprises, disappointments, accomplishments, and failures. This day was one to remind me to be flexible enough to enjoy the journey.