Is There An Entrepreneur In You?
Ever had an idea for a business that just keeps tapping you on the shoulder…and have you ever thought of throwing caution to the wind and actually doing it? If the thought has even crossed your mind, there may be an entrepreneur in you just waiting to be unleashed.
In my book, This Is Not the Career I Ordered,I share the stories of women who started out in one profession, and then felt the call to embark on their own entrepreneurial adventures. Angela Jia Kimis one such story. Angela started her career as a concert pianist, but soon traded in piano keys for the keys to her own skincare boutique in New York City. While Angela had trained long and hard for her music career, she soon realized her true passion was helping women look and feel beautiful. Today, through her spa boutiques and Savor Beautyline of products, Angela continues to share with women everywhere the tried and true Korean skincare traditions her mother and grandmother passed down to her.
In the book, I also profile Jessi Walter Brelsford, founder of Taste Buds Kitchen, who went from a career on Wall Street to spreading the joy of cooking through culinary classes and events for kids. Jessi started out with one teaching/ event kitchen in New York City and today has franchised kitchens around the country – serving both kids and adults.
This Is Not the Career I Orderedalso features Carole Brody Fleetwho, after being widowed at forty, left her career as a Mary Kay sales rep to createWidows Wear Stilettos– helping other young widows navigate the grief and often daunting logistics of early widowhood; and Romy Taormina,an ad agency executive who, inspired to help others deal with nausea after her own debilitating morning sickness, created Psi Bands, a line of acupressure wristbands to help prevent queasiness.
Reflecting on her entrepreneurial journey, Romy says she’s “humbled” to be able to help those suffering from morning sickness, chemo, and other queasiness inducing conditions. At the same time, she adds that, while entrepreneurship has been tremendously gratifying, it’s been equally challenging. In an interviewwith Thrive Global, Romy explains that entrepreneurs need to be easily adaptable, “…running a business is like raising a child,” Romy says. “Just when you think you know what that child is up to they change. [Likewise] just when you think you have the business wired, things change…” Romy says that entrepreneurs need to be comfortable being uncomfortable. “It’s a constant challenge,” she says.
These women all share a common recipe for success that includes: adaptability, the desire to improve lives, a product or service that helps do that, and passion – a steady, slow-burning passion that has carried them through the ups and downs of their respective entrepreneurial enterprises. If you feel you have that passion, adaptability and perseverance, and feel called to bring a business idea to market, will you answer the call?
