I Hate Selling Things

I hate selling things!

I never had a dream to be a business owner. Even with my mother owning a business, I never had that calling. I went to college and decided on the medical field. I was a senior in college and decided to switch my major to Nursing. That meant three more years in school. I finished my Nursing degree along with that Biology degree (you’re welcome, Mom) and have been a RN for almost ten years with a background in Med-Surg and still currently working in the hospice field. I’ve heard about the seven year itch in marriages, but I suppose my itch was in my career path. I began to see my friends who were near retirement age struggle as much as I was as a young nurse. They were living paycheck to paycheck and having their knees replaced. Nursing is hard on the body and soul. I do love nursing so much, but the schedule and stress on my well-being was getting to me. This is when I knew I had to make a change. A change that wouldn’t happen overnight. A change that I knew wasn’t a complete 180; but we could call it a shift.  My focus shifted to business. I planned for one year to go PRN in my nursing position, which meant I would be able to work on an as-needed basis. I then focused my efforts on my new business. The first year of T+T, I continued to work more nursing hours than PRN status as I found out I was pregnant with sweet Gia. I was consistent with our business and put in approximately 10-15 hours per week. Almost 3 years later, we have grown and I put in approximately 40-60 hours per week into my business and work my nursing job 2-3 days per month. So it’s not that I don’t have to work or want to work, but working for your own dreams is so different and provides a flexible schedule. 

As a nurse turned entrepreneur, I have various thoughts and questions about business. Sometimes I feel as though I’m clueless and lost. Probably because I am. But nonetheless, I persist. Last weekend at our event, I had the thought, “I hate selling things”. As shoppers gave us 0-20 seconds to talk to them, I couldn’t help but think that that wasn’t enough time to explain TUCKED & THREADED to them. There’s no way I can explain how I never stop planning and thinking. I could never describe the feeling I have when I see someone I don’t even know wear our apparel and supporting a small business. They won’t get to hear me tell them how sweet it is when I see a photo of a newborn baby with one of our headbands on. Twenty seconds does not give me the chance to provide someone with a fraction of the belief I have in our brand and in our team. It’s not about selling things. It’s not about the dollars. It’s about being inspiring to others. It’s about helping that stay-at-home mom believe she can start something. T+T is about providing people with a brand they can relate to and grow to love. We want to continue to make people happy with our holiday tees. We love offering comfortable apparel to wear during the happiest times of lives. We want to be a part of family photo sessions with our Mommy + Me sets. On the weekends, we want you to smile when you use your T+T koozie or throw on a hat for errands. It’s not about the things...it’s about the feelings. Our brand is more than screen printing in the kitchen. It’s more than how many tees we can we sell in a week (I’ve honestly never evaluated that part). We are about creating happiness for the ones who live their lives doing the same. It’s about us working at home and being there for our children. I hate selling things. But I love serving others and creating a little happiness in the world.