Taking Care of Business

Well if you follow me on Facebook, then you have seen that life around here has been a little scary & crazy!! Right now I feel like God must be trying to prepare me for some great use, but man I would be okay with a simple life!! I do journal, so maybe if it was all put together it would become one crazy book on living life with BIG faith!!  

On the serious side of things the day/night before my whole life got rearranged, some BIG BAD things happened with the paint stuff!! As many of you know, I have retailed for Maison Blanche and have always loved it.  Over the past couple of years, I have found it tremendously hard to be a business woman coupled with the fact that I bring my faith into my business world.  I don’t use that I am a Christ follower to gain business, to judge or push others away whom don’t believe what I do.  But it is the center compass of all decisions I make and how I choose to run my business.  Where am I going with all of this?  

Depending on how long you have followed me, you watched me trust someone I thought I could do business with and get lied to.  It was a “Christian” lady wanting to come along side… but instead came along side, stole my name, used it to tell people she was taking over my business and run me down… Little did she know that people actually knew me– and for sure knew my husband and her’s looked nothing like mine.  I am thankful for those watchful ears and eyes.  Legal action was a threat that stopped the delusional work of someone I thought I could trust but was different than appeared.  That experience was one I was too naive to see coming and led me to Lesson #2.

My family will always come first!! Although this therapy had become a full time business, I also am a full time mom of 4 children who need me most!! And balance is something all working mothers strive for and sometimes miss big time.  This mom missed it big time.  Trying to open a studio or shop isn’t feasible for girl who works early mornings and late nights.  Many of you don’t know my schedule or how and when the painting gets done… you see the beauty in the work and I am thankful for that!! But my days are full of activities and therapies and doctors appointments and everything else that 4 kiddos require!! I LOVE it All!!  This mama who has used the paint brush to be “taking care of me” time… therapy for my soul… and then turned business faster than I was ready for has made a lot of choices based on prayer and what I thought would be great for our family.  My hobby turned into making money- which was great.  It was providing the provision our family needed through insurance changes and needing to pay for lots of princess therapies and 2 sets of braces!! Yay, mom!!

But when I decided to rep a paint brand, it was more about what was behind the paint than the actual paint.  Although, I love the paint.  But the night of my last paint class the owner let me know that some girls who had furniture in our shop were moving out because they were about to sell the paint.  What?? oh and 18.9 miles from the location I sell it…. and yes that was in my territory.  Here’s lesson #3- NO MATTER what someone says in words {even email}, NO MATTER the friendships formed, NO MATTER the trust you think you have- it better be explicitly written in contract form.  You see cities listed in my original contract were to have a line drawn around them to create my radius if you will. Well McKinney to Sherman is our example here…. Van Alstyne is the tiny little city in between.  But because I should know she wouldn’t do it on purpose to hurt me I should be okay with the fact that she was NOT going to make it right.  I won’t air any other dirty laundry, for that isn’t’ my purpose in this post.  But I did lose complete respect that day for how this was handled and how I was treated.  And I think to forgive is important, but I think in business that’s a matter of your heart.   I can’t just say okay, and continue to sell something I no longer believe in what’s behind the product.  It’s what is right for me… and it took lots of tears and frustration to get to the point where I can tell you this today.  Mostly, so you know to always watch out for YOU- because likely You are the only one who will.  

If we don’t take accountability for our actions and do what’s right NO MATTER the cost on either end- it WILL happen again.   Revising my contract to fit their mistake “in not knowing where that little town was”, isn’t an option for me!! And the crazy world of CHALK based PAINT has become so ruthless and vicious.  Starting a company based on values that are opposite of another’s way of doing things, looks good in the beginning.  Until you are taken by the greed that consumes you and making choices that are the very thing you used to stand against!!  I teach my kids to always stand up for what’s right even when no one else is!! Just because it isn’t happening to you doesn’t mean that one day it won’t happen… And for me that one day, Happened!! 

So, all paint that is left in-stock on the shelves at Kiss and Make-Up will be marked down today until it’s gone!! Same with my website.  I am filling in the inventories and marking down throughout today!!

I want to believe in what I use and sell!! Being an artist rather than just a rep… I use everything still and I do have to say there is something freeing in being able to openly!! I never stopped offering my clients color palettes that were other lines, and I never will.  For you though, this allows my website to have a ton more variety and information on how to use lots of products!! Not just what I sell. {insert a huge smiley face}  God has a way of bringing you back to what you love!!! I’m thankful for His plans over mine every time…. even though it’s tough and hard to go through… He sees me through!!

And until I know my daughter is strong enough for me to share her story, just know we cannot thank you enough for the prayers you have said over us!!  We are walking a new journey every day, but we when you have His strength All Things Seem Possible!!