Song for today: Brand New Day by Joshua Radin
Yesterday I wished for more time to blog, and the universe promptly answered me – I got laid off from my day job. No, not from Charmoné - we are committed to this thing no matter what the pay - but from my day job as a Marketing Manager. Ssshh, don’t tell anyone I had a day job! Working while running a business is not easy, but it’s a choice I had to make last year when it became clear this awesome little operation just wasn’t going to pay my bills.
At first I felt like it was this dirty little secret- like I was somehow a fraud for ‘working for the man’ all day. I didn’t want anyone to think that I didn’t take Charmoné seriously or that the business was fading away. Taking a job was actually a preventative measure to ensure we didn’t have to compromise the integrity of the company in order to make money. I figured, I’ll make money elsewhere and then we can stay true to our values at Charmoné - not move production to China, not compromise the materials, etc. But still, from 8-5 every day, I felt like I was lying to myself and to anyone that I spoke with regarding Charmoné.
I know there are a lot of artists and designers caught in this conundrum, and the only advice I can give is to stay true to the intent of your business. If that means you have to suck it up and work for someone else, do it, there’s a TON of value in working outside. It takes the pressure off your business, allowing you the space to be creative. It also gives you some sense of grounding and normalcy, which isn’t always exciting but often important when you’re in this roller coaster of entrepreneurship. And the connections you make will be priceless. I was lucky enough to have a job with really supportive, wonderful and laid back people, but if you don’t have that, at least you can use the desire to break away from the day job as fuel to make your venture successful.
So what’s next? Stay tuned – I’m envisioning big sales, some new styles and new partnerships. For today, I’m grateful for the job I had, grateful to now be free, and ready for the next adventure!
By Jodi
