The information stage – we all know it. Get an idea and head straight to the Internet to load up on knowledge. How to start, how to speed up, what idea is best, how to make it last.
In my opinion, it’s not a bad step to take. Having an idea of what ought to happen is good for growth. And you can’t know if you don’t do any research, right?
Here’s where I draw the line for myself: the moment I find myself wishing I had what someone else has, I know it’s time to set the notebook down and put the work in.
Here’s a little secret about Amour Abroad: I created it on a whim. I was thinking about all the things I could do with my newfound knowledge of wealth (I had just finished Rich Dad, Poor Dad you see), and I prayed that God would show me a way to make money by being myself.
One day while I was preparing for grad school, I happened upon a YouTube channel by a young woman who’d started it when she got accepted for school abroad. An idea occurred to me: what if I started a blog?
I’d made a mini blog in 2020 for a school project. It was last minute – we were knee-deep in the pandemic and I had had so many submissions that I had forgotten about this particular class. It was 6pm and I was double checking to make sure that I was finished, when I happened upon one of my Neuro classes. A project due at 8am the next morning with these options: write a 10 page paper, film a video, or create a website. I thought, website it is.
I spent the next 10 hours in a creative fever. It was a good thing that I already knew what to type into the blog posts. All I needed was to design the website. I used Wix, and I remember sometime around 12am showing my three-quarters finished product to my roommate. Her eyes widened with a gasp, and asked me if it was my first time making a website. A yeah and a shrug from me, as I thought it looked just like any other site, but after submission my email was filled with comments from my classmates. “Kayla this site is so beautiful! I can’t believe you made this.” My talent had been born.
So when it was time to go to business school I thought I’d do it again, but this time the site would be about me and what I gained from my adventures.
It didn’t occur to me until the beginning of 2022 that I had an actual business. It’s interesting, really. I would attend class from 9am to 7pm learning about management, and conducting case studies about tech companies and green initiatives. It wasn’t until my E-Commerce class that I realized I could be updating Amour Abroad as I learned. So I did!
I started with the meat, typing up every little thing on my heart and posting it freely since I was sure no one was reading it (turns I was wrong lol 🩷). Then I took a little break and realized I hated how it looked, and so my tortured artist era was born! I found myself designing, redesigning, deleting and recreating every time I felt the slightest bit embarrassed.
Once it started feeling like a creative outlet and a fun past-time again, I started thinking about marketing and reach. That’s where I’m at now, expanding on social media and learning how to better operate my stores and such. There’s less pressure since I’m not doing it to survive (when you start a new business, please keep your day job), so I’m able to enjoy the trial-and-error of figuring out what works for me.
And as I was writing out my plans for rebranding the socials a few weeks ago, this wave of realization came over me. I started this 3 years ago. I’m only just now getting into the groove. If I hadn’t just gone out and did it, who knows where I’d be today? Blog-less?
I can’t imagine.
I told this story to let you know that you’re safe. You have something on your heart, a business, a talent, a gift you’ve been blessed with. Start today!
You don’t have to go viral on social media if you don’t feel ready, you don’t have to canvas your neighborhood if the thought makes you feel like you’ll die – just put in a little effort to get things off the ground, privately. You’ll get the hang of it as you go, I promise.
In just a few years time, people will be asking you how to how start their own journey, and you’ll look back on yours, grateful that you took the first step.
I love you 🤍
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