I’m (Finally!) Diving In.

In my mind, I’ve written this post a thousand times. I’ve formed sentences, thought of clever imagery to pair with the big announcement, and smiled at how it’d all come together. It would be a moment, after all. A monumental point in the timeline of my life.

Now it’s here. That time has come! And you know what? I’m laughing, because it’s nothing like I imagined.

For starters, it’s mid-morning on the day when my big announcement was supposed to go live, and I am just now sitting down to write this post due to a crazy week and weekend prior. Gah, time has slipped away yet again. I have no imagery photographed, so will be recycling some old favorites. I wasn’t sure how to start this post, so am simply spilling thoughts as they come.

The more I think about it, this is the perfect way to start the next phase of my career. A lack of time to focus on where my passions lie is the best reminder of why I’ve made this decision. Before I dive into more of the “why”, I should probably just point-blank lay out the big reveal, huh? Here it is!

My last day at my corporate job was on Friday. I’m embarking on a new entrepreneurial career path. I’ll be starting my own creative consulting company, and will be focusing on this blog full time.

Can you read my smile? That felt really great to finally let out.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I’ve talked of doing this for years. (So many of my friends and family are like, “Finally!” Love you all for encouraging me every step of the way.) So to have this be reality is nothing short of a dream come true. And, quite frankly, a little terrifying. (Ha!)

Let’s do a Q & A, shall we? I always find that approaching big subjects this way makes it easier to digest!

Give us the background. Why this path? Why now?

I’ve historically called this blog a side hustle that’s a wonderful creative outlet. And while it started in 2012 (Oh my gosh – 6 years ago – what?!) simply as a place to share things that I found inspiring, it evolved into something that I saw as an exciting business endeavor.

Let’s take a step back, though.

I’ve always had a big interest in writing, photography, and creating. Though I’m not formally “trained” in it, I’ve been immersed in the field for my day job for a long time. I’ve created digital assets and strategy for clients at an advertising agency, then switched to client side as a Digital Marketing Manager and further refined my skills. As I learned there, I’d apply it here.

I blogged on the side as a means to have a creative outlet, sure, but it was also a great way to practice what I preached as a marketer. Honestly, I had “professional” Emily, and “creative” Emily. I viewed the two as interchangeable. They both made the other stronger.

I would watch photographers work magic while on production sets, and practiced on my own scrappy camera during breaks. I’d be in meetings with the Instagram or Facebook teams, workshopping how to better our brand’s social presence, and would take mental notes for Isn’t That Charming. I’d be in script reviews with talented copywriters, noting writing techniques they used, and would come home to practice my writing for hours.

I found that, when the day was done, what really fueled me was improving my own creativity, and continuing to work on my “side hustle.”

I can’t really pin-point the moment that I started dreaming of doing this full time. It was one of those things where the more I worked on it, the more I wanted to. Michael Jordan famously said, “If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working on it.” I just kept going, not really knowing where it was headed, but knowing that I wanted it to go somewhere.

And while I didn’t ever stop, I became increasingly frustrated at my own limitations. The biggest one was time. I had babies, and soon having a (very time consuming) side business in addition to a career and being a mother was something that I had a tough time keeping up with.

I think people tend to misunderstand just how much work goes into blogging. Behind every post is a creative vision, writer, editor, photographer, publisher, marketer, among countless other roles, rolled into one. Add on the constant emails, social posting, engagement, event attendance, etc. and you’ve got yourself a whirlwind of activity that truly doesn’t stop. It’s a lot for anyone, let alone someone doing it all “on the side”, to keep up with.

People always ask me, “How do you do it all?!”

I laugh at that, because honestly, the answer is that I don’t. I prioritize what’s really important. Family first, the job that pays the bills second. I try to make the rest work when I can. But that means that I don’t do it all well, and I haven’t been doing things right in this space for a long time.

Why keep doing it, if it became so tough to keep up with? I believed in it. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. In the words of my boy Sam Smith, “I don’t have money on my mind. I do it for the love.”

In general, I tried not to put too much pressure on myself.

In recent years, I’ve published the quantity of posts in a year equivalent to what full time bloggers post in a month. Weeks would go by, and though I’d have a million ideas, I wouldn’t be able to implement them. I was frustrated with myself, but ultimately it came down to this: Keeping up with blogging meant doing it in my off hours, and I wasn’t going to prioritize it over time with my family. With a demanding full time job, I already was not able to spend as much time with them as I wanted. So at the end of the day, when I’d have some time to blog, I chose to prioritize them, and life in general, instead of holing up in a corner to knock out a post.

But I still had this dream that was constantly knocking, patiently saying, “When you’re ready, I’m here.” I’d sneak in a post early morning before the girls woke up. I’d answer a few blogging emails during my lunch breaks. Doug and I would take photos on weekends, with the girls in a stroller next to us cheering us on. I described it as “limping along with blogging”, but in reality I look back and see that I worked really hard to keep creating here. Not at the quantity or how I ideally wanted to — but enough to keep up.

And somehow, this little corner of the internet has continued to grow despite my inconsistencies. I have you to thank for that. Truly, thank you for reading and following along. It means more than you could ever know.

So, why now?

When we decided to move back to Detroit, I was anticipating needing to quit my job to make the move happen. However, when I went to put in my two weeks, they offered for me to work from home. It was an unexpected change in plans, but one that we welcomed, because with all of the changes we were embarking upon, we were grateful to have my job remain as a constant. Income is important, of course, and with Doug also as an entrepreneur, we needed to tread carefully and have some consistency.

Here’s the thing, though. It was never meant to be long term. I noted this in my moving announcement post, but diving into my own entrepreneurial visions has always been a part of the plan. They knew it, I knew it. And thus, my employer and I both agreed that we’d revisit the work from home set up at the end of September.

When that time came, I think we both knew it was time to close the door. You know you work for great people when they support your dreams, even if they’re not a part of them moving forward.

And for a lot of reasons beyond “This is a dream of mine”, it’s the right time.

We’ve worked hard to to be in a position financially where we’re not as reliant on my salary, and so I’m able to pivot to a new career path. Our cost of living has decreased significantly since leaving Chicago. We generally feel like we have a better work/life balance since embracing the slower life of the suburbs. Working from home, and having more time with our girls, has been nothing short of wonderful.

And so, here we are. Our move to metro-Detroit has once again opened up more doors than we ever could have anticipated.

I’m (finally!) diving in. 

Will you miss your corporate job?

Honestly, I really, truly will.

I get a little emotional when thinking about all I’ve learned, the people I’ve worked with, and the experiences I was a part of. Sincerely, I walked away from my last visit to Chicago with tears in my eyes — I’m excited for the future, of course, but nostalgic as I close this chapter.

I have a roster of crazy experiences under my belt that I still pinch myself over. Campaigns I was a part of have won awards such as PR Week’s “Campaign of the Year” and the Webby’s “Best Use Of Social Media.”  A recent campaign I helped to lead even won multiple Cannes Lions awards and six “pencils” at the Design & Art Direction Awards!  Those are just a few fun call outs, but from the big to the small, I’m proud to have been a part of a team that did great work.

Work aside, the job itself was always exciting.

Leading social for a big brand meant I was in situations that I never though I’d encounter. I was pitched a business idea by Kanye West backstage at his concert. I chatted about motherhood with Chrissy Teigen and sat next to John Legend and Luna when they visited us on production set. Also, I once got to give Charles Barkley a high-five after a long day of work, watched Adele warm up for the Grammy’s, and walked the carpet with the Kardashians. (Frankly, I still regret not asking them for a selfie with me.)

I’m truly grateful for all that I’ve been able to experience while working in marketing for the past 7 years. But, most of all, I’m going to miss the people that I had the pleasure of working with. I love my co-workers and agency partners, and I know that many of them will be life long friends. It’s a bittersweet goodbye!

You mentioned creative consulting, in addition to blogging. What’s the scoop there? Are you formally launching a consulting business?

Ohh yes. That’s another (big!) part of the dream!

I’ve learned so much along the way, and feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what I’d like to do professionally. I don’t plan on stopping with advertising and marketing just because I’m not working for a large corporation anymore; I’m looking forward to helping my own clients in all things digital, social, and content creation, and will be starting an LLC in the coming weeks.

More to come soon as I get the wheels turning! In the meantime, I’m excited to tell you that I already have my first consulting job lined up. I’ll be speaking at an industry creative conference in Cleveland this Friday!

What are you most excited for?

So many things!

I’m excited to be self employed and to be defining my own ceiling. To keep working hard and (hopefully!) see growth in the areas that I aim for. To keep learning and growing as I embark on this new path.

I’m excited for more time to focus on bringing ideas to life. I really can’t wait to do this the way I have envisioned since the beginning. Not to throw too much at you, but I also have some book ideas that I want to explore. That’s in the long, long term though. 😉

And, personally, I’m excited for more flexibility. I plan on working 4 full days a week, but will have a “Mommy and me” day (Wednesdays!) with my girls, which I can’t wait for as they’ve both always been in day care full time. That’s the part I’m most excited for, truth be told. 

What if this doesn’t work out? What if you don’t like blogging full time, or running your own business?

Well, then, I’ll be proud of myself for trying and then I’ll pivot.

Cool! What’s next?

Lots of goodness, I hope!

For starters, you can expect a lot more posting and consistency around here. I will of course need some time to really ramp up, but I can’t wait to make this a daily destination for you. In fact, I’d love if you could bookmark Isn’t That Charming and visit every day! If you wanted to recommend this blog for your friends and family to follow, I wouldn’t object, either. 😉

I want you all to know that your support over the years has meant the world to me, and has been the fuel to keep going. I’m so looking forward to the future and continuing to build this wonderful community!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 

Big shout out to some of my dearest blogging friends, who have taken this leap and have continually encouraged me to go after this path. Liz, Kelly, Blair, Shaheen, Jess, Arin, and Lauren, among so many others, who have grown their sites into such amazing businesses. Your success is inspiring, and your friendship (and advice!) has meant so much.

One quick note, just to keep you in the know, is that for a lot of reasons I’m going by a pen name Emily Kay professionally moving forward. “Kay” was a part of my grandma’s name, was also Doug’s grandma’s name, and to me represents a history of turn-key women who weren’t afraid to dare. I know it sounds silly, but I feel like they, and many other women of my family who I admire, are here with me taking this leap.

Oh! One more (important!) thing…

Doug.

Like I said before, I’ve talked about this for years, but wasn’t able to fully pursue it because I needed to prioritize my job and family first. When the time came for us to be able to seriously consider having me go down this path, instead of being afraid of diving in, or trying to convince me otherwise (Because, let’s face it, as an entrepreneur the odds are often against you…), Doug told me, “You enabled for me to go after my dream of starting a business years ago, and now it’s your turn. Go do it.” Talk about a mic drop.

He’s worked just as hard as I have to make this happen, and in fact, this wouldn’t be happening without his support. I couldn’t be more grateful for his partnership. And I’m motivated because he believes in me. (Oh boy, now I’m crying!)

I love you so much, Doug. I’m so lucky to do life with you. Thank you for helping me go after this new career path. Being your wife, and the mother to our kids, is the real dream. <3

Here’s to creating the future, my friends! xx