Skip to main content

Creative And Stuck Behind A Desk? Time To Break Free!

Are you a creative type looking for more than the corporate grind? You know you have the ideas, but
do you have what it takes to break free? Lisa Gutierrez Martinez often asked herself those questions, and she even asked her friends, some of whom basically told her that her business idea was crazy. Luckily for her and many people who have benefitted from her culturally impactful, creative and stylish dinner parties, she didn't listen.

Lisa has worked successfully in various corporate positions, liking some, not loving some, and throughout them all envisioning other ways she could be professionally challenged and fulfilled as an entrepreneur. Having her own business was even more of a calling for her when her son was born. Until he was around one, she stayed with her job and had limited flexibility, but she still had to be away from him for 8 to 9 hours a day and knew it was time for a change so started her "side hustle."

Like many entrepreneurial-minded people, Lisa had lots of ideas swimming around in her head and landed on the one that has stuck - "communal dinner parties in Southern California for curious people who love food, wine and design" per her company's website. Her business is so out-of-the-box that many didn't and still don't understand it. Some have even gone so far as to call it "cute," which many mompreneurs experience. That little pat on the back, the demeaning descriptions of what we are doing on the side while we raise our children, as if to say that it will never be more, it will never be enough.

Even so, Lisa forged forward and her love for entrepreneurship is what most of us love - the time
flexibility, which is unparalleled. The joy of not reporting to a boss, not needing to ask off time to be with her son or go on vacation, going to lunch with friends whenever she wants, cannot be beat. Furthermore, for Lisa, her ability to design different gatherings for each dinner party fulfills her creative side in a way that she was not finding in corporate America.

The downsides, like any good entrepreneur will tell you, are that in the beginning most people keep their day jobs so finding the time can be challenging. Lisa recommends fitting in whatever you can whenever you can because a little bit here and there adds up. Overcome your fear of what could go wrong, jump in and start because life and time will pass by whether or not you do it.

To see the whole interview with Lisa and hear other incredible words of wisdom she has to share, click here.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hey, Mom! Has Anyone Told You You're Doing A Great Job?

I was recently traveling alone with my three kids, and since they're tween/teens, this does not seem like such a Herculean effort as it did a few years ago. As we were exiting the shuttle from the rental car place to the airport, a guy looked at me and said "Hey, Mom! Has anyone told you lately you're doing a great job?" My face lit up, I felt a huge glow inside and thanked him profusely. He may as well have told me I had won the lottery.😁 This got me to thinking, why was this such a big deal? Probably for the one truth that most moms I know live. We think we suck at this parenting thing every single day. We beat ourselves up for every little thing. We read social media and play the compare game. We are not enough insert whatever crapola thing comes to our mind or is hot in the media at any given moment. And here's what the truth looks like. Most of us are doing a pretty amazing job. Our kids are loved, fed, clothed and housed. They feel secure enough to ha...

Do You Think All Bricks And Mortar Businesses Are Dead? Think Again!

We hear it over and over again - bricks and mortar stores are dying. Don't start a retail store because everyone is shopping on line. Recently I met a mompreneur who would beg to differ. Megan Giltner, a self-proclaimed professional bra fitter and accidental entrepreneur, became the owner of a lingerie boutique a few years ago and says the business is thriving. Like many of us moms who pursue entrepreneurship, Megan always knew that being a mom was something important to her, and at the same time she needed to feel professionally productive and engaged. She had been working in lingerie for several years, initially as a part-time way to earn some extra spending money. When Megan was four months pregnant, the owner offered her the opportunity to purchase the business where she was working, and although timing may not have seemed ideal, she jumped in with both feet and has not regretted her decision. What Megan loves most about entrepreneurship is the ability to do something sh...