I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Everything I do has to be picture perfect, and I have a tendency to be a bit competitive. Not that I like to compete, I just have to be the best, or else I don’t even want to try. And I have to be the best "effortlessly." I have a really hard time letting people know when something is work or has been difficult for me.

I’ve always been this way.

Even when I was a little girl, I didn’t know how to let people in on my process.

I remember when I was learning how to ride a bike. I was about 6 or 7 years old, and my parents were trying so hard to teach me, but I just wasn’t getting it. And it wasn’t necessarily the fact that I wasn’t doing it that frustrated me, it was that my parents saw that I wasn’t getting it.

I don’t care that something is work for me. I actually enjoy hard work. I just have a hard time letting anyone else know it is hard work. It's like I was born for the instagram-perfect era where we only show little snapshots of our perfect life and forget the struggles.

I was so frustrated that I couldn’t just pick up the bike and impress them with my natural skill and ride off into the sunset like a pro.

Essentially, I didn’t know how to make a mistake in front of an audience, which led to a lot of anxiety and frustration, which then inevitably led to even more mistakes, more anxiety, more frustration.

I was getting nowhere fast.

Eventually, my parents gave up on trying to teach me. They went back into the house, leaving me dejected and very much not riding a bike.

The funny thing is, once they were gone, I was able to get up, get on my bike, and within just a few minutes, I was riding that bike. I still remember what it felt like on that first ride. All by myself, riding down the pathway that led to the park next to my house, the wind in my hair and the excitement of finally getting it.

I just couldn’t do it with anyone watching.

Sadly, this trait has followed me throughout my entire life. And unfortunately, life isn’t a solo operation. There’s always someone watching, especially now that I’m married and have kids of my own. I can’t keep making mistakes in private, never showing any of the problems or obstacles that I encounter, hiding all of that pain and frustration from my family. They need to know that I’m human and what I’m feeling so that we can all learn and grow from these experiences together.

Honestly, that’s why I announced my business when I did, very early on in the process. With my last business, I didn’t tell a soul about it until I announced my grand opening. I already had all of my products in hand, my website was built, pictures were taken, everything was all in line and ready to go.

But in the decade that I ran that business, I’ve learned that I can’t - and shouldn’t - try to do it all alone or behind a curtain. There is so much strength and empowerment in working through a collaborative effort.

This was especially true in the last couple of years, when I really learned how many people truly cared about me and my business and wanted to see me succeed. I learned how to work with customers and other brands and make everyone more successful.

That’s not to say that this all comes naturally to me now. Quite the opposite.

I’ve actually been working on this business for over six months already, and have barely even been able to tell my husband what I’m trying to do or what I’ve accomplished so far. Often when he comes home, I hide the screen of whatever I’m working on, as if it is something scandalous and naughty, instead of my goals and ideas for my business that I just haven’t quite finished yet.

But I know how much more I can accomplish, how much more I can learn and grow, and how much more I can help other people when I’m open with my entire journey, not just the parts that are already picture perfect.

That’s why I decided to announce my business and start writing my blog and posting on social media when I still have several months before I’ll be able to really open my business and share the products and services that I’m currently creating.

My hope is that by documenting what I’m doing, by sharing what I struggle with, that not only will I be able to get through it faster and more efficiently, but also that I’ll be able to inspire and help other people that might be in the same stage of their journey. I could share some insight that helps them get through their own obstacles, or outline the steps that they can take to move forward to the next step in their business or personal life.

I want to let you in on how I’m learning how to ride this new bicycle, because in reality, this isn’t a bicycle. It isn’t something you do on your own. This business is a team sport, an exercise in community and teamwork, and no matter how hard I try to do it myself and hide the process, it won’t work that way.

This journey will be messy and imperfect. I’ll probably make a fool out of myself more than once. I’ll share things that aren’t delivered the way I intend them. I might overshare some details or leave out other things that are necessary to understand what I’m trying to say. I’m still learning to ride this bike and I’m still wobbly.

But this is me. It is genuine and authentic and real, flaws and all.


And I want to thank you for allowing me to find my voice and being with me as I learn and grow and turn my business into what I envision in my heart and mind.