Daring To Dream

I entered college in 2002 with one goal in mind:  I wanted to learn everything I needed to know in order to open my own business.  Pretty simple right? Wrong!!  College taught me nothing!!!  I have a Bachelors of Science in Fashion Merchandising and 2 Minors: Marketing and International Business Management.  Why, you ask, did I earn a degree in Fashion if I wanted to own a business?  Well, let me tell you.  After searching the class catalogs I discovered that the Fashion Merchandising department at Missouri State had a program of classes designed specifically to teach you what you needed to know in order to own your own business - specifically a retail business.  "Perfect!" I thought!  My dream was to own my own high-end clothing boutique.  So, I declared my major and signed up for my classes.

When it was all said and done I graduated with 153 credit hours (appriox 25 more than necessary) and a bill for approximately $40,000.00, give or take a few dollars.  Of those approximate 50 classes I sat through, I only needed one (actually about half of that one class); CMT 585: Establishing a Fashion Business.  What makes this class so lucky that I feel it was the only class needed?  We wrote a business plan.  That's it! We spent three months writing a document that was worth 100 points.  At the end of the semester we were told to make an appointment with a lending officer to have them review our plans.  If they told us, "yes, we would most likely give you a loan" - then you passed.  If you were told "no," well, then, I'm sure you can guess the outcome.  Well, I passed and momentum was given to my dream.

What was the other half of that class that I deemed unnecessary?  Well, we did some math stuff... and had some practice job interviews with the career department at the University.  But I didn't need to master the art of job interviews - I was going to be the one doing the interviews if I owned my own business, right?  And I was pretty certain that I was going to marry my boyfriend - who was an Accounting major, so I didn't need to pay too much attention to that math stuff, right?


Right!  Well, to at least to one of those!!  I did marry the accounting major and he has been the most incredible husband in letting me take this risk.  He would much rather I have a nice, steady, secure job which includes great health benefits and a stable 401k (which I had!); but he agreed - reluctantly - to let me pursue my dream.  Don't get me wrong - I took all his wants into account as well.  I found an amazing job with Abercrombie & Fitch right after graduation that was right up my alley, it was so much fun and I was great at it!  (Thank God I paid some attention to the practice interviews!) But I just wasn't satisfied - it wasn't mine!!  So after three years with a company that I was quickly moving up in - I left.  I left a great career to follow my life long dream at the age of 25.  I left a great, stable & secure job in the middle of a global economic melt down!

Yikes!!