It may seem that I have been slow going due to a lack of blogging. However, life has been anything but. There has been so much goodness the last few months and finally exceeding a few of my business goals has topped the charts.
It was right at a year ago when Brian and I began discussing the idea of me quitting a job that I loved to open my own business. Many people have asked me how I knew it was the right move. My answer has always been 'faith'. Around this time I heard a quote by Anne Lamott. She said, "The opposite of faith is not doubt: it is certainty." Well I had no certainty that this was going to be successful or even work for that matter. But I did know that God was going to provide. Maybe not this year or the next, but He was going to provide. I had faith in it.
And here we are nine months and tons of prayers later. We have grown 75 students strong and have gained five instructors with a soon to be sixth on the way. Within adding my first instructor I knew that the late nights typing in the bed or on the couch just weren't going to cut it. Paperwork was everywhere. I had no place to store invoices, student enrollment sheets, client contracts. It looked as if every surface in our house was throwing up. Being a type A, former teacher it was slowly killing me living this way.
We have always had an 'office' in one of our spare bedrooms, but it has always been more for looks. Never functional. Brian had recently added the extra thick baseboards and installed a new window to our piano room. It completely changed the look of the room and I knew this was a perfect space to turn into my office.
I spent any free time (which was very little) trying to come up with quick solutions for the mess I had created. I finally decided on a command center. The two things I utilize the most are my master calendar and my monthly invoicing recorder. Those two items need to be in my line of sight and within a finger's touch at all times. I used a fancy clipboard to hang my invoicing sheet. I also love the simple gold and white lines of my master calendar. The hanging wire baskets are used to house my labeled file folders. Just by hanging these items up and off my desk has created more function and organization than I have ever had. Everything is where I can see it and quickly grab it without cluttering my work space.
Now I know many people (*cough*Brian*cough*) would say that pictures are not practical or functional. But I completely disagree. The whole reason I decided to start this business was so I could be home more with Brady. What better way to remind myself of that than to plaster pictures of him everywhere! I love using different frames to create a layered look. It is still neat and orderly, but provides just the pop that this room needed.
The print below was one of the very first pieces of decor I bought for the office. I had just gotten my first 2 students and was a little discouraged that I hadn't gained more in my first advertisement. But I realized that I was doing something I loved. Two things, in fact. I was getting to be my own boss while still teaching AND I was getting to be home with Brady most of the week. I am well aware that this is such a unique opportunity that God has given me. Why be discouraged when I am just getting started? And even though my office is officially done, God isn't nearly finished with me yet. This is what my faith lies in.
