Thursday, February 07, 2013

TAKING RISKS

Risk. This word stuck in my mind prominently as I was sitting in on an innovation meeting at my 9-5 job in the middle of 2012. Great innovators risk, great leaders risk...the movers and the shakers risk. While the intention of this meeting was to spur us towards innovation within the company and the creative process, what they didn't know is that while sitting in the auditorium writing "RISK" in big letters on my notes pages my mind was racing with one thought: Maiedae.

I began my 9-5 job right out of college. I met the VP of marketing during my senior year in high school and he mentored me through college. He spoke to me about passion, what that truly meant, and the value of living out your passions and doing what you truly love. This man was doing what he truly loved and his passion became something I wanted to strive for, even though at the time I wasn't quite clear on what that looked like. I accepted an internship with the company during my junior year of college and continued side-work through my senior year with the same team. A few days after returning from my honeymoon, I packed a box of decorations and started my first full-time job, nameplate and all! Over the next three years, a couple things happened. I worked as one of their only in-house graphic designers, I learned a lot, challenged myself, and on the side...Maiedae was born. I remember sitting at my desk one day shortly after I started my job trying to think of what name to type into blogger. I wrote a long list of possibilities, said them over and over again and then after saying Maiedae, the word just felt right, it looked right, and I remember talking to my business partner and saying, "One day this word will mean something". Fast forward a couple months and I'm busy in my living room floor putting together handmade pieces and trying to figure out this "blog" thing. ;) At the time, Jenny was living in Rome and she would come down to stay with me during the weekends, model for me and we would make dreams and plans for what Maiedae could someday be.

Photo

By 2012 my heart began feeling a major divide. I was working 32-40 hours per week and then on the nights and weekends I was blogging, meeting with Jenny at Starbucks, and designing. I loved my job, but I LOVED Maiedae. Maiedae made me feel alive, filled me with joy, and made everything my mentor told me about passion make complete sense. I knew this is what I wanted more than anything. I wanted to run a business full-time with my best friend and make big things happen.

The first step of risk for Maiedae happened in 2011 when Jenny and I were meeting in Panera during one of her visits to Atlanta. We had a long conversation about the business and where we wanted it to go. We were joyful, passionate, and so thrilled for the future. At that point we had already started proving to ourselves that we could make things happen, but we realized some risk was needed. That night in Panera, Jenny decided to up-root herself from her job and home in Rome, Georgia, and move to Atlanta. It was a huge risk for her, leaving everything she had known for over four years to come to a new city, find a new job, find a roommate, and start this new dream of ours.

Over the next year Jenny and I began seeing the vision for Maiedae more and more clearly as we tried new things, experimented with ideas, and developed a path and mission for our business. This brings me to the 2012 holidays. The divide in my heart was getting larger and larger. I began feeling this sense that I would never truly thrive in my 9-5 job, because my passion is to not only be creative and be a designer, but it's to be an entrepreneur. I needed it. Jon sat me down one night and said, "You're quitting you're job and you're doing Maiedae full-time." After my jaw hit the floor, I started crying. I was scared, excited, overwhelmed...I was overcome with every emotion, but at the core my emotion was peace. This was so right and it was time to take that risk.

February 15th will be my last day at my 9-5 job.

Being able to say this fills my heart with overwhelming joy. This is going to be a big year. Big things are happening with Maiedae. Jenny and I have spent a lot of time recently talking about our business, its history, its future...and we are so on fire to be able to live out this dream of ours. We've realized that in order to make things happen for Maiedae, risk will be involved...so here we go, the next chapter in our story begins this month.

Also, this:



"This is life people...you got air comin' through your nose, you got a heartbeat!!!...That means it's time to do somethin'!" 

Amen, amen, AMEN!


23 comments:

  1. SO inspiring. I love to see you are following your passions and dreams. You will go VERY far.

    -Courtney

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  2. I'm so happy for you!!!!!!!! This is totally the way to go!

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  3. Thank you for this posting! I`m sure it was the right decision for your! I let`s my heart beat faster to read about following your passions and dreams. Move on and good luck! :-)

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  4. congratulations!! fingers crossed the risk pays off for you!!
    xox

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  5. Congratulations - that's such exciting news! And what an inspiration - taking risks is one of the scariest, yet most fulfilling things ever!

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  6. Anonymous8.2.13

    SO excited to hear this for you!! I am very excited to see where Maidae will lead you two. Your blogs are so inspiring and I hope that it becomes very successful! Keep up the hard work...it will definitely pay off. Also, nice to meet you and Jenny last night at the signing! I may see you two around at the coffeehouse!

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  7. Good for you! Thanks for being such an inspiration. God always shows up when you take risks and put yourself out there

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  8. Thanks for sharing your story. It's tough to leave what has historically been thought of as the "right" or secure career path to pursue a dream and I'm glad you have the opportunity to do it! I sell vintage clothing and my main goal for this year is to make it a part time job at the very least. - Leah, wisestyle.wordpress.com

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  9. Savannah! I am so happy and proud of you! You are such an inspiration to so many people, including me! Can't wait to see what you and Jenny have lined up to show us and to see just how many BIG things you'll be doing this year! Congratulation! Also, I am so in love with that video...I feel like if started everyday by watching it I could pretty much accomplish anything! haha

    xx Ashleigh
    www.ashflynn.blogspot.com

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  10. Congratulations you two! I so love hearing stories like this. Incredibly inspiring! All the best!

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  11. I'm so glad to be reading this this morning! I'm extremely thrilled for you! I have always followed your blog and work and you are truly an inspiration. Particularly for me because I'm in the same boat somewhat... it's so hard to go to a day job when all you can think about is sitting down and creating things that you love and following your heart. I really do not think that there is a greater feeling that doing what you are passionate about. That joy is very rare and I'm so excited to see what you do next! Take all those risks that you want and follow your dreams!

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  12. I am so happy to hear you are taking such a risk! Most people never would. I wish you the absolute best of luck on your ventures!

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  13. Oh, congratulations Savannah! I con't wait to follow along this next step of your journey.

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  14. Congrats!!!! What an amazing LEAP towards your future! I would wish you the best, but I already know you're gonna KILL IT. Can't wait for everything to unfold :)

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  15. SO exciting - congrats! I quit my 9-5er two and a half years ago and haven't looked back once. it was the best decision i ever made . scary, yes, and at times really hard, but the best.

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  16. This is amazing! When I started to really pursue my blog & handmade business more, I still owned a salon & photography studio. At one time those were my passions, but something kept telling me that my heart would be more full with justlove.ly. After I quit (well sold it all), this 'new-ness' came over me and I was ignited even more with bigger dreams. I think that its because I didn't have the burden of the other things -although I loved them- to hold me down and I had more room in my heart to put my all in to this.

    I haven't looked back.

    I won't lie the first day not going to work felt like I was skipping school, but you will get used to it! Seriously congrats, you are doing amazing things over here and deserve every bit of following your dreams! xo

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  17. Such a great post. Congrats! I recently came across your blog and this story is so so so inspirational. Thanks for sharing and reminding that its never to late to take risks and chase your dreams.

    Much luck and success.

    xoxo

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  18. With great risk comes great reward. Congratulations, Savannah!

    Aisha
    www.themiddleofhere.com

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  19. I think that's totally awesome! That is something I wish to happen in my life. Maybe not neccessarily my own business, but to be able to really work for yourself and following your passion....that's so great and really inspirational.
    Congrats to you for following your dreams!....And for making it a reality!

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  20. This makes my heart happy. I am SO excited for you, Savannah. Yay for ladies living out & following their dreams. You are an inspiration to me!

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  21. SAVANNAH!!!!! Congratulations, lady! I am so excited for the future of Maiedae. You are doing, it girl! Don't look back!

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  22. totally shared that video! thanks for the risk inspiration!! good luck xxx

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