It has always been a big dream of mine to own my own business. As I was growing up, I always pictured myself going into some type of design... I always thought it would be interior. It wasn't until I planned my own wedding that I realized how much I loved the wedding industry.

After I graduated college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was offered a job that seemed great, and it was, but then due to circumstances outside of my control, the company actually decided to shut down. At this point, I knew that I wanted to be in the event planning business, but I had just gotten started and in no way was I ready or prepared to start planning+designing weddings full time. I then had another opportunity present itself to me. I would be working for a family nannying/personal assisting 30 hours per week crammed into 3 days each week. This job was truly a blessing because it allowed me 4 day weekends and really enabled me to get my business off the ground.

The whole process of starting a business has been very eye opening to me. I have learned so much and have so much more to learn. This week is my first week of working for myself full time(!!!). Getting to this point has been a whirlwind and I am so thankful and excited to be here. It is scary going into business for yourself, but if it is a dream of yours, you can make it happen! Here are some things that have helped me get to this point:

Don't give up. When starting a business, you will have moments that are discouraging. Push through them. Just like life, businesses are full of mountain tops and valleys. Everyone has to go through valleys (sometimes multiple) to get where they want to be.
Surround yourself with people who will build you up. This one is pretty self explanatory
Talk to other business owners and get advice from them. I have found that talking to other business owners is one of the best things you can do. Other business owners can be a great resource of knowledge and encouragement, as well as a great source of connections.
When you own your own business, you really never stop working. Yes, you have control of your schedule, which is wonderful, but you have a lot to do and a lot of upkeep in order to maintain your business. This is something that's hard to understand unless you are at this place. You have to think about things like your website, finances, advertising, relationships with clients and other businesses, emails, social media...really, the list goes on and on.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. You'll never know the answer if you don't ask (or research). This is a hard one for me because I like to do things on my own. I have had to learn that asking for help doesn't actually make you weaker, but actually can make you stronger.
Surround yourself with things that inspire and motivate you. If I don't have sources of creativity flowing into my life, I have found that I almost become dormant. if you are in any type of creative business, you have to feed your creativity. Some things that I have found feed my creativity are: going to galleries/looking at other artists artwork, hiking, running, mediation, reading really great books, exploring new places, having a creative space, and talking to other artists to see what inspires them.

These six things have helped me tremendously. Working for yourself is not for the faint of heart, but I truly believe that if it is a dream that you have, it is so worth the work!