A Dream Is A Risk You Didn’t Take
“Goal-Getter.” “Boss Babe.” “Entrepreneur.”
You’ve probably heard these things before. You’ve seen them as hashtags on Facebook & Instagram. You may even have rolled your eyes at them a couple of times.
I know I have. . .
I’d see them often from long-time friends on social media who were *definitely* trying to sell me something. Those same people would send me messages telling me about some “amazing business opportunity” they had for me, and that they knew a badass lady like me would be perfect for it!
The problem was…they hadn’t talked to this badass lady in 10 years. What on earth did they know about me other than that I had a Poke bowl for lunch, or got my workout in that day? What did they really know about my unique skillset? About my job background or experience? How could they possibly know what I was looking for, or if I was looking at all!?
These mass message and buzz words had me swearing I would NEVER sell for an MLM.
Don’t get me wrong--I enjoyed some products from Direct Sales Companies here and there. I’ve been a Beach Body member for years and have enjoyed the Scentsy and Mary Kay products I’ve picked up and friends’ parties over the years. But I found the sales pitches to be aggressive, annoying, and worst of all, inauthentic. I always felt like I was a target for a sales goal, not a friend.
BUT THEN. . . I tried Color Street.
The salons were closed, and I hate naked nails. I’d been painting my own for a few weeks but I was getting more and more infuriated with the whole process. They took forever to dry, chipped the very next day, and were always a sloppy mess. I was sitting on the couch, unable to use my hands, waiting for my nails to dry when I decided I just could not do this again.
A friend of mine had been posting a lot about her Color Street business and I had to admit I was intrigued. They seemed simple enough, and the colors and designs were way more fun that anything I had or could create.
So I sent her a message.
The first thing I noticed was the cost. For me, there was no risk. $15 including shipping was nothing compared to the time and energy I was wasting on my failed at-home manicures. It wasn’t much more than an Iced Caramel Macchiato & a cake pop, + tip, an order I wouldn’t think twice about making any day of the week.
The second thing I noticed was the quality. These things were legit. It took a couple of manicures to really nail the application (pun intended!), but they were simple enough and really looked nice on. Even better was the fact that they didn’t chip right away. And when they did? It was minor. I could file it away or just walk around with the tiny chip, that only I noticed, for a week and it never got worse.
It only took me 2 months to be totally hooked. Whenever someone complimented my nails I would excitedly reply, “It’s Color Street! They’re awesome!” I was telling my friends about them. I was offering to do my mom’s nails so she could try them. I was giving sets to people to try. I was selling them, without selling them, because I loved them.
So I decided to try it for real.
But if I was going to do this, I was going to do it my way. That meant no pressure. I won’t slide into your DMs with any “amazing opportunities” or vague-post about the products or companies that have “changed my life.” I won’t ask you to PM me for more info. I just wanted to create a space where my friends and I could talk about pretty nails and have fun.
And once I’d started to build this little community of people to share with, I saw an opportunity to not only do Direct Sales in my own way, but also to take a chance I’d been dreaming of for years.
I didn’t want my group to be just nails. I didn’t want every post to feel like a sales pitch.
I wanted a place to be real. A place to share all kinds of things I love.
So Gorgeous has been a quiet dream of mine since I started watching makeup tutorials in college.
What if I had a place where I could share some of the looks I tried out and loved the most?
What if I shared my thoughts on new products?
What if I had a platform to share some of the thoughts and things that I enjoy and feel passionate about in life?
But every time I’d begin to image my own little corner of the internet and the community that would come with it, a voice would stop me.
“What if no one cares?”
“Why would anyone care what I think?”
“Beauty and lifestyle blogs are a dime a dozen.”
“It’s not important enough.”
“What if I fail?”
When I started my Color Street business, I created a VIP group for my customers and started posting. Some nails, some sweaty selfies, some makeup looks, some fun getting-to-know-you questions. I was thrilled whenever someone commented, and was having a blast coming up with what to post next. I started planning things out. I was saving things I liked around the internet, jotting down ideas for games or questions, taking pictures and saving them for posts, and thinking up things I wanted to talk about. I was getting a little taste of the world I’d been longing to create and I was loving it.
Recently, I was telling a friend about how starting my business was really tempting me to take it one step further, about how my dreams were more vivid than ever. When she asked why I didn’t just go for it, I rattled off my list of what-ifs and excuses.
“So, what if you fail?” She asked.
I didn’t know how to answer.
What did it mean if I failed? It wouldn’t cause me physical harm. My family would still love me. My friends would probably still talk to me. I’d still have everything I need.
What if no one cared? I might feel a little embarrassed. But my mom likes to remind me that no one has actually died of embarrassment. If no one cared, I’d still be okay.
Author, Motivational Speaker, and personal hero, Rachel Hollis, posed a question in one of her books: What if you didn’t fail? She asked dreamers like myself to shake the negative what-ifs from our brains and flip the question. There are two sides to every risk. It’s easy to sit on the comfortable side of safety, of status quo, and talk ourselves out of potential scary things like bad feelings or looking silly in front of other people. It’s a lot harder to jump in and make ourselves vulnerable in the hope of success.
So, what if I didn’t fail? What if people enjoyed reading my reviews of skincare or makeup products? What if they wanted to see a makeup tutorial? What if they wanted to hear my thoughts on how I find gratitude on a tough day, or how I get my butt in gear to workout when my motivation is gone?
What if someone I shared brought another person joy? Or helped them make a more informed decision before buying something? Or inspired them to try something new? What if my little community gave another person a place to feel welcome, or have a sense of friendship and community when life feels lonely?
What if not a single person reads my blog but I enjoyed writing it? What if taking a chance makes me happy? Isn’t that a chance worth taking?!
So here I am, stepping into the other side of a risk and hoping for the best. I’m embracing my inner - #BossBabe, setting goals and making plans to go and get them, and learning what it means to be an entrepreneur. I’m using one opportunity to create another, and I’m playing by my own rules.
So Gorgeous is a place to be yourself, a place to learn new things, a place to be a part of a community - where we uplift and empower each other, & a place to embrace your gorgeousness inside and out! (Oh, and you can grab a cute new mani while you’re at it.)
