Entrepreneur Diaries: Being Boss, Making Bank, & Having a Stay-at-Home Husband

As a young girl I (this is Abagail BTW) was bossy. Some may call it “leadership”. But let’s be honest - I wanted things to be done my way or the highway. Heck, I even remember correcting my mom if I thought she was driving the “wrong way” to the doctor’s office. 

Over the years I managed to tone down my bossy attitude from a roaring boil to more of a simmer. That said, I never thought I would manage a team of 10, make money in my sleep, and have a husband begging to quit his job. 

This whole running-a-business-thing became my life. I left the corporate suit jackets, gray cubicles, and life of endless meetings behind. I pursued my dreams. I worked my butt off. And for what? 

Our Creative Empire

I dreamt of a life where I didn’t have to put on makeup every single day. The kind of life that allowed me to be myself (loud, somewhat inappropriate, and constantly creative). I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny. I wanted to build a place where women could shine. I wanted to empower women to take charge of their own lives and to be fueled with passion and vigor.

I never imagined my dreams would come true so quickly. That my five-year and ten-year goals would be getting crossed off the list after a matter of months, and I would be left in a place I had never imagined.

I had to stop thinking about what was possible and start thinking about the impossible. I had to develop systems to make these dreams that I had a probability, instead of a possibility. I put aside the doubt and the heartache and I let my guard down.

Emylee and I have grown together in ways I cannot explain. We’re more than business partners. We’re more than best friends. We have a connection and a drive that you just don’t find everyday. 

Cha-Ching

True Story… Every time we make money IFTT automatically texts my cell phone (well, for the first 100 transactions a month) with a custom ring tone. It straight up “cha-chings” ya’ll and it is AWESOME. 

Let’s be clear. I don’t do this because I am some money-hungry snob. I do this because it gives me a sense of relief. AND let’s me not check my email every five seconds to see what’s up in my business.

See life, in my opinion, prepares you to fail. You ride a bike, you fall down and scrape a knee. You go to school and you don’t just pass by doing nothing. You gotta work for it. You put in the time. Sometimes you fail. Or end up with a C in calculus. But life doesn’t give you the roadmap for success.

What happens if you do see rapid growth? What if you go from a one-woman team to a team of ten? What happens when you have to make BIG decisions that no longer just affect you, but could affect THOUSANDS of people?!

Success is harder than failure. Failure you learn from, you get up, and you try again. Success means you keep pushing, you keep going, and you never stop. 

This life is possible. Nothing Emylee and I have done is life shattering. We haven’t patented a product. We didn’t invent the next social media marketing platform. We don’t have MBAs. We are just two stubborn Midwestern woman willing to do anything to see this thing continue to succeed.

Success is possible. Dreams do come true. You just gotta werk, werk, werk. 

Holla At Your Husband, Girl

Fun Fact… a recent study found that more than half of millennial men would be cool with not working if their spouse made bank. And my husband is one of them.

Growing up, I lived in a pretty traditional Midwestern household. My dad wore a suit, went to his nine-to-five job and my mom stayed home to raise the babies. 

After having that picture in your brain long enough you begin to see this as the ONLY way your life will unfold. But, let’s be honest. As much as I want to be a mom, I LOVE working. Like, I’m addicted to it. Work doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s my calling, it’s my passion. And no matter when kids come, I can never imagine giving it up in its entirety. 

Enter my loving husband, Jared!

Let’s get a couple things straight. Jared is an excellent cook. He has the greenest lawn in the neighborhood (and maybe the whole city). He does laundry (because I would wait until I was naked to do it). He is a caregiver (we are talking obsessed - he and his bunch of little old ladies are the most precious thing I have ever seen). He is pretty much the perfect 1950s housewife (ok, maybe I am exaggerating a little).

Jared still works in a traditional job. He still wakes up at seven and comes home later than I would like him to. He is great at his job (in fact he just got a raise). But it’s his dream to be a stay-at-home husband.

I joke that this isn’t what will actually happen. But the reality is, the clock is ticking and we both want to be home full-time. 

There is this whole different level of pressure I never imagined I would put myself under. But I am a late 20-something working my bootie off so I can support my family (including children who are still just a part of my imagination at this point). I want my husband home full-time. 

Sure, it’s because he is good at running a household. But more than that, it’s because I know that EVERYONE in our little family will be happier. He wasn’t made to be trapped behind a desk. 

The numbers prove a change is happening: A 2015 study of 1,100 Millennial professionals by the Boston College Center for Work and Family found that 51 percent of the men would be comfortable not working if their spouse made enough money. According to a 2012 Pew study, 2 million dads in the United States are their families' primary caregivers (i.e. stay-at-home dads). In 1989, it was barely half that. (source)

Guess it’s time to get to work, babes. I gotta make bank. 

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