One Year in Business!
On Friday, I celebrate a big occasion---one year that I have been *officially* in business as Lauren Perna Communications. Technically, I didn’t launch to the public until a few months later but June 25th, 2020, is the day that I signed the LLC paperwork. The day that I finalized my move from freelancer, on-and-off jobseeker to entrepreneur and business owner.
The truth is entrepreneurship wasn’t in my plans for 2020. I always knew I wanted to work for myself, but my vision was a few years down the road. I had this belief that before I could do that, I needed to get a few more years in the corporate world. I felt like I needed more “concrete” experience…whatever that means. I thought I would miss working with co-workers or getting out of my house. I let myself believe all these things, enduring the seesaw of emotions that came with leaving my long-time job, freelancing, job-hunting, interviewing, coffee meetings, networking events, and everything in between.
The Facebook challenge that changed the game
Long story short, that “concrete” experience never manifested. There were several times that I thought I was close, but then the pandemic hit, and everything changed. I was feeling pretty down and out, so on a whim, I joined this 21-day Facebook challenge for entrepreneurs featuring well-known businesspeople like Spanx CEO Sarah Blakey, Tony Robbins, Jenna Kutcher, and so many more. Not usually my thing, but I enjoyed the host, Pete Vargas, and his energy. The advice was good, and it definitely got me thinking.
I remember one April day, I decided to take some time for myself and head up to our lake house. Feeling inspired by these remarkable stories, I remember sitting at the kitchen table, and in what can only be described as a fever dream, I bought LaurenPerna.com and so began my journey.
Just winging it
Despite being a seasoned marketing/communications strategist and an epic planner, I had absolutely zero plans for this journey. Readers, I was completely winging it. And if you know me, I don’t “wing” very much in this world. I spent the summer continuing to freelance, coming up with branding, creating a website, and enlisting my best friends for various jobs. One August day, I sent the beta version of the website to my friends, for probably the 10th time, and Nancy said…”sooo, can I share it yet?” I wasn’t entirely ready, but I remembered what those entrepreneurs said… you’re never really ready. I told her to share it, and the rest is history.
A whirlwind of a journey
I have spent the last year in a whirlwind of ups and downs, almost giving up at times. But I didn’t and I owe that to a number of people. Jon, for always telling me that he wished I believed in myself as much as he believed in me (barf emoji, I know). Family and friends who cheered me on, colleagues who gave me sage advice, mentors who showed me what works, and the Women’s Business League for giving me the community of powerful women entrepreneurs that I so needed.
But most of all, I owe it to myself. In that 21-day challenge there were SO many nuggets of wisdom but the one thing I ALWAYS remember is from Jesse Itzler (follow him on Instagram, btw, he’s hilarious). He said….entrepreneurs bet on themselves. And that’s exactly what I did. Once I began betting on myself, I realized I could never go back to betting on someone else’s dream.
I have some exciting things to reveal in these next few weeks to celebrate my one year, so be sure to stay tuned.
