Hi, my name is Christie and I am a serial entrepreneur. In just under a decade, I have started and/or researched countless businesses that I was interested in running. I’ve been:
- A virtual admin assistant
- An event planner
- A business document creator
- A relocation consultant
- A residential space planner
- A small business consultant
- A writer
- A life coach
And that’s just the list of the things I actually did and generated income. I am still doing the last three on the list today. This list doesn’t even include the attempts or the mere ideas that I have had. But, why so many? Couldn’t I have just picked one and stayed with it? Um … no. What was wrong with me? Actually, nothing.
The Relocation Consultant is the job that I stuck to the longest. I owned that business for six years, which proved to everyone (and myself) that I could start something and see it through to the end. You see, I knew when I started that business, it would end. Mostly though, I had made it my life’s work; what I would retire from when I was forty-ish. Deep down, I knew this was just “one of those things” I tried and it worked. I am surprised I stuck with it for as long as I did.
To the outside world, everything was perfect. I had a successful business that I ran from home. I had a flexible schedule and could be there for my family at a moment’s notice. I was making good money and everything was going so well. Why on earth would I give that up? I struggled with that for a couple of years. I loved my work but I hated my work. Why? I came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t fun anymore. And like a kid at a play date when she gets bored, I packed my toys and went home.
I love having my own business. Working for myself was the best thing I ever decided to do. And I know without a shadow of a doubt, I will always work for myself no matter what that work is. When I decided to hang up my relocation hat for good (along with the many other hats that came before it) and launch my new business (and therefore a new and improved me), I knew that I would eventually have to tell people. It has been hard for me to “come out of the closet,” so to speak, because I have done so many things and tried so many things and I am always talking about ideas that I have and businesses I would love to start. To the point where I thought that those who know me well would doubt me, criticize me, say, “Oh brother, here she goes again with another idea,” and I was afraid.
I went over and over in my head how I was going to break the news to my friends, family, and former clients about my newfound career path. I mean, the book I published was bad enough, right … who knew I could write or even wanted to write? I searched and searched for the right words, the convincing words that would make everyone believe that I was for real and not off on yet another one of my favorite short-lived career tangents. And yet, I was still empowered by the fact that this was what I really wanted to do, and I am not perfect, but imperfect and inspired. And so, I became a Life Coach.
I picked a few people to tell. My mother, as always, is supportive of everything I do and wishes me well. It helps that she is very much into self-help. My husband is on board but I can sometimes hear a little skepticism in his voice (one of my new skills as a life coach). He has that “I’ll believe it when I see it” tone, but with an optimistic lilt to it so it is still supportive. The truth is, with our second baby on the way, I think he’ll be happy when it earns money. The rest of my friends and family … well, some have made active inquiries and have given me referrals to potential clients. Some I think are still in “wait-and-see mode” based on the past.
