I have always had a strong work ethic, but once I became my own boss I lived and breathed my fused glass jewelry business. My time management skills went into hyper-drive with the competing priorities. Even though I plan for a living, the volume of daily details was overwhelming. When you work for a company, you have a team and a collective brain. Being a one-woman show, I get to design, create, photograph, market, write, wrap, sell, package, mail, apply for and (wo)man craft fair booths, perform data-entry, bookkeep, market, make and finance all decisions.

This is my first startup business experience. There were hurdles I could not anticipate. Each day I had goals. And each day I faced curveballs and setbacks - it was very frustrating. When I felt my worst, I took a deep breath, reset the day’s priorities, kicked some to the following day, and concentrated on one thing at a time. I did not multitask. I have been a lifelong multitasker and have learned that it can be counterproductive. Doing one task at a time allows me to laser-focus and cross items off the to-do list. Done—next!

After months of mental preparation, brand development, photographing my entire collection, establishing my business entity and bank account, writing blogs as well as descriptions of each piece, my site was finally ready. I had laid the groundwork for launching my business—my brand, Beaudoin Jewelry, LLC.

I sent invitations and accepted suggestions and beta-testing feedback from a number of respected former colleagues who work in the web or start-up fields. They had some common advice:

• Don’t wait for perfect or you’ll never launch.

• Good enough is good enough (to launch).

• Don’t get attached to much of anything as it will change in the first six months from feedback, trial and error, etc.

It all came down to this day. October 10, 2017, was the day I felt my site was ready for prime-time. I spent the morning of the launch scrutinizing each page and making final tweaks to allow the best first impression. My site was ready. I wrote an email to colleagues, friends, and family, invited everyone in my entire Facebook universe to like my page, and asked them to share the news with their networks. The next morning, I made my first sale. A happy dance ensued!

I have a website that allows sales of my ‘not your grandmother's’ fused glass jewelry, acts as a hub to share with my growing network when I introduce people to my wearable art, a site to direct admirers when I’m out and receive a compliment on my jewelry, a site that I can market. Heck, now I can make more inventory!

When I left my day job, I was given a farewell card that states, “Do a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Those words accurately describe my life today. After getting over my fear of starting my own business, giving my energy to other companies, surviving politics and supervisors’ decision-making for decades, I have the best job of my life, and the best boss – me.

Now, if I could only get an evening or a weekend off….