Carpe Cupcake (and Carpe Entrepreneurs)!

I got an e-mail today from Donna ('Annie'), who was a PTA Co-President with me in Puyallup, WA. We had lots of fun along with accomplishing tons of good for the school, students, and teachers. So, her e-mail was no surprise to me. Here is a snippet:

I have news. Recently, I opened a new business, everythingcupcakesbyannie.com. It all started with my sister's stamp 'original cupcake' (Lockhart Stamp Co.). I started making products with her images and feeding my ever-growing creative soul and... bing, bang, boom a business was born! Please visit my site and enjoy shopping through my calorie-free cupcake collection.

Now, I can't say that cupcakes are an obsession for me. However, I have a daughter, cupcakes are popular & cute, and I do whole-heartedly support entrepreneurial spirit! So, I checked it out and I plan to buy a gift for my daughter. I am sharing Donna's story because I want to support a motivated woman who has decided to do something she loves with the talents she has.

Writing this, I got to thinking about the other business owners I know: Jamil Evans owns a growing government contracting company (DC), Anthony Kirlew is a search engine marketing wiz (Phoenix, AZ), Gwen Grimes Sawyer (San Antonio, TX) has an awesome photography company, and there are many others, in fact too many to name, but....I think they would all say that getting started may well be the hardest and most important step.

Another business-owner who downright inspires me is: Brandie Hall. She is a Personal Trainer, Motivational Speaker & Life Coach but honestly, she is just an encourager like nobody else! She has taken her passions and uses them daily to create a living AND to benefit others. When a client connects with Brandie, they get a full service experience, not just an exercise plan. She educates, challenges, and designs a plan to get them to results. I haven't ever had a training session with Brandie (though I wish I had) but I know what she accomplishes, YOU CAN'T FAKE THE INTERACTIONS (AND RESULTS) THAT SHE HAS WITH HER CLIENTS. Facebook has given me a window into her business from the service and client perspective that marketing couldn't possibly capture....it speaks for itself (I could do a whole other post on creative use of social networking to not only promote your business but convey "who" your company is).

Launching a business of your own is no minor endeavor, but is anything worth having easy? It will take confidence and hard work, did I say 'hard work?' I meant REALLY HARD WORK.

These are just a few of the people I know who have exhibited confidence and commitment to being an entrepreneur. If you have been thinking about doing something new and different in business or life, take the leap!