Tuesday, March 1, 2011

inspiring day job advice: "just jump!"

i like my day job, some days i even love it, but this article spotlighting the courageous leap of something's hiding in here's shauna from passing the daytime hours directing store and window displays at anthropologie (cue "gasp!") to promoting her hobby of making fun things to a full time job utterly inspiring. i encourage you to read the full article--you won't be sorry and maybe you'll find yourself inspired to follow your dream as well! below are my favourite excerpts.

how did you originally get into the business of making things? 
i guess you could say i started my first business when i was in grade school. i made my own stationary and sold it in a "shop" that i ran out of my bedroom (my parents were my best/only customers.)

tell us about your previous working situation.
i love the company, i love what i did, and i love the people i worked with--but one day, while in a meeting, it hit me. i knew it was time.

what do you enjoy most about not having a day job?
the obvious stuff is all true: wake up when you want, work in your pajamas if you want, drink champagne while answering emails if you want...but what i really love is that the risks and the rewards are all ours. not everything is going to be perfect, but the opportunities we discover and the challenges we face are because of decisions we make. feeling that type of ownership over what you do each day is liberating.

what are your best marketing tips? 
the best tip is: the golden rule. it sounds simple, but we treat people how we want to be treated: this goes for customers, show owners, editors...everyone.
our second tip is "please and thank you." a heartfelt thank you note goes a long way!

what's the hardest part about running your own business? 
none of it is easy. ... it's exhausting, but it's yours. somehow, that makes it all worth it!
images courtesy of etsy.com

i dream of the day i can leave the corporate world behind and cozy up in my cottage and write all the day long. someday it will be. someday.

would you be brave enough to follow in shauna's footsteps and jump from the corporate ship? how would you fill your daytime hours?
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