The Emotional Stress

For the last couple months, my mind and state of well being have been stripped live wires sparking as they touch one another! Remember that picture above?!  Well, that’s me! I’m 42 years old and I’m trying to start an athletic apparel sports bra line!??? What in the world! I should already have my career and life path figured out!  RIGHT! I’m trying to be a good mother to my 3-year-old, a supportive wife to my amazing husband, a role model employee to a demanding veterinarian practice and now a progressive successful business owner?!

Side Note:
I’ve been storing personal quotes/thoughts I come up with when they come to me!  Here’s one that fits this blog to a T. 3-18-19 When your working towards something big it’s easy to wallow in possible failure and disappointment, it takes strength to believe in something that hasn’t happened!  When you read successful people posting about staying positive and never giving up, it’s not that I disagree or thinks it’s not useful, It just makes me think “easy for you to say!” I go through moments throughout the day of having great thoughts and lots of good optimism but I do still get a few thoughts of epic failure!  I’m writing this in hopes that one day I will look back and be thankful I had the belief that this company and idea of functionality sportswear will be huge! Immensely successful!

Starting Vai has been in the works since 2017 and now it’s 5-6-19 today, and we have come so far!   We have an end product after designing it here in the US. We have a functioning website and doing social media with Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.  We have discovered a local free business resource that will help and educate us in all the realms of small business!

Side Note: Serving San Luis Obispo County and the Santa Maria Valley, FIND A MENTOR
TAKE A WORKSHOP
BROWSE THE LIBRARY. San Luis Obispo SCORE. The San Luis Obispo County Chapter of SCORE is part of a nationwide nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth, and success of small businesses in San Luis Obispo County and the Santa Maria Valley.
https://sanluisobispo.score.org/

This organization has been amazing and so supportive!  With all retired professionals simply volunteering to pass the torch for future local business owners blows me away!  I have gone to only two workshops so far and I’m signed up for my third! We also have our personal mentors helping us in areas that need attention now.  

I’m now trying to set personal weekly or bi-weekly goals for myself.  My first was to get to a certain number of Instagram followers and with the help of new supporters, I reached it early!  My second was to start reading “Shoe Dog” A memoir by the creator of NIKE and to get some research done ( can’t remember now what that was😅) though I did accomplish that goal as well. This week I gave myself another Instagram follower increase challenge.  Well needless to say it was a lot harder! Even though I felt a lot more insecure because I actually approached strangers and local merchants I did make some cool connections! ( The Hive in the village of Arroyo Grande is so awesome) I’m really hoping that all efforts and awkward encounters will pay off in the long run!  By awkward encounters, I mean I literally approached strangers and started my whole Vai Athletica spiel! It was great when people took interest and liked or loved the product and would follow right then and there, BUT you know there were a few that either gave me the quick brush off or looked at me like I was a lunatic stocker and quickly said no.  I do not look like a crazy person!! I promise! And yet I managed to get so downhearted when people wouldn’t even give me two seconds! What I am going to take away from all this is, is to give others a chance! A chance to speak, a chance to show, a chance to make an idea or dream a reality!