Not Quite Feng Shui

You'd never know it but only a couple of months ago my whole house was filled with the semi useless possessions a couple manages to aquire over lifetime!  Moving a 800 square foot work space into a 1800 square foot house was definitely a challenge, but with a little de-cluttering and some downsizing of the gift basket company, it worked out well. The first thing I did was get rid of everything we hadn't used in the last 20 or so years.  I had sweaters and jeans that were older than some people I know.  Why were we holding on to the set of fireplace utensils, when we don't have a fireplace?  And as much as I loved Janice Joplin and Creedence Clearwater Revival, did we really need to keep all of those albums? The key was to narrow my focus.  Following Lau-tzu's teachings, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step",  I set out to conquer one small section at a time.  I chose a closet or a drawer and not move on until each little job was completed.  I was surprised at how quickly I was able to de-clutter the whole house when I didn't let the size of the task paralyze me. I have managed to acquire new clutter but it is well contained in my office space and I'm okay with that because ... "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?"  (Dr. Laurence Peters, Educator and Writer). The view from Laurel Mountian today is .... uncluttered. Marie

So You Want To Be The Boss

I started my work life when I was very young.  Back in the dark ages, children were allowed to work on farms as long as they had a work permit.  In my community children started picking cucumbers when they were 10 or 11 years old and at the age of 14 graduated to working on the area tobacco farms.  The boys did the outside work and the girls did the inside work, if you consider working in a tobacco curing barn "inside".  The work was hot and dirty and we had fun!

I learned to drive a tractor at age 10, and a standard transmission truck way before I would be old enough for a drivers license.  I don't remember exactly what we were paid but whatever it was, it seemed like a fortune.  All of my friends worked too and we developed friendships with kids from surrounding towns and with kids from out of state who came from the hot cities to spend the summers with relatives.

I got my first "real job" when I was 16.  I started working in the largest supermarket in our area.  It was very prestigious.  The store was huge and everyone shopped there.  I LOVED that job.  The owners and managers were terrific and I learned so much.

I worked summer vacations while in college and even worked a part time job one semester.  Got a job just days after graduation in 1971 and worked full time in various offices until eleven years ago when I opened my own business.  That's when I learned that work weeks have more than 40 hours and there are few weekends, sick days or paid vacations.

Those of you who own your own businesses know what I'm talking about. There are still deadlines to meet, paperwork to be done and clients to deal with but  they are your deadlines, your paperwork and your clients.  YOU get to make the decisions about who, what, when and where.  It's heady stuff and worth giving 110%.

I could be sitting in a pretty air conditioned office right now, wearing a designer suit and heels.   Instead, I'm sitting in my home office, looking out on a beautiful mountain view.  My dog is asleep at my feet, which are bare and I'm wearing shorts and a tee shirt.

I write several blogs related to my business.  I decided to start this blog for those who want to start their own business or who are in business for them self and want a place to learn and grow and share experiences. 

If you are thinking about being your own boss or if you already are, stay tuned.  Maybe we can help each other by sharing some of our successes and pointing out some of the pitfalls of being your own boss.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is -- It doesn't get much better than this.

Marie Lisewski