I’m cheating and not really writing much today. Wanted to give an update on my business adventures. But, before I do that I do want to shout out a little encouragement for anyone who wants to listen.

You see, Rising Dawn and the subsequent shops that we open up is a dream that is coming true for me. A few months ago it was just simple wishing. I just started to wish again after making a vow that without my dad it will never happen. The planning stages have been rough on some days invigorating on others. But, we still continue to move forward. Continue to take the first step even if we have absolutely have no clue which way is up and down or left and right.

Just remember, the great Eleanor Roosevelt said it best, “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” You may as well plan if you’re wishing for change. You don’t have to know the entire outcome. You don’t even have to know half of the outcome. As long as you take that first step. And when you figure out that step you take another. Life wasn’t meant for anyone to have it figured out. And, just always remember, there is always someone here to support you. Always. You choose to make your family. It doesn’t always have to be blood.

And now, without further adieu, queue in cut and paste…

We’re crazy. There I said it. I also believe it without a shadow of a doubt. Why? Well, why not? You see, we understand the crazy amount of planning this will take to get the shops up and running. We understand the crazy decisions that need to be made on even the most simplistic thing. We understand that there will be days when we are driving each other crazy. But, guess what? We are going to succeed because we are incredibly crazy enough to think we can.

What are the crazy amount of planning we’ve accomplished during our weekend? Here is what we can check off our list…

  • Operating hours
  • POS system
  • Garage sale book flyers
  • Start up inventory spreadsheet
  • Our office set up (totally going for the back facing desks because there will be times we so don’t want to see each other’s faces anymore – albeit briefly)
  • Shifts for employees (3 days off anyone?)
  • Amount of employees
  • Our Employee Handbook
  • Our Harassment Policy
  • Who not to buy books from (I’m talkin’ ’bout you Stephanie)
  • General location of the shops

Now that I have listed majority of the things we did this weekend I’m really starting to panic that we didn’t do enough. Or did we? Still daunting? Yes. Still overwhelmed? Heck ya. Here’s to being crazy!

What kind of crazy decisions have we made? In advance, don’t judge. Again we have to make even the most simplistic decisions…

  • What kind of grants we are gearing up for?
  • What kind of loans are we looking into?
  • What color sofa chaise best suits our office (yes, no joke. This was an important convo because we need a space where we can take story time and batmans to an extreme)
  • What color would our walls be?
  • And our floors?
  • How will we fit the hubster into the equation?

Deepak Chopra said that all great changes are preceded by chaos. The insanely unimportant but so very, very important decisions we make daily for our shops have proven that.

Are we driving each other crazy? Well, that is entirely up for interpretation. I’m not making a list here because seriously, you probably expect it. Secondly, how am I supposed to make a list of how we drive each other crazy? I know we do. But, our crazies balance the other crazies, so I mean, we can’t hold that against ourselves. Also, we understand that we need to be careful on how we talk to ourselves because we are listening (Lisa Hayes). So, instead we kind of have become each other’s support system when needed and Debbie Downer when we are living in fantasy. Here’s to my Debbie Downer who keeps me grounded and yet still pushes me to be awesome!

Will we actually succeed? So, here’s the thing: Stop. Doubting. Us. It will get you no where. Instead, be a friend because life is so much fuller and entertaining when you have Bekah and I together, just ask my husband. In all seriousness, what would you do if you weren’t afraid? What would you be able to accomplish? How crazy are you to take the leap of faith, that first step to greatness? Like I said, Bekah and I are crazy. But, I think that is exactly where we need to be.