If you reached the end of my last post, then you know today's post is written by my badass wife. Our long-term plan to make extra money is for her to start a bridal shop in our small town. My previous post goes into more details on the ways we plan to try and make more money.
I will shut up now and let her do the talking (the rest of the post is her writing!).
When schools shut down due to the pandemic, it gave me a lot of time to think while we stayed home. Now don’t get me wrong, I love teaching. Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be a teacher, and I am glad that I got my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in it. But the older I get, the more time I have to think, and I itch for something more.
Sure, I have ideas here and there I throw out to Zach about inventions I think of. The thought of making some extra money is always intriguing to me, especially on a teacher salary. The thing is I never really knew where to start with these ideas and evidently I was not sold by any of them either. Since I did not have the motivation to figure out where to begin, I did not think I would do anything else with my life when it comes to my job or a side hustle.
Then, Something Changed All That.
Here is an excerpt from my blog post “why not me”:
"My number one overall goal is to help you plan your wedding and bridal events while having fun every step of the way. I want to help you navigate through the bridal world and make it the best experience for you and your partner.
You may be wondering why I am passionate about making your experience fun. You see, I LOVED planning my wedding. Like, loved it. Being a teacher, I am used to planning and making things enjoyable. I found that really carried over to wedding planning. Plus, this is a unique experience because YOU get to marry your best friend. All the fun shouldn’t stop right after the engagement news settles! This is something I have always believed in. But my heart really sunk when I heard from friends and family who planned their weddings how stressed they were and how it wasn’t fun for them. I don’t wish that on anyone, and this is why I am here. To (hopefully!) help you plan your wedding and bridal events while having fun every step of the way.
In fact, my passion in the wedding industry is so strong that I am starting my own business! Channeling my inner Sophia Petrillo…Picture this! One day I went wedding dress shopping in Ohio with my best friend who was getting married. We had so much fun, and all of us who went were kinda joking how awesome it would be to have a job where you can handle pretty dresses all day. I often thought back to my own dress shopping experience in Ohio, and how fun it was and what I liked about it. So between my own experience and dress shopping with my friend, I had that fun idea on my brain.
Well fast forward to two weeks later and I was standing in my kitchen when a thought came to me. I talked to some friends to get their experience dress shopping in the area, and came to realize they did not enjoy it and they only settled on a certain store because of the distance it was from where they lived. Again, my heart sank for those people . You didn’t have fun DRESS SHOPPING?!
So that is why I am where I am today. I am a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and teacher. I thought to myself, why not me? If not now, when? So now I can add entrepreneur to the list. Columbia City Bridal may not have a storefront yet, but it is coming. And you better believe that I will make it a memorable dress shopping experience for brides and flower girls."
Now, Back To The Post
So, I had my kitchen dream since 2021 and knew it was going to cost a good amount of money. I made it an official business with an LLC, got my logo designed, and bought my domain. Then the waiting and saving began. Recently, I started a wedding planning blog and made my website live. I don’t have a storefront yet, seeing as a good location has not opened up and the big fact that we are still saving up money. My dream for the somewhat near future that we both are retired from our careers, and I run my shop full-time for fun.
If you are thinking about starting a business, you should go for it! There will never be a perfect time and there is no reason it should not be you. Just make sure you have a solid plan before making any big decisions and be prepared to put in the work.
I have spent countless hours researching and learning the ins and outs of starting a business myself. However, it has been surprisingly easy for me to put in these hours because I know it will be a success. Our city has the fixings for a wedding, but no bridal store. The closest is thirty minutes away. Many people drove to Michigan because they could not find their dress at a big-box store! Those who settled for the big chain did not get a special and private experience dress shopping either.
For those who are curious, here is our mission statement:
We are a specialty bridal boutique located in Columbia City, Indiana that focuses on brides and flower girls. Our mission is to give our brides a personal, private experience while shopping for their dream dress. In order to be successful with our mission, we are by appointment only.
I would love to chat with you about your wedding, your business ideas, funny kid stories, anything at all. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram at Columbia City Bridal.
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