Are you sitting on the next big thing? Have an idea stewing in your head that you think is great, but wondering if anyone else will agree? Do you fantasize about working for yourself, but not sure how to get started? I’m here to tell you that I’ve been there. I thought about it for approximately eight years before I finally took the plunge. I daydreamed about three different ventures, planned each and every one in meticulous detail during runs and in my downtime. I took classes in entrepreneurship, seminars in regional wines, obtained certifications, and went to culinary school. I drafted business plans and researched both vendors and would-be competitors. I did everything imaginable you’d need to do to get started, except actually open the business. Why – because it’s scary!
Excuses and Detours
The first idea I had was a Texas-only wine shop. I envisioned a wine bar and store offering samples, flights, glasses, and bottles of some of the best Texas has to offer. It will only take one trip to Fredericksburg and a sample at any of the over 50 wineries dotting 290 for you to realize that Texas has a lot to offer. In fact, Texas is the 5th largest wine-producing region in the country after California, Washington, Oregon, and New York. As of last count, there are 443 wineries in the state, and it’s growing. I know a fact like that because I am an accredited Specialist of Texas Wine, a certification I obtained at The Texas Wine School. I also hold a WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits. Just two of the many things I did that I could tell myself were “on the path” towards opening the business of my dreams, without actually having to open it.
I took both of those courses in 2017. After that, my newborn baby girl became my best excuse. After all, she was a newborn baby! She needed my attention. She needed my energy. She needed my heart and soul and all my time, so of course I couldn’t go off and start a farmer’s market stand selling homemade quiche, tomato sauce, and other specialties (idea number 2). Taking care of little kids is an excellent pretext for ignoring your own ambitions. A global pandemic is even better! From 2016 – 2024 I made excuse after excuse, was consumed by distraction after distraction, and completed a number of tangential activities all without actually having to take any risk. I even drove to Kentucky for a week-long bread camp! But no matter what I did, I never lost the bug to do something, start something, to put my product out there and be my own boss.
What’s So Scary?
Starting your own business can be downright terrifying. Besides the obvious financial risk involved, there’s nothing more intimidating than putting yourself out there and asking others to embrace you (or in this case, embrace your product). Questions of “Can I afford it?” (you can with help), and “Will anyone buy from me?” (yes they will) are enough to drive even the bravest of us to find something else to do. Not to mention “Will I break the law?” was near the top of my worries when thinking about selling alcohol. I did not want to break the law! I’m telling you now that no amount of research or planning is going to make those fears disappear. While I highly recommend you develop a business plan to work through those risks, jumping in and opening shop is a scary prospect. And the anxiety won’t let up until you’re up and going and in the middle of actually running your business, too busy succeeding to worry about failing.
Just Jump In!
It took one conversation for me to finally realize that I was making excuses and needed to just jump in. My husband was hugely supportive, and plenty of friends had told me I should do it. The last idea I had is the one I finally started – a small cottage bakery selling freshly prepared homemade sourdough bread, cinnamon rolls, and other specialties. I’ve given away bread for years, and everyone I’ve gifted to has told me that it was fantastic. But in the end, it was a woman I barely knew telling me about her own small business that pushed me to take the first step. On the long drive home from the Woodlands following the KIDZ Bop concert this past September, both of our daughters playing in the backseat, this new friend told me how her entire family is involved in her tapestry business (Kaisha). She told me how she started this side project during the pandemic and how it’s boomed after many years of hard work. She told me. And I listened. And then realized that all I had to offer in exchange were justifications for not having done the same. The very next day I set to researching the Texas Cottage Food Law and forming an LCC. Over the next two months I developed an actionable to-do list, and after Thanksgiving, the Orbit & Oven website was live. It’s been just 9 weeks and yesterday I found myself elbow deep in flour fulfilling 7 orders of fresh baked bread to my Pearland neighbors.
I am forever grateful to this friend, who not only pushed me to jump in, but has supported me every step of the way. Let me be that friend for you and tell you – you can do this. It will be hard and there will be bumps. You might find that you love being your own boss, or that you hate the long hours. But you won’t know unless you try. So just jump in!
