The day I decided to stop thinking about it and make it happen, I was sitting in a classroom with twenty years of teaching experience under my belt. I had been thinking about making a change from the education world to the “outside world.” Outside of the education field, outside of what I had known for years, outside of what I prepared for in college, outside of my comfort zone. I knew that I had this gnawing gut feeling that I wanted to do something else, I NEEDED to do something else. Something that allowed me the opportunity to make my own decisions, make my own course of action, make my own hours, and create my own path. So off I went to the outside world.
My journey began as a weight loss coach, and then into an office manager position. I thrived on helping others, and strived to create a work environment that was cohesive and successful. I enjoyed these positions, because I was able to bring my education experience into the job. However, COVID struck and I had to make a difficult decision, I had to move on and make another career change.
I took some time to reflect and write down things I enjoy doing, where do I see myself in the next year, and listed my strengths. Because of the social distancing, I decided to use social media such as Facebook and Instagram to connect with my friends and family. I started a Facebook live cooking show twice a week called, In the Kitchen w/ Kelly. I love sharing my knowledge of recipes and cooking, and share ways to make things easier in the kitchen. Hoping to inspire others to try new things. You see, my roots took me back to teaching! This time, just on a different platform and a different audience. As much as I enjoy this live feed, it doesn’t make money or pay the bills. It does bring me joy and an opportunity to interact with those watching.
So now what? What would allow me to utilize my talents and allow me to do what I enjoy AND make money. I have worked in direct sales prior, and knew I enjoyed the parties, sales, and creating my own hours, but teaching always came first at the time. Now I could revisit the idea of direct sales. I researched and spent some time searching for a company that spoke to me and finally decided on two.
I made my decision based on these questions:
- Is it a product that I would use/could use/do use?
- Can I make money based on percentage of commission the company is offering?
- Do I have to stock up on products that I won’t or don’t use?
- Is it AFFORDABLE?
I am a month into my decision of direct sales, and I feel I have found my niche. I am now a self-employed business woman, working on my new career. I spend my days working on my business. I research and spend time collaborating with others who started out just like myself. I’ve participated in webinars and zooms to learn more about my business and to become a better entrepreneur. I spend time putting together my calendar and working on my business and not just thinking about it. Thinking and visualizing your dreams is the first step, but you have to move forward to your next step! As Nike would say, “Just Do It.” You have to do it! As Colin Powell said, “A dream doesn’t become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work!” I made the leap to begin this journey and have moved forward not focussing on “what if’s” but instead “what is yet to come!” Let the journey begin!
Kelly Garner 