What it’s like to be me right now.

 

Yes, this is me a 60 years woman with four grandchildren, a great husband and in spite of the crisis I find myself in the midst of, a great life. I should be doing something else right now, but felt like  writing instead. 

It is January 6th, 2012 and exactly five months ago this coming Monday, a perfect stranger sat me down to say that I was no longer required at my lifetime place of employment.  I was to leave immediately.  This is not the place to detail the whys and wherefores because there are other people involved and I would rather take the high road.  The point of this is to talk about what I have done since and how it feels now.  The period of loss and grief and anger is almost completely over. 

I’ve wanted to start my own business for a few years now and this became the opportunity. I just could never quite make up my mind what direction to take; so I didn’t do anything. Part of me that still feels like the 1970′s was going in one direction and my practical side was saying something else.  So, while the shock of what had just happened settled in, I canned the hell out of my garden produce, worked in the earth to balance myself again, and even planted a winter garden. 

Life settled somewhat and the challenges faced as a result of a sudden loss of income were gradually worked through. Life reduces itself to what is really important, necessary and the rest falls away. After examining several opportunities I realized that the answer was obvious. Do what you love and know.  Don’t buy someone else’s business, even if you think you can succeed, unless it is really something you believe in.  Don’t open a business just because you think your town needs that service or product. Do create a company that offers something that you love to do, or believe in passionately. Once I had made my decision, a terrific employment counsellor guided me in the direction of a self-employment program that is proving to be a phenomenal support system, learning tool and mentor program.  I am sure Heather, Francine and Niv won’t mind if I publicly thank them for the opportunity they provide myself and others to start their own companies at the Aspire Self-Employment Program. There are lots of success stories and I plan to be another one of the successes.  

I will conclude today’s post with a short introduction of the company my brother/artist/designer Allan Switzer and I are launching in March. 

SwitzerCultCreative’s mission is to identify, create and market 21^st century furniture designs                                                  for high-end home furnishings projects.   We look for products that have never been seen in North America, and we identify designers who create original designs exclusively for us. 

In the same way that we pay attention to the food we eat, where it is grown, and whether it is organic or not, we want to know how the furniture is made and finished that will occupy our client’s personal environments. We want to know the creator and builder.  We must feel certain that the materials used in the creation of the products are compatible with environmental sustainability.  We want to play a role in making the world a better place, as well as create a personal environment that provides peace, tranquility and positive energy.  

We also know that creative people want to create and may not always have a vehicle through which to introduce their designs to the world.  In addition to promoting younger or lesser-known talent by providing a launching point from which these designers can build their own brands, SwitzerCultCreative sponsors an annual Design Competition for students. The winner will have their design built and marketed for one year by SwitzerCultCreative.  Designers from Italy, France and North America have chosen SwitzerCultCreative to introduce, manage and market their designs.

Back to my business - 

Renee 

 

 

 

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