Carol Adrienne, Ph.D.                        March, 2009

Forty-eight-year-old Barb knows about job searches and she knows about leaving the corporate world to start her own business.  Surprisingly, her career path has offered major spiritual insights as well as a roller-coaster ride of success and down-turns.  She agreed to share her insights about going down the path of starting one’s own business.

Hobbies may Bloom into Entrepreneurial Passions
Barb lives in Florida, and had worked in human resources for many years when she began to work with me as a coach a few years ago.  At that time, she was eager to leave her job behind.  She was thinking of  starting a gift basket business—something that she had been doing as a hobby.  “So many of my friends loved the baskets I did for them for birthdays and anniversaries, and they kept telling me that  I should be doing this for a living.  I finally, thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’” 

Business Experience is Transferable
Barb says, “Before I decided to quit, I had always loved every moment of my corporate career. I was vice president of human resources in a large, public company, and I loved the work.”  What did she like about her work, I asked?  “Mostly it was about helping keep turnover low, and helping employees get a life.  Our department got many awards for our level of employee satisfaction and work environment.  I loved helping make that happen.  I also liked helping people with their career path and even some of their personal problems.  It was almost like owning my own business, but still getting a paycheck.  However, after fifteen years, I felt it was becoming too political at the top.  There were a lot of power struggles.  I found that I wasn’t doing the part of the work I loved anymore.  I was looking for freedom, and that’s when I decided to start my own business. Being part of the growth of the corporation paid off financially, as it allowed me the financial freedom to walk away.

“In the beginning,” says Barb, “all I knew was that I wanted change.  I wanted to travel and to rest and to do my own thing.  I really didn’t know that I was going to have a basket business.” 

Barb started on a small scale, but the business grew fast.  Within a few months, she had to decide whether or not to take it to the next level. 

Following a Passion Could Provoke Unexpected Consequences
“I got a commercial location, which might not have been the smartest move, but I think I had to do it.  I had several people work for me, but they gave me a lot of trouble.  For example, two so-called friends took my ideas and became competitors.  Another set of friends didn’t like my feedback on their work and they started their own business. 

“After my partner, who was putting in sweat equity, left my mom and stepfather got involved.  This development turned out to be really fun! Having this unexpected turn in our family relationship was a really great part of the business.  Looking back, it all seemed destined to happen.”

Barb was in the business for four years.  During that summer she got the opportunity to work again in human resources with another company.  “My business was very slow during the summer, and the economy was starting to go down.  I got a call from a client who had found me out of the yellow pages.  He was a really nice person and we started chatting.  It turned out that he is in the staffing business, and he knew my old boss and my old company.  He became a good client for my gift baskets.  At one point he mentioned that he was looking to fill a position.  I offered to help him find someone, but instead he kept tempting me to come and work for him.  Since business was so slow, I decided I could help him a couple of days a week until my holiday season started.  Ironically, this man was the only client I ever got out of the Yellow Pages.”

That was Then, This is Now
Barb closed her basket business last year and is back full-time at the corporate job. With endearing frankness and humor, she says, “You think you want something and you believe you can make it happen.  But I found out that doesn’t mean I have to keep doing it!  These passions we have are sometimes about being in a moment of time.  I used to think that if you found your passion, that meant you just kept on doing it.  But that didn’t turn out to be the case with my own business, and I am totally okay with that!” 

Currently, she’s eager to find new vistas.  “I love my work, but it’s time to see and do something else, or live in another place.”  She confided, however, that as she began to look for a new job, she started to feel anxious, contracted, and a little fearful. Every night after work she felt she had to comb through the job listings, and apply for positions that she knew were not right for her   We did a coaching session on the fears and insecurities that she had about finding the right job. 

Your Life has a Natural Ebb and Flow
One thing we did was to review her previous jobs and look at how she had found each one.  It was then that she had an epiphany.  “I realized that that in the past, jobs have always come to me.  Every single job I have gotten came to me because of my contacts and of being in the right place at the right time.  I have never had to ‘beat the bushes.’  There’s no reason to think that this won’t happen again with the right intention and practical follow-up.”

Barb emailed a few days after our session to say that the sense of foreboding and fear had gone.  “I feel excited again and adventurous. Luckily, I’m  working now, so I’m not going to struggle about finding a new job.  I’m going to keep looking, but let it come to me.  This realization has really helped me live in the moment.   I know I have a passion for art and beauty, but I don’t think we have to always know what our purpose is to live a happy life, or to know how those talents are going to be used.

“I’ve traveled, I’ve had my own business, and I’ve developed an art business in faux painting for interiors.  I’ve worked with my best friend, my family, and even landed in another great job. I still want to explore all the future blessings I think are ahead of me.

“I’ve learned that, even though you may do your passion as a livelihood, it may or may not last forever or be the final thing. This was a huge thing for me to learn.  Stopping doesn’t mean you were not committed or were a failure.  That took me forty-eight years to understand.”

Change can Stimulate Fear or a Sense of Adventure
Barb continues, “If you don’t embrace the idea of change, life feels unpredictable and scary.  I am so looking forward to whatever the next phase of my life brings.  I just applied for a job in Switzerland, and I really hope I get it!  It’s funny that my numerology chart says I might have something to do with international work, but this is the first time I considered looking into it.   I’m resolved to only apply for jobs that fit me. This one  involves international travel, and ironically, the company manufactures flavors and fragrances—which is just the kind of products I love!   If it doesn’t happen it won’t be the end of the world, but I’m just so drawn to it.”

I applaud Barb’s honesty and courage.  I invite any readers to please feel free to email
me with any of your own career change experiences that might inspire others!

Happy March!
Carol Adrienne

Carol Adrienne, Ph.D. is an intuitive counselor and life coach who has helped thousands of people work through doubt, procrastination, and obstacles to create the life they want to live. Private consultations and coaching available. Contact her at Carol@caroladrienne.com

Please email Carol with a story or question about your own life for consideration for her monthly column.