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by Hope

I hinted at the beginning of the year that I was seeking a way to expand my business, ie make it less about me and more of a product/service I could expand with.  I am excited to say that I believe I have found the beginnings of a new path.  I am super excited and so tempted to throw everything to the wayside and just dive in.  Stop!

The problem is the new venture is going to entail some start up costs.  Some new software and hardware that I do not have and thus far have not found a way to get discounted in any way. So I am proudly, very proudly since before I would pull out my consumer card  that is now paid off (transferred to a lower interest cc) and just go for it.  But I haven’t and I won’t!

I am doing my due diligence, checking out the competition, running preliminary numbers and gathering intelligence.  But I am also putting just a bit more aside this month toward possible business expansion with the distinct thought of jumping in in the next few months.

I’m not ready to reveal this new venture.  But I will tell you this…it would be something that my children could be involved in, it would not change my current level of dedication to existing and long running clients, and I think that it would open a whole new realm of possibilities for my business and future.  I am keeping my priorities, which is why this is taking longer than if I just jumped in anywhere.

1. I will still be able to set my own hours and work around the kids schooling and activities.
2. I will still be able to work from anywhere, so the very real possibility of moving somewhere cheaper would not be a factor.
3. I would still be mobile, so could travel and work simultaneously.
4. While there are some start up costs, and annual costs associated with this path, I think I could make a success of it enough so to offset the start up considerations within a year or three at most.
5. There is a true need for what I am considering so any investment would be a wise one if I commit to sticking to it and growing it.

I am super excited and wanted to share since I really have finally zeroed in on one very real venture.  I’m sorry if this is cryptic, but I wanted you to know what was going on with this area of my life.  Expanding my earning power and moving toward taking myself out of the mix so I can expand my business.  Yeah!

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.