I decided to start this blog because I feel I have a story to tell. On February 1st of this year, I left my comfortable, successful career to go out and try life as an entrepreneur. Problem is, I like to do more than one thing. Of all the podcasts, books on tape, actual books, and blogs I've listened to/read in preparation for this change, the one thing you allegedly shouldn't do is try all the things at once. Also known as the "shiny object" syndrome, it's really hard to stay focused in the life of an entrepreneur. Too distracting. So here are some things I know...
I have a varied background.
During and in the 12 years since college, I've worked in event planning, financial planning, an art gallery, and investment management at a financial planning firm. This combination of art and finance is fairly rare I'm told, but I think it's OK to do both. So for right now I'm a calligrapher and a cookier (spell check doesn't think that's a word) while I wait for my new financial planning firm to be approved by the state of Texas.
I've spent time educating both sides of my brain.
I majored in advertising and art history in undergrad, then went back to school for a dual masters called an MA/MBA (or Mamba for short). It's a Master of Art and an MBA, and the goal was to figure out which one I wanted to focus on for the next gazillion years of my career. I chose the one that paid more. #studentloans
After almost six years of working for a great firm with great clients, I was losing my mind. In that time I got my CFP® designation and became a CFA Charterholder. I worked with very high net worth clients whom I loved. But I couldn't do it anymore. I'm a person who suffers from extreme self-imposed stress, and working according to someone else's timeline doing processes that someone else decided were superior just wasn't going to work for me.
The Horizon
So what now? My day job wasn't worth sacrificing my health. I've moved out to the country, am in the process of starting two businesses, one creative and one financial, and am proud that I had the guts to plan for and do this. This blog is a record of how it all shakes out. We (or at least I) live in a society where cash is king, where failure is unacceptable, and where "authentic self" is code for what looks good on Instagram. I'm in search of a balanced life where I don't live for all of that. Rather, I want to inspire people with creative things, and help everyday people figure out their financial world. Stick with me if you want to know what really happens when you leave the things you know behind to try the things you feel you were meant to do.