To those of you who have noticed that I haven't written in a while...yes, my life has been extremely busy.
To make a long story short...in 2009, I was part of a massive layoff of 8000 people at ABX Air in 2009. I collected unemployment for 8 months and then found a part-time job with the Yellow Rose Bed and Breakfast in Greenfield, Ohio. This job allowed me to start-up a business using the owner's money. Who would not want to do this? This job was supposed to be a temporary job until the owners could move to Ohio from Texas. In early 2012 it became apparent that they were making the move and it would probably been complete sometime this year.
Keep in mind that since the layoff I had also been applying for full-time jobs in my area that anything remotely to do with any three of my careers which were office administration, or software development/analysis, or now my newly acquired skills of property management and business management. I was not getting any calls locally, but lots of calls that required me to move. Moving is not an option.
So I got ready and prepared myself to do something else. I decided I would try my hand at making bath soaps. I had always wanted to do this because for several years I have been buying and using all natural, hand crafted bath soaps and always wondered if I could make them. I started in June and it was so much fun that after making several batches, I had to start selling the stock so I could keep trying new ideas.
It was also during this time that I started this blog. I was active in this blog during the month of August and then the busy-ness set in!
Enter the Farmer's Markets.
I signed up for Greenfield Farmer's Market and really liked talking with people and explaining the process of making soaps with all natural ingredients. I didn't sell many, but I was slowly getting a following and best of all, I was meeting and making new friends. A few weeks into the Greenfield Farmer's Market, I was asked if I wanted to try the Fayette County Farmer's Market. I did just that and had even bigger sales which just fueled my fire even more. Phenomenal!
I figured I'd eventually do a Facebook page and design my own website...maybe even sell online or through Etsy.com. These were 'winter' projects that I had in mind as the weather was too beautiful to be spent at the computer.
At the end of the Farmer's Market, I was asked if I'd sell my wares at the local Greenfield History Day event, and the Greenfield CraftaRama show. I had already signed up with the Jingle Bell Bazaar in Hillsboro and shared a booth with three other friends, who were also crafters, and was looking forward to that. Then I got the big idea and signed up for a two day event in Sabina called 'Christmas Around Sabina Town' with local friends who recycled silverware into jewelry (B4 Creations of Greenfield Ohio. They have amazing creations!) At this time, I was making nine kinds of soaps and several lotions and lotion bars. I had even talked with three local stores about selling my soaps.
Enter the job interviews.
After three years of applying for full-time jobs and not getting a bite...I finally got, not ONE, but TWO job interviews within one week! One of them actually hired me and I'm now an account executive with the Wilmington News Journal selling retail advertising for the newspaper and for the online website.
So, if that didn't throw a monkey wrench into my plans!
Thankfully, I limited myself in the craft shows and did not sign up for anymore. The main reasons were that I wasn't sure that I'd have enough stock to sell, it was all happening really fast and I wanted to pull in the reins and start focusing on where I could sell my soaps during the winter months. If making and selling soaps was going to be a long term thing, I wanted to do it right and I wanted it to last for several years.
I've been at my new job for four weeks and am really thankful that I have it. I enjoy going out and meeting all the advertisers and helping them with their advertising needs. It's a whole new career for me and a lot of fun!
Today, is the most perfect day to give thanks! I will be making Thanksgiving dinner for my family. I'm so grateful that I will have my parents, children and grandchildren with me today. I'm thankful that I have a full-time job after many years of searching. I'm thankful that I have learned to make soaps and that I have found ways that I can sell them to keep up with this new hobby. I am extremely thankful for my husband, who supported me during this trying time and allowed me to do what I needed to do.
So needless to say, I'm feeling very blessed!
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I've been taking a tax refresher course twice a week since September...to prepare myself for the upcoming tax season with H&R Block in Greenfield. Sheesh!
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