I realize that this is probably an age thing, but does anyone else feel like the weeks and months are just spinning by you so quickly that you rarely have time to sit and just enjoy where you’re at? Lately, I feel like life his happening to me and I’m just a bystander. If that’s not a sure sign that something is not quite right around here, I don’t know what is.
To be fair, sometimes I actively ask for this. Instead of trying to control where things are going, I sit back and see where the chips fall. This is something I’ve felt like I’ve needed to do a bit more this year as a part of my attempt to simplify (see January’s moodboard post).
But the feeling I didn’t expect to get from the sitting back (hoping to gain perspective) is that I’m just floating out there without much direction.
Ok. Let’s back up for a second.
I love blogging – I really do. But it’s changed SO so much since I started 11 years ago (oh, by the way, May is our anniversary month, so happy birthday to us!). I know I’ve probably said it a million times but blogging just ain’t what it used to be. In some ways it’s better, in others it’s exhausting. And the fact is that blogging has never been my end game. I never started Coco Kelley thinking about dominating in the blog world. And I think most bloggers would agree that while we love platform, there’s a yearning to do something more with it.
So I’ve been on the hunt for a project. And you guys: I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS. They all revolve around physical spaces that I want to create here in Seattle. And of course they all involve things I love like food (restaurants?), hospitality (a little b&b?), events (I’ve found the perfect space) and of course collaboration (luckily I’ve got that one on lock). What I’m not good at? Where to start. Hence the floating.
So I guess the real problem is not really that I lack direction, but that there are so many directions I could go in. There’s just one major challenge: all of these ideas would require funding. Some way more than others. I’ve considered kickstarter, but I also think having some private investors would be nice (I mean wouldn’t we all love one or two of those?). But, I have zero idea where to begin with something like that. This is where I suck at business. I understand marketing, branding and making things beautiful. Beyond that? I’m clueless.
But I do know one thing: the first rule of life and business is to know your strengths, and find others who can fill in for your weaknesses. So, I’m putting this all out there in hopes of getting some answers. Have you ever funded a new business with private investors? If so, please tell me all the things. Have you ever taken on a business partner as an investor? How’d that go? Do you live in Seattle and want to meet for coffee and help a girl with big dreams and shallow pocketbooks out? Sweet. Let’s do it.
In the meantime, my goal for this summer is to more actively seek out people here in Seattle who I think could lend to this conversation, and maybe I can write an entire post about what I learn in the process. Would you be interested to hear more? And, obviously, I’ll keep you posted on all these adventures.
