Now What?
Career Journey Pivots
When I was young, I never thought of myself as “career” oriented. My family could not afford to send me to college and I did not really have any ambition towards a college education. I was born in the late 50s, so I figured I would grow up and be a mom and someone’s wife. That in itself I suppose is a career choice. But like many stay-at-home moms, as my kids aged, so did I, and so did my need to be something or someone else.
At first, I tried working at some paid job but I did it mostly to help boost our family finances and to support our growing children. It was okay, but it wasn’t fulfilling. It was just necessary.
It wasn’t until I was introduced to Entrepreneurship that I realized I may have found something fulfilling. My budding Entrepreneurship started by following my husband and his career choice. We started a business together and like most marital business partnerships — he was the brawn, he did all of the technical stuff, and I was the brain — I managed the business. I found I had a knack for it. It fit most of my personality boxes — control, organizational skills, planning, logic.
Long story short, the business faltered (after 14 years) thanks to a corrupt banker. It was time for a new change — Another Pivot.
We struggled for years, but I am someone who just can’t sit by and wait. We started a small photography business in a small town on a small island — it was fun but not a big money maker. What it was good for was introducing us to the town, the community, and other local businesses.
I started organizing photography workshops, joined the local camera club, and discovered a new creative outlet.
I finally branched off on my own after we closed the photography store. My choice for the next pivot finally revolved around me and my skills based on what interested me. It was at this time when Facebook was just starting to introduce itself to businesses. Constant Contact was really making headway with small business in the form of email marketing. And I was introduced to Weebly, a WSIWYG website builder for small businesses.
My passion has always been about Small Businesses. I firmly believe they are the heart and soul of this country, of a community. Our small town was somewhat removed from the large city life of Seattle and its surrounding areas, meaning it wasn’t quite there yet in the use of Social Media, Websites, and Email Marketing, so guess what I started? Yep, a small marketing business where I either taught others how to really utilize these new tools, or for those that did not want to learn, I would become their Marketing Sidekick using the tools I professed to believe in.
As most of these tools became more mainstream, other businesses popped up and competition was getting a little more assertive. Luckily I was heavily involved in the arts by then and Artists are usually some of the least experienced marketers, so I found myself teaching them.
My involvement in the arts also brought forth a long time dream — to write. I joined local writing groups, and with a few writing friends we started a small support group, encouraging each other to push forth more words. Because of this, I was introduced to the world of self-publishing, just as Amazon was starting to make it easy for author wannabes. My husband joined me then and learned how to layout books in InDesign and design book covers. We taught classes on self-publishing and marketing. And, most importantly, I self-published my first novel, The Blood Stone Queen.
But like all Pivots, it slowly turned and dwindled, changing directions on me — Again!!!
I found a job, something with a steady paycheck. Feast and Famine can only get you so far. I started out as a part-time bookkeeper for a small local publishing company, but before I knew it, I was office manager. Here I was managing a small business again. It’s something I truly enjoy, but the stress of it can weigh heavily on you after a while. I felt that I was busting my butt for a business that was not mine, just added to the stress.
Our most recent pivot was two years RVing on the road. The Plan was to document the lifestyle on a YouTube Channel, but I soon realized I wasn’t really ready to do that. It was already a saturated market and I could not figure out how our story was different. Instead I fell back on what I knew and enjoyed — writing. I started a blog of our journey instead and used Facebook and Instagram as the Social Media of choice.
That journey ended so now, it is time for a New Pivot. Only, I am at an age now where I need something that really expresses me. But, what? That always seems to be the question. It is often hard to find a balance between what you desire to do and what your financial needs are. Yes, they do say, “do what you love and the money will follow,” true, but often it takes time for the money to follow. Time, many budding Entrepreneurs don’t have when supporting a family.
My writing is still foremost in my heart and will play a major role, no matter what I decide.
I am dreading starting over. I feel like I have to relearn how to market myself again, but once I find that “something,” my passion for it will take over and before I know it — I will have found my new Pivot.
