A Plan for Starting My Home-Based Business
A Martha and Me Story
I am a worker bee. As long as I can remember, my hands have always been busy with something. I grew up on a 15-acre farm with a large garden, chickens, pigs, and a few cows. My sisters and I worked doing chores most of the time. My dad worked during the day in a steel factory and as soon as he got home, my mom went to work. After dinner we all had assigned chores. My chore was to wash the dishes. I was incredibly young and had to stand on a stool just to be able to reach the sink. Why am I telling you this? Because all the time I was doing those dishes and other chores, I was dreaming of one day owning my own business – being my own boss. Fast forward quite a few years, I am married with two children, working a part time job, and still dreaming of one day owning my own business. My life was about to change.
A close friend told me about a sewing conference that was taking place in Arlington, Texas and that she wanted to attend. She asked me to go with her. With the encouragement of my friends and family, I agreed. I was always doing crafty things with my kids or sewing clothes for my daughter. Taking classes to improve my skills sounded great. There was always something new to learn. Little did I know that God was preparing the way for me to make my business dream come true. At the conference I met the wonderful and amazing Martha Campbell Pullen. Martha, a former college professor was a speaker, writer, and entrepreneur. She had her own PBS series as well as her own magazine. She had taken her love of sewing (her hobby) and turned that passion into a million-dollar business.
Martha was so outgoing, bubbly, and gracious to everyone she encountered. I sat in her lectures and listened to her tell us how she created her million-dollar company. She asked, “What would your life be like if you could spend all day doing what you were passionate about?” Then she proceeded to tell us about her system for creating the business she loved. This is the amazing part; she was going to share with us her system!!!! How generous can a businessperson be? I had never heard of a business sharing their secrets. Then she said, “I build my business with grace.” I was on the edge of my seat waiting for this magical answer that I had been searching for. Here it is G.R.A.C.E.
She explained that G.R.A.C.E was an acronym:
God above all things.
Resilience
Action
Creativity
Enthusiasm
I diligently wrote down everything she was saying even though G.R.A.C.E. was an acronym that even I could remember. As a Christian this plan was very appealing to me. To know that I could put God in charge of my business took the pressure of me. I was thrilled at the prospect of His guidance in my home-based business. Her approach was so unique.
God above all things. No explanation needed.
Resilience was right up my alley; remember I am a worker bee. I could get knocked down and get right back up and try again.
Action was harder for me. I had envisioned owning a business for many years, but Martha was challenging me to put my dreams into actions. “Well honey it’s not enough to dream, she said you need to start today making money from what you love.”
Creativity – can there be too much of a good thing? I could produce thousands of ideas in fact, creativity was holding me back. I had so many ideas that it was paralyzing. I could not decide where to start. But Martha was telling me to pick one and go forward with that idea.
Enthusiasm was not hard for me once I made the decision on one idea to pursue. I got so excited about my idea that it is all I wanted to talk about all the time. I am sure my family, friends and co-workers got sick of listening to me, but my enthusiasm was overflowing! What a wonderful gift she had given me.
Even though that was many, many, many years ago, I still use G.R.A.C.E. to run my home-based businesses. I must admit that as my home-based business grew, I added a few words to the original G.R.A.C.E. acronym.
G – God above all things is the one true constant that never changes.
R – Resilience was always in the back of my mind. When something did not go right the first time, this word would pop into my brain. To my “R” category, I have added do what is right. To follow this “R” has not always been easy. I have never regretted practicing the golden rule.
A – Action always kept me moving. Each day brought a new set of actions that needed to be put in place for the home-based business to grow. Authority became my second “A” word. I studied everything I could about the products, processes, and equipment that I used in my home-based business until I became an authority. I took classes and seminars every year to keep me current on in my field.
C – Creativity was a two-edged sword for me. I always have lots of ideas but to be successful I needed to focus on each step of building my business without jumping around. So, I added the “C” word calm and the “C” word consistency. When a new random idea would take over my brain, I would write it down. This helped me remember the idea but keep on track and remain calm by knowing the idea would not be lost. Then I trained myself to be consistent with my work. I laid out a routine and stuck to it as much as possible. Eventually that routine became a habit that made my work more enjoyable. Reminds me of the Bible verse in Corinthians 15:58. “Therefore my beloved brothers, be consistent, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Be sure to download the free list of Bible verses on consistency.
E – Enthusiasm is my strong suit. Anywhere or anytime and to anyone, I am excited to talk about working from home. I could hog the whole conversation which can be a problem. So, I added an extra “E” word – elevate. It takes nothing from me to elevate others. How do you do that? Do not hog the conversation! Listen to what is going on with others and encourage (another “E” word) them as much as you can.
Listening to Martha’s lectures at that conference changed my life as I am sure it did for others. Over the years I have been able to see quite a few of my ideas come to fruition all because I listened to the talented, beautiful, and gracious Martha Campbell Pullen share her entrepreneurial spirit. Thank you, Martha! You can follow Martha on Facebook @ Martha Campbell Pullen, Entrepreneur, or her website www.marthacampbellpullen.com. I know you will fall in love with her!
This blog post is part of a series of blog posts dedicated to starting a home-based business. Be sure to sign up for my free download “Creativity to Cash.” This beginners guide is full of ideas for making a profit from your passion. My hope is that you will find inspiration to create your own good life.
