Fields of fall
The autumn golden sunlight is here! It's been perfect outside this entire week. It looks like fall and feels like an Indian summer everyday. I've been wearing every autumn color I own. I wait and wait for this month to roll around to bring out all of my favorite fall pieces... and the time is here! We were traveling all last weekend, and we're traveling again this weekend so I've been trying to get out as much as we can on the weeknights to soak in this sunlight!
In other (big) news, I've decided to take on a new endeavor. Don't I already complain about being too busy enough though? ;) Right now, it's just an idea. There is an amazing startup fund in Grand Rapids called Start Garden. Anyone can pitch an idea, write up a business plan on it and have it endorsed for a week to potentially have $5,000 invested in their idea. I've been toying with this for so long, but not until the past couple of months have I thought seriously about it. I've decided to try and start up an online retail site that sells clothing, accessories and gifts for gals and guys called Harry & Hazel (named after my grandparents). It will start as a small e-commerce website and then who knows what will happen!
It will be very small to start, with a small inventory. I will still continue to work full-time at my job as a graphic designer and continue to blog consistently on Selective Potential. I know I will be very busy, but there is just some itch I need to scratch while I'm young that I cannot stop thinking about. I have an insane work ethic and too many interests in life to only do one thing. I ran the entire Delightful Dozen blog and managed everyone to get products rotated, features up on the blog, giveaways set up, etc. When that ended, I missed having something more to do. Then, a year later, my band Circle Maybe broke up and I also lost that hobby of practicing and playing shows, and managing the website/social media aspect of that.
My mom has been a business owner for years now—when I was a young kid through today. She started a small business when I was younger selling gifts, creating/sewing her own products and managing the business on her own. She got out of that, and a few years later reopened a new gift shop called The Village Gift Shoppe. I've loved watching her run her business, put her interests, passion and creativity into it. I've seen her struggle and I've seen her grow and it's inspiring. She's making her dream happen! I walk through her store inspired by everything she chooses to sell, even spending countless hours creating her own chocolates and sweets. She's definitely rubbed off on me over the years.
I have so many interests and passions. I love personal style, I love clothing, I love traveling, photography, videography, social media, networking, connecting with people, styling others, making other people feel good. I'm very free-spirited, and I try to not let life weigh me down ever. I always try to be myself. And I want to put some of that energy into a side business and I feel like selling clothes, creating lookbooks, and working with other bloggers more will be so exciting for me. A huge challenge - but a huge accomplishment too.
I wouldn't even be considering this idea if it wasn't from the support I've had on my blog and the success I've had because of all of you. If you have a spare moment, I'd love for you to endorse this project on Start Garden. It will turn blue and say "Endorsed" when you're done. It's not like a Kickstarter where you have to pay. All you have to do is click! I'd also love to see your comments there too! All of the photos, of course, are placeholders until I get photos with my own inventory... but you all know my style so well. You know what to expect! Thank you so much for your support and I hope to get enough endorsements this week to get the initial startup fund! Then I have two months to get crackin' and see if it will lead to a continued investment! How fun, right?!!
Outfit details:
La Vie Boheme Dress c/o Sosie
Wool Floppy Hat in Brown c/o Sosie (similar)
Brickyard Buffalo bracelet (coming soon!)
Wolverine Samantha Pleet Arc Boots