Change.
I’ve always thrived on how things change. As a child, I became used to our frequent moves from state to state (a natural consequence of having a father who worked for the federal government). As an adult, I rarely leased an apartment for longer than two years. My hair is always changing colors.
Change is something I’m used to, so it doesn’t necessarily freak me out to the same degree as it does for others.
Family.
Ah, this is something I’ve been schooled on throughout my life, even when I didn’t realize it. As a child, I took for granted the constancy of my family. When my parents divorced during my teen years, the upheaval probably wreaked more havoc than I would acknowledge. As a young adult, I spent many years putting my family on the backburner while mistakenly prioritizing friends and even acquaintances over them.
As an adult, I grew older and wiser to the importance of family. Getting married and then parenting two children has turned me into a different person than I was… which in itself is all about change. And even as my children get older and wiser with each year, and I know ultimately they’ll make their own changes to our family dynamic, I welcome them as natural consequences of being a human.
Decisions.
Toward the end of the 2017 summer, my husband and I sat down to discuss our family’s options. I had been throwing myself into building a digital marketing business since mid-2015, and amidst highs and lows I still hadn’t quite made it into a fully solvent and profitable venture. The possibilities were still there, but the timeline was beginning to feel pressure from our household budget.
Here’s the thing: I needed to draw a line. The line would tell me my limit for how long and how much I could sacrifice for my business (as well as how much I could expect my family to sacrifice). By the end of our conversation, a distinct line had materialized in the exact size and shape of our family’s 1,524 square-foot home.
Based on our budget, we had until the end of 2017 to try to make my business profitable so that our home mortgage would not be on the chopping block. So that day, I made a decision to keep pushing at my business, but I would also be active about applying for full-time opportunities. And oh, did I pray for the best and most rapid outcome? You bet I did. Serving two masters like that for a prolonged period wasn’t going to be good for me in any way.
Results.
So what happened?
Well, I applied to a position managed by one of my prior directors. From hitting the Submit button on the online application, through phone screens and interviews, to receiving a verbal offer for the opportunity… three weeks. That’s it. That’s IT. That was it.
Today, I work full-time in digital marketing out of an office in downtown Denver. My work serves Coloradans who need the most help at the worst times in their lives.
And yet my own business ventures are not fully dead or defunct. I am also blessed to be one of the weekly livestream hosts for an encoding platform which cares about its broadcasters and viewers, not just accumulating dollars. I get to share the screen with people I respect, entertain people I appreciate, and earn side income I can use to balance out all I put into my business since I started it.
My family is finding a new balance with my roles, and all is going well. My husband is thankful to be able to pay bills on time again, and in full. My kids are enjoying more times when I’m able to play a random board game, take them on a random shopping trip, or show them my new work digs downtown. I’m thriving on regular human interaction, meeting and surpassing work goals, and using all that I’ve learned through my business to excel as a team member again.
What about Really Social?
The full range of services provided through Really Social has been vastly pared down since these new developments rolled out. Currently I’m unable to take on side clients, mostly because there simply aren’t enough hours between working full-time, commuting to that work, and livestreaming on the side.
That said, if you need help with social media, I have a TON of amazing resources ready to work with you. It makes me thrill to be able to send work to a swath of professional and capable digital marketers. Plus, who knows where this livestreaming side-gig will lead? Just reach out to me via Messenger to let me know what you’re looking for, and we’ll make it happen.