Ideas

I have these ideas. They pop into my head all of the time. They're not daydreams or fantasies or anything like that; just ideas. Growing up, I always thought that I just had an active imagination or maybe just an over-active internal monologue. But now that I am a little more in tune with that inner voice I am realizing that I just have a lot of ideas.

The struggle I have with this, is deciding which ones to actually implement. For instance, today I had a great idea. (To me anyway.) I had to go to the post office to mail a textbook that I had sold on Ebay and happened to have no backup childcare options. This meant taking an almost-two-year-old who believes that screaming is the only acceptable means of communication and a three-year-old who has no resistance to strangers or personal space to a crowded post office full of people who don't appreciate those traits. My "Little Idea Voice" said to me, "Wouldn't it be nice if there was a drive-through mailing service of some kind? Then you wouldn't have to fight through the crowd with the stroller and be the target of all of the sideways glances every time Baby Dinosaur lets out a shriek." That got me thinking, "Why not?" And away I ran with the idea. I had plans of how to implement the whole thing running through my brain. It is a totally logical and practical thought. It would probably be successful, or maybe already exists somewhere even though I've never personally seen or heard of such a place.

It ended, though, with me realizing that I do not have a passion for packing and mailing, so this idea is not one that I will implement. Maybe someone else would like to run with the idea someday. Who knows? But I am learning to have the presence of mind to listen to my Little Idea Voice and to realize when I hear something that aligns with my passions. Those are the ideas worth my investment.

I am actually right in the middle of one of those ideas at the moment, which probably helped to contribute to my reluctance to start Drive Thru Mailers (that would have been the company name). :) It started in January of this year when I was looking into the possibility of going back to work in retail. I know that many people would think I am crazy for even wanting to jump back into that life, but those of you who are living it now know the greatness that can be there. I loved my long-time retail gig and have had a really hard time letting go of the fact that it's over. I didn't want to leave, nor was I asked to, but at the time I made what I believed was the best choice. Anyway, as I was reminiscing, my Little Idea Voice said, "Wouldn't it be great if you could start your own store?" And my mind immediately went to the millions of reasons why that would not be possible. But then I stopped being negative and thought, "That would be incredible. That could actually be an ultimate goal to strive for."

I started researching. I have been researching and reading and questioning what it would take (financially and otherwise) to actually do this. The more I read, the more I realized that there were two major obstacles keeping me from this. The first was fear. The second was that I needed more specifics. What kind of store? Online or storefront? What brands would I carry? Who's my target market? The answer to all of those questions came from my husband having a conversation with one of our close friends that sparked a specific concept. I am going to keep some secrecy on the specifics for now, but this little idea is about to take off! Since we finally had the specific and marketable concept, the rest was administrative work. We have an established LLC, an EIN and are in the process of trademarks and copyrights being filed. Once those minor, although crucial, details are lined up I will post more specific information. It is just really exciting to see something tangible come from acting on what seemed to be just another one of my "little ideas". Who knows where it will go, but I didn't keep it to myself or talk myself out of pursuing it. And the people who are in it with me are just as passionate and excited as I am which adds even more excitement to the project. I cannot wait to be able to share the finished product with all of you! Hopefully it won't be too long before that happens. My personal goal would be to have things operational by the second half of next year, if not sooner. I will be sure to post details as they come! Stay tuned!