When last we spoke, I had transported back to 2015 where I was selling Funko Pops on eBay and toying with the idea of starting something new. I wanted to do something that I could sell my own creations and not resell collectibles. Not that it isn't fun to resell, but it still felt like working for someone else. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to own my own coffee shop. I still do, I have a whole dream but it isn't quite in reach at this point, more on that another time. Today I want to go back in time a bit and talk about what drove me to dive into the world of self employment.
I am positive we have all been here, living in a rental, in less than ideal circumstances and having a desire to better your situation? We were in this situation. We lived in a rental house and we tried to make the absolute best of a really sad situation. I felt like I tried to decorate and be as positive as I could but in truth, i was wearing flipflops in the shower and cooking in a makeshift kitchen because we didn't have one. Back in 2014-2015 we were living in a tiny 800 sqft duplex but due to the area and the landlord owing too much in taxes, we felt it was best to move as quick as we could. We very quickly found a place that was almost too good to be true with 2 garage spaces and in our price range. We took a quick look one day when they were "cleaning" the house, signed the papers, got the keys and guess what? We realized just how "too good to be true" the situation was once it was quiet and dark in there. I'll spare the horrific details, lets just say we had no choice but to manage as best as we could. I remember we would lay in bed at night watching fixer upper on HGTV and I would cry because I just wanted to go home, to our home. I no longer wanted to try and put money into something that we weren't getting anything in return. I wanted us to invest in something that was our own, that WE could be proud of.
Skip ahead a little bit, in 2015-2017 we had been in the process of looking to buy our first home. We thought we wouldn't be in that rental house for too long... Oh what shock that was. Long story short, multiple banks, house tours, real estate agents, and house contracts that fell through days before we got our keys... it was a tiring and very depressing process. Let me pause and just say, buying a home should be a happy and joyful experience. It wasn't. We had to stop, refocus, take a break, revaluate, adapt, and start over again. It took a serious toll on us. Once we stopped trying so hard to make something work that wasn't meant to work, we did manage to find our "little gem" as I call her. A cute little house on a quiet one lane road with an absolutely beautiful front lawn and a koi pond. I could see my kids growing up in this house. Playing in this yard. Fixing up this little fixer upper, and being in a better place mentally and physically. After the 2 years it took, we were able to get the keys and call this place home. There is a lot more to this story but I want to get to the point of this blog.
I am still haunted by the memories of that awful rental house but I'm glad that we went through that period of trauma because it helps to remind us that things can always be worse. It reminds us that we have been in worse situations but together we made it through and came out on the other side stronger. With the hard work and determination, even with a few bumps in the road you can turn a bad home into a good one and have something that you can be proud of. It takes dedication, work, effort, and of course a lot of time.
Okay, but why are you telling us about a house, this is about your journey into making, or was that title wrong?? Well, all journey's have a beginning and a starting point. The story of our house is the same emotions and feelings I have every day when I work. I have to juggle and fight with myself because I am a type of person who wants instant gratification and with all things comes hard work and time! We didn't find a home for us to build a solid foundation right away, it took a lot of trying, failing, trying something new, adapting, and succeeding. That is what a small business is as well. In order for us to start something new, we had to overcome a lot to start over with a brand new foundation to build on. I may have been running my eBay store back when we had our tiny duplex and our horror house but I knew with new beginnings came new changes and new hurdles too. Everything that has happened, all intertwines together to create the bigger story.
I wanted to own a business as a kid, yes. But that wasn't something I had in my mind my whole life. I wasn't a 10 year old playing coffee shop or drawing pictures of my dream storefront, in fact I played school and drew pictures of nature trail maps and had adventures in our backyard. I wasn't dreaming of adult hood and caffeine headaches! I always thought people who owned businesses wasn't something just anyone could do. After high school I assumed I would just get a part time somewhere or bounce from place to place just to get by. My "dream" was a nice idea for years but it wasn't until I had to adapt to some pretty relatable circumstances that led me to the idea of having an LLC in my mid 20s.
So, we began our new chapter in 2017. We moved into our first home, and shortly after, things really changed for us in more ways then one. For starters, we welcomed our daughter in 2018 almost a year after we got our keys, and we started Wright House Designs when we purchased our lemon laser right here in our dining room. However, it is never always bubblegum and rainbows all the time, the happy ending is so far in the future, but we can only focus on the stepping stones in front of us. One chapter closes and another opens... and we will pick up from here next time.
In closing, the journey is not the destination. The journey is the experiences we have, how we handle them, and the stories we create through the way that lead us to the present. In the next blog, I want to talk less about how we got here, and discuss more of the actual business side. For now, I think I want to go grab a cup of coffee and breath it all in. It is a Friday evening after all and we all have to take time to unwind!
✨📸Picture Time:
