I love business.

I always have, and I probably always will.

The thrill of turning ideas into money, creating value where there previously was none just doesn't get old for me.

Born with a natural business head, my first foray into the business world was at the ripe old age of 10. I sold custom name bracelets to my friends - as well as through the local crafting store. I was not only profitable, selling at 800% C0Gs, I had back-orders! With order forms printed on a typewriter (ok, so I'm an older millennial), little me ran this like a real business. I even have record of my efficiency systems, such as offering only certain colors and designs, so as to speed up the process.

Over the years I've run numerous small businesses, with another favorite being in my senior year of high school. This was by far my most profitable business to date as it earned me a few hundred dollars, plus a presidential scholarship to business school (full tuition + expenses) in New York City. It's a really great story - remind me to tell it to you some time.

Now for a serial entrepreneur, I'm a shockingly risk-averse person. I was always happy running businesses when I was young and someone else paid my rent, or as a side hustle along with a full time job. I fell into my current situation - running my own business consultancy full-time - quite unexpectedly. 

For me, I really am living my dream.

After working in NPO's for over 10 years, I left my job as a CIO due to internal politics. That's also a great story you can hear more about here. It was fairly traumatic as that job had been not only my whole life, but my whole income and I was the main supporter of my growing family at the time. Being prudent, I took on a few backup jobs and began to ruminate on my dream...

You see, it was 2011 and the small business boom was just getting started. In my neighborhood alone I met dozens of people beginning to offer random services, Etsy products, becoming coaches, and the like. And I would think to myself:

"This is a great idea, but she's marketing it totally wrong."
"He'd be so smart to turn that gig into a full time shop."
"This guy could charge twice as much and get it easily."

Or,

"Oh dear, what a waste of time and money, someone should really tell him that travel agents are currently competing with Priceline, Orbitz, Expedia and Google - he clearly doesn't know."
"That ad is a total waste of space. They're targeting the wrong audience at the wrong price."

I felt that if these people would just have a bit of business or marketing background or assistance they'd fare so much better living out their dreams. 

My dream was to help others live theirs.

I confided in a head hunter one day - a former McKinsey consultant - and she destroyed my dream. Telling me I was fool, that I needed another 20 years business experience to help others, that no one would ever take me seriously and for sure never hire me.

And the fighter in me woke up.

I tried to explain to her the shifts I was seeing locally. How suddenly everyone and their brother's-best friend's-sister-in-law was going into business, and they needed help! Not big business consulting help, but small business help. How after all my years in non-profit working on skeleton budgets, with my business background I'd be perfect to give that help.

She disagreed.

And suddenly the entrepreneur in me woke up.

You see, over the years I forgot who I was as I tried to play by the rules:
I finished university with honors.
Got my first entry level marketing position working until 10:00 PM weekly.
Got married, had children and more jobs.
I got promoted until I hit the C-Suite. 
And for what?
To lose it all when management changed.