"The pandemic unleashed a flurry of new entrepreneurs. If the economy goes into recession, that trend will increase," according to an interview in Kiplinger's Personal Finance with Lakshmi Balachandra, professor of entrepreneurship and a fellow in the National Science Foundation's Technology Innovation and Partnerships Directorate program.
Two familiar phrases came to mind when I read that interview: 1) "Necessity is the mother of invention," and 2) "Make lemonade out of lemons." It was the first one that fostered my venture into entrepreneurship 40+ years ago. I lived in New York City with my first husband, who worked for a non-profit organization that didn't pay enough to cover our living costs with our three adopted children. I wanted my children's needs to be my priority, which didn't seem feasible as an employee, so I decided to find a problem that I could solve for which people would pay me! I began listening to conversations on the playground, and my entrepreneurial search began.
Since I grew up on a farm and followed my daddy around, I learned how to solve simple repair jobs around the house and thought a "Mom's Repair Service" was a good possibility, but that required union membership which didn't sound feasible at that point.
Then I began noticing (that's a critical action if you are looking for a business to start!) how many people complained about clutter, disorganization, and overwhelm: fights with family members about "stuff," stories about the guilt of unfinished projects, stress resulting from unfiled tax returns, and apparent dissatisfaction with life in general. As I listened to the conversations, my first reaction was, "Well, they didn't have my mom and dad!"
Understand this! I am NOT a naturally organized person, but I was blessed to live in a family where what Productive Environment Institute calls "SYSTEMs (Saving You Space Time Energy Money)" were role-modeled daily. My father was a farmer, and without systems, there would be no crops, and my mother was the personal assistant to the president of a bank and managed the affairs of the president and the farms the bank owned.
So, if you are frustrated with your job or lack of a rewarding career and want to make money and have a life, entrepreneurship is worth exploring! Don't get me wrong! I don't usually keep the fortunes out of Chinese cookies, but last week mine said, "All things are difficult before they are easy." Entrepreneurship isn't easy; nothing worth having or doing is, but as someone who loves my work life now more than I ever have in 40+ years, I invite you to explore the possibilities.
That brings me to the second phrase, "Make lemonade out of lemons." Numerous times in my career, I have doubted my career choice, but every time I did, it was a signal that it was time for reinvention! My company has had seven different names, and my bookshelf contains books I wrote every time that happened, and I found new opportunities.
Let's talk if you're looking for new opportunities but are unsure where to turn! We can help you find and implement a new vision for your life. One of our clients said recently, "I'm executing a vision I didn't even know I had!"
In 1978, Barbara took out a $7 ad in a New York City newspaper to advertise her professional organizer business. For 20 years, she focused her business on organizing paper and physical clutter for home offices and organizations. Then the Internet Age came about, and she utilized her principles and expertise to help clients with digital clutter.
Over the past 40+ years Barbara has helped 1000's of companies, and became an icon and top expert in the industry. She has been featured on national media platforms such as Good Morning America, The Today Show and CNN Nightly News. She has also been showcased in publications including USA Today, New York Times, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Real Simple and Guideposts.
Barbara and her team teach business owners a 9-step system to go from overwhelmed to optimized. Step 1 is a free Assessment that can be found at https://scorecard.productiveenvironment.com/
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