The last two installments of this series sort of overlapped.  In part 5, I shared about starting this blog.  In part 4, we left off where the consignment store I sold out of was closing its doors. That’s where we’ll pick up the story. This was the time in my business when it was really scary.  I had become comfortable with what my business had become in two years and I just imagined more of the same…selling out of a local shop, nurturing my growing blog, listing items in an Etsy shop here and there.  It was simple and safe. Then things got uncomfortable. The doors of the shop were closing.  Along with that, the door to my biggest source of income was closing, too.  I remember that sense of panic bubbling up.  We weren’t living off my income by any stretch.  It was still very humble, but it helped with

My business was only a few weeks old and, after a craft show failure, I found a shop willing to sell my hand-painted ornaments and, even more exciting than that, the owner was willing to accept my painted furniture and antiques on consignment. It was the first opportunity I had at a somewhat steady income stream. I decided to take the “shotgun approach” and scoured my house for anything and everything that someone might want to buy.  I had a lot of things found over the years at yard sales, antique stores, thrift stores, my Opa’s attic, and a few things that were passed along to me for free as well.  It was time to turn all of that squirreled-away stuff into much-needed cash. In addition to scrounging for things I could tag and put right into the store, I painted a few pieces of furniture that had been hanging out

As far as degrees go, I probably have one of the most useless degrees when it comes to preparation for the business world. I have a degree in Musical Theatre. My class schedule sort of looked like Fame.  I went from tap to private voice lessons to costume design to acting.  My backpack was filled with ballet shoes, leg warmers, scripts, and a music binder. When I decided on that degree, it was not because I wanted to prepare myself for starting a business.  It was because I loved theatre and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. When I started my business, it wasn’t because I thought I had the right credentials, background or degree or even a solid plan.  It was because I felt compelled to.  I needed to.  (Try explaining all of this to a guy in a suit when you need to get liability insurance!) So I didn’t have