Post-college I attended law school and worked full-time as an administrative assistant for a commercial real estate firm in Chicago. I knew (or thought I knew) that I wanted to continue my education, but I also wanted an income to support the lifestyle I wanted to live. Even though it was extremely difficult, the beauty of juggling both was that I learned to wear many hats, prioritize and split my time. These skills ultimately paid off when I became an entrepreneur! 

I started my blog in 2012 with little to no thought as to what it meant to have a blog. I had little experience and knowledge of the blogging world. During that time I was working in healthcare and helping large health systems navigate the digital space, brand their organizations and build loyal social media followings. Looking back, those six years of healthcare experience were immeasurable when it came to building my own digital footprint.

Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to own a shop. When the opportunity arose to make this dream a reality, I jumped without thinking twice. As a shop owner I wear every hat: sourcing product, pricing, managing the site, answering customer inquiries, shipping packages, working with my publicist to market the shop, bookkeeping, analyzing data and, of course, scaling the business. For how it relates back, everything I do—styling, blogging and the shop—is completely personal and intertwined. Many of the products I purchase for the shop you’ll see on my blog or styled in a shoot. The blog helps me gauge what people are looking for or what’s missing in the market.

In the beginning, my initial guide or philosophy was “buy what you love” and this very quickly evolved after one season. While I still buy what I love, I’ve learned to tell stories. Each season will have two or three themes. For example, summer may have a nautical, beach and citrus story, and fall may have a specific color palette that I’ll try to play within. 

It’s no surprise that the shop will always reflect my personal style—traditional with bold, modern accents—and will feature my favorite color stories, which are blue, white, black, gold and silver.

When buying, I also always consider how we will ship items. I stock 95% of the products we sell, so shipping is a large factor to consider. Because I want to keep shipping costs low for my customers and because there aren’t a lot of shipping discounts for small business like myself, if I’m not careful I could lose a lot of money in shipping.

It all happened very quickly. I think the first time I realized that I was being taken seriously was when a piece about my work came out in Lonny Magazine—one of my favorites. But, I don’t like to attempt to measure success because it can be here today and gone tomorrow. I just keep my head down and keep hustling. You’ll never hear me say, “I’ve made it!” If I think that way then I’ll stop growing and I never want to stop growing, both in my business and in my personal life!

Every day is different, but typically my day starts at 7:00 a.m. Fueled by copious amounts of coffee and a cold-pressed juice, I check in to ensure that the day’s blog post went out as scheduled and then try to have about fifteen minutes of quiet time to reflect and begin my to-do list before checking email or any social platforms. 

My mornings are usually filled with internal meetings, brand meetings, design client meetings, emails and planning for upcoming styled shoots. However, two days a week I have shoots at my home, which last all morning. Around noon, I’ll try to go to yoga and afterwards I’ll pick up groceries for recipe testing. If a recipe is an immediate success, I’ll take pictures of it for the blog right away. Later in the afternoon, I package the day’s orders to prepare them for shipment, check emails, attend more meetings and set up our daily email. 

When 5:00 p.m. rolls around, I begin cooking dinner, usually with a glass of wine in hand, and enjoy time with the “Mr.” for about an hour. Then from about 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., I write posts, upload product, answer more emails and finish anything else that needs to be done on my computer.

My life is one non-stop, high-pressure situation and I find that’s when I’m at my best! I don’t have time to dwell on stress and usually don’t stop until I finish everything. But if something is really vexing me, I usually will simply walk away and have a glass of wine.

I source product from tradeshows and have fantastic relationships with my territory rep—many have become some of my closest friends that I see on a regular basis! I also love sourcing and supporting small businesses, so Etsy has been a great place for me. I also receive referrals from friends with new products to peruse.  

Relationships are all you have in this industry and everyone I work with becomes my family. I appreciate every single person I work with, and like to give credit where credit is due. I am only as strong as the people I surround myself with, so I like to nurture my relationships.

I work hard and play hard. I usually work 15-hour days, so when I take a break, I truly rest. I don’t check my phone at dinner and when I’m on vacation, I’m on vacation—my email will tell you that I’m unreachable, and other than a few Instagram pics, I stay off my phone and computer. I also couldn’t get by without my support team. My husband, family and friends know what I’m trying to accomplish and understand that I don’t have as much play time as I once had. 

You really have to bring your a-game, which means working harder than you’ve ever worked before. Not only that, but everything that you do must set you apart from others. For me that means stunning images, consistency in both my blog posting and product quality and coming up with original ideas. People also have to buy into you. With over a million bloggers and almost as many online shop owners out there, I’ve found that I truly have to be my brand.

As far as a niche goes, it’s really hard to carve one out in today’s landscape. It’s more important to have a consistent image or brand. When people view my shop, blog, styling and Instagram they get a feel for who I am, and what my point of view and brand are. 

Don’t over think it. Listen to your gut or—as I like to call it—your inner compass.  You may never be able to pinpoint the perfect time to make the transition into your dream career, so you really just need to jump. Never compare your beginning to someone else’s end and never compare yourself to others. Work harder than the person next to you. Always stay humble.

I eat, sleep and live Waiting On Martha. I never thought being an entrepreneur would be the course my life would take, but I wake up every morning thankful that it is and that it’s my own path. I get to determine what my day, week, month and career look like. It’s both liberating and terrifying.

As far as the future goes, I’m open to anything and everything. I’m always looking for ways to grow. We’ll just have to see what that looks like on me!