Ha. Plenty.
I guess it’s been about 15 years or so since I watched a documentary about American business legends. One of my favorites was a man named Harland Sanders. You guessed it, that’s the KFC founder himself.
What struck me about him most was his determination. I mean, there he was. 65 years old. Bankrupt. Down to his car, his re-engineered pressure cooker and his recipe. Besides the shirt on his back there wasn’t much more on his assets sheet.
So, what did he do? Perhaps many would have thought he’d head for the nearest Old Folks Home or show up at a relative’s house with bags in hand. He didn’t do either. Instead, he loaded up what little he had into his car and headed West, aiming to sell his recipe to restaurants.
How did it all go?
We all know the answer to that now, but, back when The Colonel was making cold calls to eating establishments, it wasn’t looking too good. He offered use of his recipe for fried chicken to restaurants in exchange for receiving 4 cents royalty for every piece they sold. Not many of them accepted this. Others claimed they didn’t “sell much” and so didn’t pay out much either.
Determination pays.
The Colonel finally came to expand the franchise of his restaurants, but was well past 70 before he saw any true financial security. The rest of that story is now history.
What’s fried chicken got to do with me?
I’ve ventured down different types of career paths in the past 15 years or so. I went back to school. Earned a diploma in Fitness & Nutrition, and 6 certifications in the same fields. I founded an online magazine “Fit Beautiful Magazine” in 2009 and had as many as 16 writers helping me produce content. Then I worked for bellaonline as Yoga Editor. In between all this I wrote 4 ebooks on diet/yoga/skin care.
Next I wrote paranormal fiction – 3 books in that series.
Then I pursued acting and modeling and landed two roles – one in an HBO production and another in an independent production. Lots of fun.
But, nothing really clicked until now. So, even though I didn’t wait until I was past 65 years old, I understand how The Colonel must have felt. It’s hard blazing new territory. And if you don’t have deep pockets to help you along, the road is rocky and the hours are long.
Recently, I have found my forever job. I’m working with my husband and daughter in our beekeeping business, Coastal Honey Bees LLC. I have spearheaded the soap making and beauty products division. Soap making is underway and beauty products are in the formulation stage right now.
I love what I do. I’m a creative soul and love challenges. And I don’t shrink from hard work. If you enjoy what you do, the tasks aren’t so difficult. I find that I look forward to creating new soap varieties and then there’s the packaging ideas….. It’s all great.
What soap varieties have I produced so far?
I have 11 types finished, and they include creamy, glycerin and a combination of both. All of them contain a tablespoon of our own raw honey. Plus high-quality ingredients.
Where can you buy them?
My handcrafted soaps will be at The White City Mercantile in Ft Pierce Fl by the end of September – which is right around the corner. In addition, we will be a vendor at The Farmer’s Market in Tradition Port St Lucie, Fl on Sundays beginning in November. Also, our website will be up and running soon and purchases can be made there.
Click on our FB link below to keep up with what we are doing. You can also contact us there as well.
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