My Wife: The Entrepreneur

Oh how the tides can turn. My wife Jessi, in a way has had a chance to walk in my shoes. And in a way, I have been able to see the different aspects of starting a business how she must have experienced it through her eyes. I don't know if I would call it refreshing but I would certainly say it is a very interesting change of pace!

Jessi took a 2 year maternity leave with the birth of our youngest son and in doing so discovered a new hobby. Her new hobby has been surfing a website called Etsy. This crazy website is a site that acts as an online boutique where individual sellers create their own "shops" and sell their wares. Ironically, a great deal of the shop keepers are stay at home moms who have decided to branch out from their main career to create a release away from their day job with the kids.

So this is where the entrepreneurial spirit comes out in Jessi. This blog entry may include a little bit of bias because this is my wife I am talking about but Jessi I believe has always had a talent for decorating, design, and party planning. She not only embraces but she epitomizes the phrase "Go Big or Go Home" when it comes to these hobbies. So it really didn't surprise me when she told me she wanted to go into business for herself.

What feels like overnight (now that I think about it, it may have actually been overnight), Jessi decided to create her own shop. Before I knew what hit me, Polka Dots and Pirates (http://www.polkadots-pirates.com/) was born. She isn't up and running quite yet but she will be soon. I won't go into detail on what she will be selling as she has created her own blog for that (http://www.polkadots-pirates.blogspot.com/) but I will tell you that she will be starting out by designing and creating party planning accessories for numerous life events.

What once was her job has now become mine. I am the main marketing and business start-up consultant for her new business. Okay, I am actually just a sounding board but it sure has been fun to watch her start a business from scratch much like I did about 7 years ago. If you own your own business you will probably relate to the fact that one of the biggest burdens is constantly thinking of new ideas and ways to stay on top of your game while bettering your business and your clients' experience with you. Jessi even said to me the other day, "Ideas are just swirling in my head right now and I can't stop thinking about my business. Tell me this will get better." I don't think my answer to her comment was one she wanted to hear!

So here we are playing role reversal. Instead of me asking Jessi if I can work with a client on a certain night or weekend, Jessi asked me this morning if she can have 4 hours on Saturday to work on her new business. I have a feeling scheduling work time on the nights and weekends may have gotten a little bit more complicated!

I am very excited for Jessi. In a way it has rejuvenated me and reminded me of the joys of starting fresh and new. She will do great I know. I just hope I have as much fun in the role of "marketing consultant" as I have imagined Jessi has had helping me!