We can start this post by pointing out the elephant in the room right away.
I have done a lot of different things. Yes, it's true. Some look negatively upon it - but I am a risk taker, a hard worker and I believe that we should do what is TRUE to us, no matter what other people think.
I have worked since I was 12 years old, consistently. My first 3 years of undergrad I planned on going to law school and then decided I truly had no interest in doing that. So I transferred schools and got a degree in Business with a major in Accounting. Before I graduated I already had a job at a big public accounting firm downtown Grand Rapids in the tax department. I loved it. At first. I was there for a few years and then I didn't love it. But my personal life was kind of a hot mess too, so it was hard to know what was really the problem.
So I was offered a position at a large insurance brokerage firm downtown Chicago in their financial reporting department. I decided to take it and move alone and kind of "start over". I really did love that job. My boss was an amazing teacher and I learned a lot. But my now husband and I were getting very serious and he was still in Grand Rapids. The commuting back and forth was getting annoying and we knew eventually we would get married. So after a couple years in Chicago, my company let me transfer to their Michigan office even though the entire accounting and finance department was in Chicago. And my boss left the company when she moved too. So I didn't love my job anymore and felt very isolated. Then I was offered a position back at the public accounting firm I was at before I moved. They were so good to me, knowing I was going to need time off just a little bit after starting for our 10 day trip to Hawaii to get married. And we got pregnant 2.9 seconds after we got married and my company gives 16 weeks paid maternity leave. It was amazing.
But when I went back to work, I had changed. I NEVER envisioned myself anything but a professional working woman. I didn't know if I would ever want to get married or have kids. But now I had this sweet little baby and I just felt like I didn't have enough time for her.
So after about 10 months, I decided I was going to put my 2 weeks notice in and I was going to work at home for a professional recruiter who specializes in accounting and finance. I had my sister in law come to my house to watch my kids while I worked and it was great. 2 days after I put in my notice we found out {{as a huge surprise}} that we were pregnant again :)
But anyway - I worked from home for a while and then I was really itching to be back into the working environment. So I took a job as a financial analyst. But it was 40 minutes from our house. And my husband owns his own business that got really busy. I would leave in the morning way before my little babes would wake up and I would pick them up from daycare and see them for 2 hours a night. It was NOT what we wanted. So my position there did not last long because it was just too much of a strain on our family.
So FINALLY we decided that I would be a STAY.AT.HOME.MOM. Something I NEVER thought would be something I would ever say. Funny how everything you think your life will be like can be totally different.
And soon after I started staying home, I found Beachbody when I started using their programs and products. I fell in love with it. I had never been healthy in my entire life, and in a few short months of being in an accountability group and working out and eating healthy - my life was changing dramatically. I knew I need to be in on this and help other people. So I went all in. I was a Beachbody coach for 3 years. I loved it, I worked extremely hard at it and it was a very successful venture. What started as something that I thought I would do for fun because I wanted to help people turned into something that replaced my prior full time working out of the home income as a financial analyst. I was blown.away!
But then I got to a point where I didn't love it anymore. Of course I loved the part of helping people. I will always love that and that is why I continue to run support groups and help ANYONE who asks for it. But the business part of the whole thing was just not for me anymore for many reasons. It took me a long time praying over my feelings and wrestling with what to do and how to do it. But finally after months and months of praying and soul searching, I just knew I had to end my relationship with the beachbody business as a coach. I don't need to get into all of those details or thoughts but that chapter needed to be over.
And I wanted something that was MINE. I wanted something that I could build by myself without people telling me what I could and could not do. I didn't want my success to be altered because of the work of other people.
Why a boutique? I wanted to be able to offer clothing to women who LOVE online shopping as much as I do. I'll be real with you - I CANNOT stand to go shopping at stores. Don't get me wrong, I love a good target trip because that place is technically heaven 2.0 - but I hate clothes shopping. And I know there are many women like me. I know many other Moms like me are home with their kids and love the easiness of just shopping for cute stuff online. So I LOVED that I could offer that to people to help people feel confident in their clothing. I love social media - and I love connecting with people through it, especially since I deal with social anxiety and am a work at home mom that doesn't get out much. This is MY thing. MY time. And this is MY way of being social and connecting with others.
And it has been a RIOT. I have fallen in love with my new business and with the relationships I'm building with my customers. People are truly loving their clothes and the repeat customers are showing me that they like what they see so far. I am an entrepreneur at heart and I just know I will always figure stuff out. Especially with the help of my super supportive business minded husband who trusts in my visions and my hard work.
My mission is to offer affordable fashion to women to help them feel comfortable and confident and to be able to express themselves. And that is my goal. And my goal is to show my daughters that you can create your own version of success and it doesn't have to be cookie cutter. I want to show them what is possible with dreaming and working REALLY hard!
Yes - I have had many paths in life. And some could look at it as "just another thing Krysta is doing" - but I believe that life is short. If you have a good idea and a strong work ethic and a dream - you just freaking go for it. There is no such thing as luck in life. Everything is a reflection of what you put into the world and into your work.
And this won't be the last or only thing I do. I plan to keep doing more because I LOVE to create and to dream big. And I encourage others to do the same. Just because you have invested in a certain path, doesn't mean you are stuck there. You can always evolve and change and work towards something else. Does that mean you just abandon everything and live recklessly? Of course not! But you can ALWAYS be taking steps towards change if that is what you crave. Like I said - life is way too short to feel like you are STUCK. You are NOT STUCK. I promise you.
If you have shopped at my boutique... www.joellechic.com I truly hope you have loved your experience so far and I just wanted to give you a little insight as to why I changed paths and how I got here. I appreciate all of my loyal customers so far and I can't wait to meet more of you at my home shopping parties!
