I have to say I have never really worked long in Corporate America…
I worked for a national insurance company for a year, so I
guess I did get a taste of it. I couldn't get out of that company fast enough
to join a start-up e-tailer when the opportunity came, and the main reason was,
beside much better pay, that I could work on better and more exciting projects
with the start-up company, and I had more freedom and more opportunities to
work on a variety of projects. Three years or so later, when the start-up was starting
to become another member of the "Corporate America", I left that company too. I
felt like I was loosing the freedom and autonomy that I joined the company for
in the first place, and the whole "office politics" thing was getting really tiring.
I also felt like I had all this creative energy but nowhere to express it.
While I was still with the then start-up company, I started a little company making aromatherapy products, but that didn't really go anywhere since most of my time and energy were spent at my regular job. After I left my job (which was really a result of me moving to a different city), I spent some time doing some "soul searching" (i.e. trying to figure out what the heck I want to do with my life). I finally started Beauté Minéral, a natural mineral cosmetics company, about a year ago. The starting of Beauté Minéral was almost compulsive; it all began with a bit of inspiration from an online beauty message board, and I just took the plunge. A year or so later, I'm really glad that I took that plunge and did what I did. I have always wanted to do something with the beauty/cosmetics industry, ever since I graduated college. And having my own brand of products really allows me to express my creative energy. Although my company is still at her infancy stage and time is still hard, I don't ever want to go back to corporate America or working for someone else ever again. I love setting my own agenda and goals, and I definitely like it much better that I'm developing and working on projects that I enjoy. What I love the most about my job now is the process of have an idea (my own idea), manifesting that idea and then seeing the result of the idea. I think because I'm really a control freak myself, I don't feel I have much control over my career in Corporate America and I don't like that feeling. Looking back, I don't regret working for the companies, especially the start-up e-tailer, that I worked for because they did teach me a lot about running an online business. I'm glad I have those experiences. And I did make some possible good connections. But would I go back to Corporate America? Not a chance at this point! I already have a new business idea in the pipe line, so it will be a long while before I would contemplate going back to Corporate America again.
I stopped working in Corporate America almost 2 years ago. It was the best decision I ever made for myself and my family. I now have started my own home based business and love working from home and being here for my children. My goal is to eventually have my husband work at home with me so that we can both enjoy our children while they are young and make enough money to enjoy each other after they are gone. I never knew there were so many opportunites for stay-at-home moms, but I am glad I did the research and found my future.
Posted by: Barbara Murtaugh | November 16, 2006 at 11:13 AM