^I was customizing necklaces on the spot by adding the hand cut heart. It was a little stressful to do it with people watching but well worth it to see how excited they were.
In November I was a vendor at Renegade Austin. It was super exciting for many reasons but the top 2 were:
1. It was my very first craft show.
2. It was in Austin-a place I had called home and where my business actually had begun.
I spent about 6 weeks making a display (which was both stressful and fun) and making as many Texas Necklaces as I could. When the weekend arrived I was so nervous because I had no idea what to expect. But as with most things my nerves quickly went away and I just enjoyed talking with all of the super nice people who came to the show that day. Seriously everyone was so nice! Probably one of the reasons I love Texas so much.
It was a super great learning experience for me and one I would absolutely do again. And guess what? Renegade is coming to Seattle! The dates are on my calendar and I will be applying just as soon as the applications open. I can’t wait!
(a few of the collective members at ALT summit this January)
As you most likely know by now (but it’s totally fine if you don’t) I have been running my own business for four years. Within that four years I was constantly searching out people who were doing similar things. Running your own business is hard and doing it all on your own all the time is exhausting. I wanted to find a group of women who really got what I was doing and that could offer me support and I could offer it back. I wanted to find my tribe.
I attended conferences and took online classes and I would meet truly wonderful people and have all the best intentions but I couldn’t figure out how to keep that momentum going after the event or class. And then I met Cyndie. We met in an online business group along with Stasia and Tatiana. And then we met in person and I could tell this would be different.
Soon after we met she launched The Collective {of us} and asked if I’d like to be a part of it and I said yes! As Cyndie puts it it’s an online collective for entrepreneurs to build and grow their biz through community, strategy, coaching, and peer-to-peer support. I knew a few of the ladies who were also going to be a part and I could assume everyone else would be equally amazing.
I knew it would make me accountable. It would give me a group of people I could get advice from. It would help me keep in contact with some ladies I had met in the past. It would help me feel a little less alone in my business. What I did not anticipate was just how amazing it would really be. Everyone was so knowledgeable and helpful. It seemed that we all had similar struggles and were so eager to share what we had learned and to listen to what more we could learn. The information I received and business help was so great but what I was truly grateful for was that I had finally found my tribe.
I’ve been so inspired by this group to grow my business, to be true to my brand and myself, to believe in what I do and my talents. If this sounds like something you’d be interested here is the link to find out more and if not that’s fine too. It’s just fun to share where my inspiration comes from and the people that are in my business and life support system.
^I was customizing necklaces on the spot by adding the hand cut heart. It was a little stressful to do it with people watching but well worth it to see how excited they were.
