A girl can always dream. And if she wants it to come true, she’s got to start somewhere. Today officially marks Sweet & Spark’s 7th birthday! S&S was launched on November 1st, 2012 out of a love for vintage jewelry and a mission to defy mediocrity. But, that’s not when it all technically started for me.
My entrepreneurial journey began two years prior to that, in 2010, when I crossed the finish line of the Pittsburgh Marathon. Running 26.2 miles without stopping (thanks to a special friend that pushed me to keep going when I thought I might pass out!) sure is proof that you’re capable of so much more than you think. It made me wonder what else I could achieve that I never thought was possible for me.
I became obsessed with the internet and books, trying to understand how other’s were successful in starting businesses and that’s right when I discovered Seth Godin. His book, The Linchpin, was the single biggest game changer of my entire life. Wow, have you ever experienced the power of a good book? He introduced me to the concept of fear, it’s role in society and how to work with resistance, not against it. Over the years, I’ve read every single one of his 14 books and still read his daily blog! His work has challenged me to think and act differently than the status quo. Expanders like Seth, were fuel for my soul and when the opportunity arose, inspired me to say goodbye to corporate America…
I loved my buying job at American Eagle because the opportunity to work on a start-up brand for them was rare and the team was rad. But after 4 years of blood, sweat, tears and travel, the brand sadly closed and I knew that another corporate buying gig would never be any cooler than that. It was now or never to start something of my own.
Six months from the day I left corporate America, I announced that Sweet & Spark was open for business online. Friends and family rallied around the launch but it was still scary as fuck. I was so consumed worrying about what others were thinking of me. But thanks to Seth, I was able to identify that it was just my lizard brain trying to keep me safe and I found the will to go on. Looking back, I wished I knew then what I know now, that nobody cares as much about you, as you do! We’re our own worst critic.
In honor of S&S’s birthday, over the next month, I’m going to share some of the biggest things I’ve learned from year each in biz. Because if you have a dream, you’re gonna become obsessed with trying to figure out how to bring it to life and maybe, just maybe this will help.
