Michelle's Story: Kids Decor Inc.

Today's story comes to us from Michelle Miller, owner of Kids Decor Inc. A mom and former medical professional, Michelle discovered a renewed confidence after realizing that what she thought were professional drawbacks could actually be assets. Though it can be a challenging and unfamiliar task, recognizing your skills and using them to your advantage is important. You never know what exciting prospects could be just around the corner, and what you'll learn about yourself in the process! Sometimes, taking a step back is all we need to see the full picture and our place within it.

"If you had told me five years ago that I would run my own business someday, I would have laughed. I was a full-time stay-at-home mom (SAHM) with two young children. I had left a professional medical career after the birth of first child in order to stay home. My career had been challenging, exciting, and rewarding. Would I be able to find the same satisfaction as a SAHM? As many moms can likely attest, I felt like my brainpower had pretty much been sucked out by pregnancy and sleepless nights. I found that the confidence and esteem that I had felt while working seemed to be fading as the years passed.

I had been considering going back to work part-time in my previous role. I have to admit, I was scared to death. The field had changed significantly and I knew I would have to re-learn many aspects of my job. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up. As it turned out, the part-time opportunity did not materialize as I had hoped and I was faced with a decision. Should I pursue this field further or take my career in a new direction? What skills did I have that would allow me to be able to re-enter the workforce or run my own business? I wanted a challenge, but would it prove to be too much?

As I took inventory of where I was in my life and career, I began to realize that my role as a SAHM may have inhibited my professional development in some areas, but enhanced it in other areas. I found that I had a very creative side that I hadn’t utilized before. I noted my ability to manage multiple projects and priorities both at home and outside the home. I thought about how volunteering had given me great joy, the same joy I had felt while working with my patients. I recognized how much I still enjoyed learning a new skill and teaching others. I remembered the struggles our family had faced and how we had been able to join together to face them and come out even stronger.

A new confidence began to replace the self-doubting thoughts. If I could use these skills to run our home and manage responsibilities outside my home, I could use them to run my own business. Knowing that my priority was still going to be my children, I wanted a business flexible enough to allow for time with them after school and participation in their activities. As I started researching my options, I realized that an owning an online business fit my needs. It afforded me the opportunity to learn new skills, further develop my existing skills and provide our family with the flexibility we desired.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy. Whether it is leaving a company you have worked for many years to start your own business, changing roles within your company or re-entering the workforce after years of being at home, there are certainly going to be times of uncertainty and doubt. However, as I have shared from my own experience, learning to recognize - not minimize - the skill set you already possess can give you the confidence to take on a new adventure in your career and your life."

Learn more about Kids Decor Inc. and keep up with Michelle at KidsDecorInc.com, Twitter (@KidsDecorInc), and Facebook (Facebook.com/KidsDecorInc). Make sure to check out the blog, too, at KidsDecorInc.blogspot.com.

Steven's Story: SalutWorld.com

Steven's story comes to us from the point of view of your typical, a-typical teenager. He's definitely not your average small business owner, and what sets him apart is more than just his years. Dabbling in business concepts by age fourteen, and a full-fledged entrepreneur at age eighteen, his unique perspective offers up an outlook on business and life that is beyond his years.

"My business life kicked off properly when I was fourteen. Before that, I would sell CD’s to friends to make some extra cash for the weekends.

But when I was fourteen, I was staying with a friend of mine and had just ordered the new Microsoft ZUNE off eBay, and 100 glow sticks (no idea why). My big plan was that I would re-sell the glow sticks in packs of ten in my own 'eBay store'... good strategy, right? I thought so too, until I realized that I needed to sell something like ten items on eBay before I could open a shop at all (silly rule I think, personally). Anyway I quickly gave up on the eBay shop, however it kick-started my mind into dreaming up business ideas.

The first one that I made into a reality was a online store, selling computer hardware. I set it up one summer and signed up to become resellers with some manufactures. I loved it. It gave me a buzz and I got some customers from it as well. Sadly I had to 'close up shop' due to taking exams at the time, and I couldn’t devote the amount of time it would take to develop the store properly. But from the day I decided to close it, that was the day I think I truly knew what I wanted to do with my life.

I have always done website design as a hobby, but after the online shop closed I decided to take the hobby and turn it into a job. This is when the first of my 'Salut' brands was formed: Salut Designs. It wasn’t long before I got my first customer and I was over the moon! It was a great feeling to be paid for your services, to see the finished product and the customers pleased with the results. Looking at that site now, I can see how much I have moved on, from basic HTML to PHP and CSS. But the design world in general has advanced a lot in a very short time.

So now I was owner of Salut Designs, working my way up in the world one client at a time, and it felt great! I already knew I wanted to expand into hosting as well, it was just a matter of when. The time came late last year (2009) when I started to create my hosting site and all the features. I am happy to say that it is all up and running now.

The main challenge I faced throughout and still do a little today, is my age. I recently turned eighteen and that is a big factor for me in business. It means I am legally an 'adult' and people just seem to treat you more like one in the business world. When I was fifteen, sixteen and seventeen, I would go to meetings worried that the client would look at me and think, 'Wow, he is young'. Now I go to clients thinking 'Yes I am young, but I can do a job just as well - or even better - than anyone else!' You have to think positively in situations like that, or you'll never get anywhere.

Financially I am lucky due to the fact that both the hosting and design side of things have very little start up costs, so my expenses are all easily covered by my income. But I've had to deal with unique issues, in part due to my age; for example, I couldn’t write checks until I turned eighteen - but that didn’t put me off. I just persevered and worked around it. I know a lot of teen entrepreneurs who are much younger, and I am really happy for them. I try to give them advice if they ask it. Honestly I am just a normal teenager trying to make something of his life. I'm just starting now instead of going to university and getting a degree first.

I plan to expand Salut into many different market areas in the next few years, and am hoping to become a success in each and every one of them. As they say, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again!"

Find out more about Steven's company at SalutWorld.com, follow him on Twitter @stevenhaggerty, and get the scoop on latest offers at the Facebook page. He's offering a special deal on hosting to readers of this blog, so make sure to mention Small Biz Stories!