WELCOME TO MY NEW WEBSITE!
I am thrilled to be launching this website and even more pumped to be announcing the start of my very first blog! Friends, this is so new and SO exhilarating – I want to thank you for joining me on this journey, and I hope you will stay long enough to watch it unfold.
Much like an open door (as I am writing this, I am picturing myself swinging my door open to greet my closest friends), I want this blog to be a welcoming place where people come to read stories of the wonderful, and sometimes not-so-wonderful, parts of running a small business. In a filtered world, we can all use a little more authenticity. I hope to provide that here. I will also share with you people, places, and things that inspire me to keep going. I’d say second to authenticity, we can always use a little extra inspiration. So again, WELCOME – here’s to being genuinely human and hopefully helpful!
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthdays are so special. It marks a day in time where a journey began. The beginning! And no journey is too big or too small to celebrate! Last week was Amelia's 2nd Birthday and while I indulge in the recollection of enjoyable past events, I figured this would make the perfect first blog. Amelia, let’s celebrate you by sharing how you came to be!
MY WANDERLUST HEART
As a young girl I remember having this longing to travel. It was my first thought when I woke up and my last thought before bed. My wanderlust heart was beating for places I had never been. Around that time, my Dad went to London on a business trip. I waited patiently for him to return. When he did, I remember hanging on his every word as he shared stories about his adventures. His stories cultivated my enthusiasm and heightened my curiosity. Before long, I knew I needed to go to this place called London. I didn’t know what it was or where it was, but I knew I needed to go. I had a very persistent temperament (some things never change - hah), so for years I wrote in my Dad’s palm pilot, “Take Mattie to London” - friends, this is a lesson - persistence is key. When I was 13, my Dad sent me London.
THAT WAS IT. I WAS HOOKED.
Upon returning from London, I was hooked on traveling. I could feel my internal compass spinning, desperately begging me for calibration. My heart knew I needed exploration. From that moment on, traveling became a priority. While in college, I did whatever I could to travel. To feed my cravings for novelty, I spent summers in Italy, Greece, France, and England. After college, I even moved to Spain to be an Au Pair (hands down the best and worst experience at the same time). I will save those stories for another post, though. Eventually, my bank account couldn’t support the lifestyle I longed for; so, I knew it was time to pack my memories and head ‘home.’ “But what was my vocation?” I spent so much time soaking up a variety of cultures that I didn’t know what I would do for a career. I remember thinking that a career was pale in comparison to the joys of traveling. Wah!
I WAS FRUSTRATED. I WAS LOST.
From film production to event planning to even dabbling in education, I no longer felt connected to my compass. I had no idea what my passion was. I only knew that I was frustrated and lost. I began trying to assess and align my talents to fit job descriptions I would find. Nothing seemed to fit. I tried moving to Atlanta for a change of scenery, but that just didn’t cut it for me. Before long my car was loaded down, and I was on my way to Nashville – at least if I was going to be lost and searching for my dreams, I would do it amongst a community bursting at the seams with creatives.
Shortly after planting my roots in Nashville, I got a job as an Operations Manager at Retro Sno (a snowball truck). Random? Yep! But when I read the job description I thought, “Well, sure, I can do that!” - mind you, I had no professional experience managing anything. Elizabeth and Morgan (the owners) took a HUGE chance on me. I basically searched my arsenal of skills and told them the ones I felt were in direct accordance with the candidate they were looking for. I just needed a testing environment to give my skills a try. Wow, true believers they were. “Could you imagine being in their shoes?” They were so brave for taking a chance on me. Elizabeth and Morgan will always be part of my story, and I am so thankful for them! While at Retro Sno, I learned so much. Day in and day out, I was given countless opportunities to tie all of my experiences and skills together. I was building a resume and didn’t even realize it! More importantly, though, I was learning how to run a business. I loved it! I felt alive again, much like I did when I was traveling and enjoying the many small businesses I visited around the world. I was connecting the dots of my soul.
I AM ALLERGIC TO FLOWERS
By now you might be thinking that the next dot to connect was my unwavering passion for flowers. HA! I have actually never had an interest in working in the Floral Industry. And to tell you the truth, I am actually kind of allergic to flowers. Here’s the kicker, though, I wasn’t going to let either of those small roadblocks stop my flower truck in its tracks. With hearts in mind (who doesn’t love flowers), I had an idea, a great idea, and I wanted to bring it to life. The planning wasn’t easy, but I will share another time. The biggest leap was committing.
I COMMITTED
I had so many “feel good excuses” that should have prevented me from launching Amelia’s Flower Truck – my lack of floral experience, my allergies, my budget - but every time I would tell myself I just wasn’t ready, I knew I was creating a breeding ground for fear. When I let that fear multiply, the walls I had to climb only grew higher. So, I decided to remove the autopilot and take control of my dreams. Grabbing my very small idea by the reins, I committed. I began to feed my soul with positivity – I was starving for it. With each inspirational blog, picture or quote, I could feel the fear of failure taking a backseat. I was doing this! I continued to acquire knowledge long after school – through my travels, peers and personal studies. I accepted that each day was a new opportunity to learn and to grow both personally and professionally. I was changing. I was becoming the leader of my own destiny. I was becoming an entrepreneur. I was finding my passion.
DREAMS ARE TOO IMPORTANT TO GIVE UP ON
It’s amazing where life will take you if you allow it. If you are looking for a passion or maybe you have a passion and you’re still waiting to take the risk, here’s some encouragement that helped me:
- Surround yourself with people who encourage you to be the best version of yourself.
- Start each day with a thankful heart.
- Find your internal compass and let it navigate you.
- Don’t let fear drive away the things (or people) you love.
- Listen more than you speak.
- And most of all, laugh along the way.
I can’t wait to share more of the details with you throughout the life of this blog. I hope to be a small beacon of light in your journey to chasing your dreams…because dreams are too important to give up on.
xx Mattie