OWP Blog obstacles as openings

I started as a "Mom without Pop business" creating my candles while taking care of my then 5 and 8 year old children. I moved 3 times in 3 years. I had several doctors working with me on my health issues and had to work through insomnia and heart palpitations for the first year of my business. My first big online sale was in the heat of the summer and I had to ship hundreds of candles hoping they wouldn't arrive melted. I couldn't afford to invest in ice packs or fancy shipping materials. Magically, they arrived safely, (well all but 2 out of 300).I had fun seeing every set back and challenge as an opportunity. I started to get excited when something didn't work because it meant I had to try a different direction and this kept me busy during an otherwise hard personal time of challenge. For example: I wanted to have a logo that represented the struggle I was going through. I kept looking for an image of a bird taking flight, or a nest with eggs ready to hatch. It wasn't in my budget to hire a graphic artist or buy an image. And then I thought "hey! Why don't I just draw my own?!" And so my logo is a drawing I did one day at my kitchen table.I've learned that business doesn't have to look like a 9-5 day in an office with a boss and a paycheck. Business is finding something you love and creating ways to share it. Business is taking risks, trusting your intuition, and seeing obstacles as openings.