My Grandmother was at every school function, volunteered for every field trip and never missed an activity. I never really thought about the ‘how‘ when she did that and still provided for us. I guess I was a just a kid and expected it. Looking back I realize she was an entrepreneur before it was the thing to be. My Grandmother has creativity in every finger. She sold hand-painted glasses, artwork, acted as the local seamstress, fixed things, cleaned houses. You name it she did and she earned from it. Looking back I realize who she was and how she followed her passions and interests while still earning money is what helped me be who I am…
When you were a kid, did you want to have the same job or a different job than your parents when you grew up?
I just realized as I sat to write this that my Grandmother never had a conventional ‘job’. She worked in offices here and there including a stint as the Special Education Monitor for my Elementary School yet she was always available for anything I needed as a child. She had no set work hours but was always taking a class, getting certified for this or that and always able to make ends meet.
When I was growing up these choices weren’t that popular. I heard people talk about her and accuse of her being lazy but this woman is anything BUT lazy. If she weren’t learning a new skill she was at home sitting at her little second-hand desk creating, designing, developing something that would bring an income into our home.
There was the time she discovered laminating sheets and used them to design bookmarks, cards and invitations that she sold to our church members. I don’t think there was one bible without one of her bookmarks. I remember sitting in the car as she talked her way into making over 100 bookmarks for an upcoming Conference. She would adjust her products with the seasons making hand-made Christmas ornaments with styrofoam and jewels when her bookmark market had been saturated. There are homes that I visit to this day who still have her ornaments hanging from their trees. That’s the other thing – she is a born sales person and honestly I think she could sell a coat to someone in the middle of the Sahara!
My Grandmother is nearly 80 years old right now and is still on her ‘hustle‘ as she likes to call it. Right now she makes jewelry and sells it in person. Her pieces look store-bought and she is able to charge accordingly. Who she was when I was younger amazes me now. She was an entrepreneur before and still is even now. She is in the process of learning how to sell her things online and I don’t doubt she will be a success at it. When I sat down to write this I was a bit lost. I didn’t remember her having a specific Job Title and wasn’t sure how to explain that.
Now that I have thought back, I realize that a lot of the skills I have for what I do came from watching her. Creativity, Branding, Sales, Marketing. My Grandmother did all of this and was successful at it. I know that seeing her creativity and ability to always find a way to well find a way is what sparked my confidence to be who I am. If it weren’t for her example I know I would have never believed I could leave that corporate life I thought was meant for me and pursue something I could really be passionate about – this BlogLife I love.
“Believe in yourself, your passions, and your dreams. Your voice is unique – build on that. Embrace what is different about you and make it your greatest asset!”
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