In February of 2015, I gave birth to the most beautiful boy on the planet. Yes, I'm completely biased. I'd spent almost ten years as a high school English and Journalism teacher, and it's a GIANT understatement to say I loved my job. I loved having conversations with my students about writing and reading and life. I loved seeing the light bulbs go off when a concept suddenly made sense or a student remembered something we'd talked about previously. I loved the connections I made as a teacher - the connections I made with students, the connections students made to the material, the connections I had with my coworkers. I loved teaching. I still love teaching.
But I held that sweet baby in my arms, and I just knew I wasn't ready to go back to teaching. I wasn't ready to go in early or stay late. I wasn't ready to bring home 110 research papers to grade. I wasn't ready to lesson plan into the wee hours of the night and morning. I wasn't ready to leave our son. And so my husband and I made the decision that I would stay home with our little man. And I felt very at peace with that.
But when he was around five-months-old, I started to get the itch. I missed working. I missed accomplishing goals. I missed feeling productive. I missed talking to other human adults (or teenagers, or just people who could talk back to me). So, I started looking at my options.
I'd been introduced to KEEP Collective just before our son was born. I went to an online Social my friend was having, and I fell in love with some of the pieces because they were a part of me. There was a mom Key (charm) that I knew I wanted to have. And there was a heart shaped padlock - part of how my husband proposed, and an integral part of our wedding - and once I saw that, I fell hook, line, and sinker for this collection. I'd always shied away from hostessing Direct Sales parties, but this line was too gorgeous and my wish list was too long, so about a week before I had our son, we had a Social (me, on my couch with my computer, one hand in the potato chip bag, one hand taking occasional bites of ice cream). I kept in touch with the fabulous designer from the party, bought a few more pieces over the following months, and never really considered being a designer...
...until I did consider it. I started to think about what I loved about teaching, and it was helping people tell their stories. And that's what KEEP does - it helps people show off what they love - whether that's something incredibly meaningful, something fun, or something really pretty. KEEP could help me still tell stories while allowing me to be at home with our boy! So I took a GIANT leap of faith and decided to do it!
A year ago today, I had NO idea what to expect. I was a giant ball of nerves as I started to prepare for my business venture. I was worried about so much - epic, giant failure being at the top of the list. But I knew that if it I was going down, I would go down fighting because I believe so strongly in KEEP's mission - to give women the chance to design their one-of-a-kind lives through flexible entrepreneurship. Whether it failed or it flew, I would make the most of this business.
And business... it soared! My friends and family were incredibly supportive (and integral!) in helping me to get my business off the ground! And through them, I've met the most amazing customers, many of whom I now call friends. Yep, that's right - running a business has brought me some AMAZING friendships.
So here's the short list of what I've learned in my first year of doing Direct Sales. But truly, there's so, so much more. <3
1. Having the flexibility to work from home has changed my life. And I'm a better mom because of it.
2. Direct Sales aren't bad. They're kind of awesome.
3. Not everyone will love what you sell, and that's okay.
4. The relationships and friendships I've formed through this business sustain me in so many ways.
5. The pieces I design make me cry... in the very best way.
There are so many stories that come to mind this year - a mom who fought infertility for years and finally had a rainbow baby to represent. Another mom who at 24 weeks pregnant, suffered from brain trauma, fell into a coma, delivered her son, and had to work her way back to doing, well, everything, again (mom is totally fine, and that sweet baby boy is NINE now!)! But the story that touches my heart the most is one I want to share with you.
A former coworker of mine retired and moved to Florida, but she and I have remained in touch on Facebook. Tragically, her son was murdered in a robbery gone tragically wrong in Portland. Their family suffered an incredible loss, so when she reached out to me about a Keeper, I wanted to make sure we made the perfect one for her. The saying adopted by her son and his friends was Hug Life. All of her son's friends got tattoos, but mom wasn't quite ready for one yet, so instead, we put together a gorgeous Keeper that she can wear daily to keep her youngest son close at hand.
That's why I love this "job." This is what makes me excited about what's to come in the future of this business. It's not just that I get to work from home. It's not just that I get flexible working hours. It's not just that I get a paycheck for doing this (and sometimes, I really can't believe I get paid to do it!). It's not even the amazing trips, incentives, or people.
It's that there are so many stories to be told, and I get to help tell them. And I can only imagine what stories are to come in the future. Cheers to year one, cheers to all of you who helped make it such an incredible year, and a bigger cheers to all the years left to come with KEEP Collective!
