I am 47 and starting a new business. I did this before in my late 20s and I recall it being much more exciting and less scary. Possibly because I didn’t really know what I was getting into.

It’s something I’ll be able to tie into the blog, but also something different. And while I do have feelings of excitement, I also find myself battling bouts of doubt and anxiety over whether I really do have the time and energy needed to put into creating something new. So, to quell those nagging little voices in my head, I’m doing what I usually do, and write it out.

Life, Death and Everything in Between

I think one misconception you have in your youth is that life is linear, and proceeds in the manner of birth, school, job, family (or not), and death. You later learn that birth and death are the only two definites in that scenario, and all the stuff in between can feel like several lifetimes.

When I was little, I wanted to grow up and be a costume designer and have my own store. And I wanted my mom and grandmother to work in it with me, and we were going to have this great family business for all of us.

So I did what I said I was going to do. I opened the store, and my mom and grandma helped me out when they could. I couldn’t have gotten it going without them. When I was little, I hadn’t counted on us all living in different places. Details like that make a big difference when you try and make dreams a reality. They don’t always turn out quite how you expect.

Six years later, I was still on my own at the shop, and the realization settled in that neither one of them would ever be moving to join me, and I just needed to let that dream go. I had just had my son, I was burnt out on retail life, and I just wanted to try and concentrate on trying to survive being a new mom.

So, I closed my shop, and that was the start my life as a stay-at-home-mom. I did that at 40 and didn’t think I’d ever want to run a retail business again. I started my blog and have really enjoyed growing it over the years. I thought this was going to be “my thing” from now on. And while it is still my thing, I realized I kind of missed the joy of the other thing I’d stopped doing: my costume business.

An Entreprenurial Spirit

As much as I enjoy being a blogging mom, there’s just a little something missing. There’s something I’ve always enjoyed about buying or making things and selling them. I started my first business at 7-years-old, selling painted rocks door-to-door in my neighborhood.

Since then, I have had many small businesses, from a swimwear line to custom costume design, and I enjoyed growing each one. The thing is, it was easier then. When I started my last costume business, there were a lot less rules on Internet sales and easier tax laws.

Now there’s the issue of sales tax in each state if you meet a certain threshold for sales, and then there the 3rd party transaction reporting that went from a $20k minimum to $600. These statements probably mean nothing to you if you aren’t an online seller. However, if you are and don’t know what they mean, you need to go research it right now so you can keep up with the new changes in 2023. It’s enough to make me want to crawl under my desk and give up.

But I am not giving up. Even though it has taken me a couple weeks just to finish this post, I am not giving up. And even though it’s been almost two months and I only have 6 products loaded and the store is still in draft mode, I am not giving up. And as I sit here, thinking about all the work ahead of me, trying to concentrate on this in the middle of the multitude of distractions at home, thinking about how easy it would be to just forget the whole thing…I am not giving up. Maybe if I say it enough times, it will stick.