Surreal. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards that will be taking place in a few short hours from now. It’s 2 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon and I’ve just arrived at my second home in Langley after racing around Vancouver getting the last minute items needed for my project tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be staging a magnificent kitchen in White Rock that will be featured on December’s cover of Home Makeover Magazine. I admit that I’m dead tired from this past weekend; from Thursday to Sunday, I performed live makeovers on the magazine’s booth at the Interior Design Show (IDS) West Show. Following the finale on Sunday night, I was booked solid on Monday and Tuesday with barely a chance to breathe. I managed to get a flu of some sort but think I’ve beaten it. Fingers crossed.
Yes, surreal is definitely the word. As I was walking to the IDS West show on Friday in the heart of downtown Vancouver, it was in the height of lunch hour. The streets were strewn with suits, ties, briefcases, high heels and bags of food to go. The small groups of people stopped at each cross walk buzzed with conversation: some gossiping about a presentation gone wrong, others complaining about a less than pleasant boss and one group talking about ‘making a break for it’ and going out on their own.
I’m nosey by nature, I openly admit that, and LOVE to hear conversations like this. It was so difficult for me to stay quiet as they talked about their potential of starting their own business. I felt like proclaiming, “Do it! It will be the best decision you’ll ever make!” but I refrained. It brought me back to the days of walking to and from work, yearning for my lunch break and then celebrating when the clock struck 5 o’clock and I could break away from my then toxic work environment.
That was over 2 years ago. Did I work hard back then? Absolutely. Sure I didn’t LOVE my job but I did my very best each day. Did I dread my alarm going off every morning? Yes I did. Do I miss the days of milling about the downtown core on my lunch break in my business suit and torturous high heels? Not one bit!
So I’ve just passed the one year mark of business ownership. I can safely say I’ve never worked so hard at anything in my life but I can also say with the same conviction that I’ve never cared so much about anything in my life. When one is recognized for their hard work and determination, it adds fuel to the fire. Well, my fire at least.
So, tonight as one of the finalists as Entrepreneur of the Year, I’m already thrilled with the evening. To be recognized for doing what you love is a tremendous honour and I’m looking forward to seeing the familiar faces and meeting new ones.
I raise my glass to all finalists and wish you nothing but success in the years to come!
