Tomorrow is the 6 month anniversary of Kimberley's Kitchen. 6 months is a short time but for me it has been filled with milestones and lessons learned. My guide book is Martha Stewart's "The Martha Rules". Her straight-forward, practical advice to pursuing a passion is really a handbook for launching a succesful business. I refer to her rules daily as a compass for my decision making.
I have already learned so much about pursuing my passion. My first lesson was all about integrity. I learned that I don't want to compromise my product, my brand, my reputation, my time for anyone.
My second lesson has been about time. Running a business while being a full time mother to 2 under 3 and wife to 1 over 30 ;) requires great time management skills. I am a planner so I think I do a pretty good job of getting all the jobs done. Some days I am just happy that the kids are clean, fed, dressed, and having fun. Some days the laundry piles up because I have a lot of marshmallows to make. But there have been times when opportunities have arisen and I have had to ask myself if the time commitment is right for me. My husband put it well one day when I was contemplating taking on another project. He said, "put your time into what you want to be famous for. If this isn't about what you want to be famous for then don't do it." He was absolutely right. So now, that is the question I ask myself- is this what I want to be famous for?
The third lesson, and the most powerful so far, has been about having an open heart. I am an ideas person. I have a lot of ideas. It is often overwhelming and I can easily get caught up in trying to do too much. I used to feel very protective about my ideas and I was reluctant to share them. Since using social media and blogging I have learned to be more free with my ideas.
Having an open heart was tested last week when a Facebook follower started making marshmallows and posting her creations. My first reaction was to be protective of my ideas. But then she graciously credited me for inspiring her. We started to chat and now I have a new friend- a talented baker and marshmallow maker half-way across the world. I was reminded that creativity is something to be shared. And the passion I have for what I do comes from my heart.
I know that there are so many more lessons to be learned on this journey. But for now, I am happy to say that this adventure has surpassed my expectations so far. Thanks for letting me share it with you.
Kimberley
