Letters From Lauren: Ninety-Thousand to Nothing - The Sacrifice for Small Business

When I started my first company in 2014, I found that people made assumptions about my personal and financial situation in order to create this business. In today’s letter, I wanted to share a little bit about my personal journey in an effort to encourage those of you starting your own creative pursuits. I know that each of our journeys and financial situations looks very different, but I hope that by sharing some transparency about mine, you will be encouraged as you boldly pursue your creative calling. 

Before starting Travel Patterns, I had a career as an interior designer and project manager for the US Government. In the fall of 2018, I stepped away from the safety and security of that career path so that I could run what was, at the time, my little side business. Many people assumed that I either hated my job, or that Travel Patterns was doing so well, in order for me to leave my career and run the business full time. The truth? My husband and I made incredibly hard financial, and emotional, sacrifices in order for me to pursue Travel Patterns full time. 

I want to be fully transparent so I am going to break down the numbers a bit; at the time of our decision, I was making around $90,000 a year with my salary being almost double that of my husband’s. Additionally, both our health insurance and retirement were through my job. I also enjoyed my full time job and the mission that we supported. I had a lot of personal pride built up in what I accomplished there, and benefited from the many perks -- like getting to travel all over the world. While my full time job was interesting, challenging, and unique, there was always a part of me that was passionate about pursuing more creative work. Also, at that time, I had been building partnerships with co-ops around the world through Travel Patterns and wanted to continue to support those relationships. After four years of running the business on the side, it was time to acknowledge that I wasn’t giving my current job or Travel Patterns the full attention that both deserved. My husband and I had to make a choice; stay at the secure job that provided us financial security, or run Travel Patterns full time. 

Up to this point, I had never taken any salary or pay from Travel Patterns -- everything we made from the company was invested back into keeping the business afloat. As we started discussing what it would look like for me to leave my career, we understood that it meant we were potentially giving up more than half of our income, health insurance, and retirement benefits. It also became an emotional decision as I began to wrestle with the thought of leaving a team and mission that I had loved supporting for almost a decade. I spent months navigating through what it would look like to set aside my pride and security for something more.

Ultimately, my husband and I chose to take the risk of going all in with Travel Patterns. Unlike what it can seem to the outside, this process was neither fast nor easy. When we made the decision, we financially planned for a year and set goals that we needed to meet before I could officially step down from my position. We cut back our expenses and began living on only his salary during that transition period, basically recreating our whole lifestyle. To me this was the hardest part of leaving my job, however, it made all the difference in the long run.

It’s been two and half years since we officially took the leap of faith. While I have yet to regret our decision, everyday can present a new challenge or tough decision when running a small business. Frankly, I feel like most days I still have no idea what I’m doing. I’d also be lying if I said that the security that comes from working for someone else isn’t tempting from time to time. Then I remind myself of the impact that this company is making in so many different ways and in some many different lives. It makes it easier to decide that all of the personal sacrifices are worth it in the end. 

Running a small business is definitely not for the faint of heart, especially after a year like 2020. But if you find yourself wondering if you could do it I want to encourage you to say “Yes, I can.” You are worth the time it takes to follow your dreams and you may find that the risks involved are more than worth the reward!

Take Heart, Take Flight!

-Lauren