Day 1 begins with perhaps the most important question of all: WHY? Why a Side Hustle? Why now? and What do I hope is true at the end of this month-long endeavor, and in the future?
On a very fundamental level, I am driven by a need for financial security, but also for creative expression. I think this is coded into my DNA, the child of Baby Boomers, with grandparents who began their families at the beginning and end of WWII and who also loved music, gardening, painting, and travel. Those folks knew what it meant to live frugally and reuse everything. My dad’s mom never used a teabag just once, and saved rubber bands, shopping bags, and any number of items that could be put to good use. Her husband, an avid golfer, skimmed used balls out of ponds while he was golfing, and had shelves full of golf balls carefully stored in egg cartons at the end of his life.
My dad, wisely (given my need for security!)encouraged me to embark on an engineering career, and that has served me well for the past 26 years. However, it has alway been my goal to be in a position to retire at 55, in order to be able to explore some of my many other interests. So, since my 50th birthday, I have been plotting and planning what that might look like. Over the past year, the idea mentioned in my first post began to take shape.
My objective is to begin this small business, as an experiment, and a way to learn new things – such as: what is it like to run your own small business?, can I do this?, will I LIKE it? and does my theory that there are other, less linear ways to support one’s self comfortably, yet modestly, hold true?
I am not interested in growing this to an unmanageable size, with lots of employees, and huge sales figures. I really would be quite happy to pursue my craft and interest in unique gifts, and find other people who are looking for the same kind of products.
Today, I had an image of a bicycle, being ridden past a beach, for today’s image of embarking on this journey, but this one struck me. I think it embodies all of the qualities I hope my business will have: quirky yet sensible, stylish yet frugal, and connected to place. Thanks for listening.