If you know anything about me, you know that my family moves a lot. Since my husband is in the military, every few years we pick up and ship out – but thanks to WineShop at Home’s flexibility (make my own hours? Choose how much and how often I want to work? Yes, please!) I’ve been able to build an income stream that sustains us even though the chaos.
Over the years, we’ve gotten pretty good at moving. I’ve mastered the art of packing, shipping, hiring movers and purchasing a new home. I’ve even gotten really darn good at meeting new neighbors and inviting them to host wine tastings.
And you know what? A lot of the time, that really helps the move go very smoothly.
But I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes it just. Plain. Sucks.
When Life Takes You Away from Your WineShop Business
The last time we moved, it was smooth-sailing. I felt like a pro! But this time? It was awful!
I was knee-deep in a horrible renovation of a new home that took up all my time and energy. When we purchased this new home, I had no idea that I would put so much effort into this darn house! It seemed like every time I finally caught my breath and set an intention to get back on track with my business, something would happen to totally throw off my plans. IT WAS CHAOS!
A kid would get sick, or a contractor would have an issue, a pipe would burst, we’d run out of concrete….again or, you know, a hurricane would come.
Honestly? This move nearly drove me to the brink. Even after eleven years of working with WineShop at Home, I actually caught myself thinking, “Maybe it’s just time to move on to something else.”
Yeah… even I have those thoughts from time to time.
When You Fall off the Wagon, Go to a Meeting!
Quite honestly, I didn’t want to go out and get new bookings. The idea of calling up my hosts and looking for someone to plan a tasting felt like an insurmountable challenge. Getting my calendar back on track seemed like such a silly thing to do when my family didn’t even have a fully-functional house to live in.
I thought… “I could just move on. Maybe this is a sign.”
I told myself that I would at least go to another meeting before throwing in the towel. I drank some wine, I met up with some friends who are also consultants for WineShop, and I went to a training session.
Yes, I took care of myself and my business. And I was able to forgive myself for “falling off the wagon” for a few months there. And you know what I remembered?
I remembered that this business is fun! I called up some friends who are also wine consultants – friends who have known my business from the beginning, and watched me go through the ups and downs. Friends who aren’t complainers but who will always support me.
They pointed out something that amazed me: the fact that I could essentially take a full month off of my business and not get fired.
How many jobs offer that incredible perk!? I didn’t get fired from my job. I still had residual income coming in thanks to the work I’ve done over the past decade to build a team. And now that I actually am settled into our new home, I can resume business as usual.
Sure, maybe my sales and recruiting fell a bit for the last little while, but now that I’m back in the game, I can push forward full-force.
The point is, no one gets out of life. No matter what you’re dealing with right now, even if it’s pulling you away from your business for a temporary period of time, your business will still be there for you when you get back.
Meredith says
Thanks Diane, very timely for me…glad you aren’t going away!!!