Business Has Been My Passion
I can’t remember when I first knew this, but my brother always tells the story that I wanted to own my own business at 5 years old. First, it was a hardware store, later a lumber yard. Even at that early age, I was plagued with ideas. My Dad owned and operated a monument business in a small, rural community in upstate New York. I loved going to work with him.
I Want to Do It My Way!
Over the next 19 years, I climbed the career ladder at two YWCA’s, aiming for an executive role to implement my own ideas. I reached the #2 position at a large YW, managing a $2.5 million budget and overseeing all program directors.
“My way” included experimenting with organizational strategies and training programs while completing my Master’s Degree in Organization Development and Management. My approach, rooted in Humanistic Education from Amherst University, focuses on empowering people to grow from their strengths and experiences.
I found deep satisfaction in my role as Associate Executive Director at an organization dedicated to women’s empowerment, but I still yearned for more.
My next step was becoming the Executive Director of a smaller association, which was rewarding but still not my own business. During this time, I met my life partner, and we planned to leave snowy New York State.
My final nonprofit role was in Arizona, where I led the People with AIDS Coalition of Tucson, merging three HIV/AIDS organizations before venturing out on my own. This move also fulfilled our goal of escaping the cold for the desert.
Finally, A Niche Sprouts
Would other people pay me to design and install beautiful potted gardens for their home? To create more than that a one-pot wonder, I pondered what could I add to my services to keep the clients active with me month after month? The logical answer was to maintain the pots on a bi-weekly basis.
I built this business from a seed of an idea into an award-winning company with a half-million dollars in sales. I thought I was going to keep this business forever.
However, new doors and opportunities opened, and I sold the company 15 years after its inception.
I took my 25 years working in the nonprofit sector and 20+ years building, running, and selling a business and with the encouragement of my colleagues, I began working with entrepreneurs to create and operate successful small businesses.
The Dream of a Five-Year-Old
Fast forward 65 years from that magical age of 5 to a successful sale of my business and a new venture in business coaching, I felt like I made it. I’m not one of these entrepreneurs looking for 7-figure stardom.
But a full-time move to Kauai, a 100-year flood and the beginning of a pandemic changed my course. It brought me back to Tucson and my gardening friends and students. It was almost like we were never gone.
The major difference was, we no longer had to work. I could now choose. I love helping others successfully create a garden here in the desert on their first try. And I enjoy writing posts, crafting classes and answering questions.
I’m happy relating to “my” people. My choice now is, how much do I want to work.
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Walking Your Garden Path