Why I Love My Job

I love my job. They say if you do something you love, you never work a day in your life. Well, let me tell you, I work my butt off! And I love it. Read the article I wrote about my job here.

Art by Giessel

I just had to share!  I opened my email today and found this:

My dear friend, Lisa Giessel, is a very talented artist.  I was pleasantly surprised that she chose me as her recent muse.

Lisa does wonderful work from photographs, as you can see here.  You can commission her to work for you, too.

Please check out her new website, artbygiessel.com.  Her rates are very reasonable.  Her talent is incomparable!

Thanks Lisa!

Did you see me? I was on WFRV Channel 5 News.

This is one of the three clips I was in that aired yesterday.  Thanks Channel 5. (It's the one about Owens)



Too bad they spelled my name wrong. I'm not "Tara Fletcher."

Ode to Owens, Inc. - The Passing of my "Day Job"

This is not how I pictured this day to be. There was no pomp. No circumstance. No great feeling of liberation. No symbolic leap taking.

I expected someday to write a blog post exclaiming that I had finally quit my day job. I imagined how that would smell, taste, and feel. There is no glory. No feeling of relief or grand accomplishment. The doors just closed.

I came to Owens as an optimistic 21 year old. I brought a fresh perspective and willingness to learn. I started entering daily production information 20 hours a week. The list of what I’ve done and learned since then is long. Professionally- I’ve grown immensely.

I became the resident Excel guru and proofreading extraordinaire. I was the keeper of data. The go-to girl. If you needed a graph or chart of sales for the last five years sorted by state and specie and profit margin and color-coded to match the salespersons’ hair color- you came to me. I dabbled in customer service and marketing. I did my time answering phones. I even filled-in on the production line, sanding doors. I could tell you the standard labor and overhead rate for a square foot of finished flooring. I could tell you the Kanban quantities that were set for French door mullion.

Personally- I’ve changed. Since I’ve been working with Owens my tastes and hobbies have grown. I’ve come to know myself better. (I now understand why they say the human mind isn’t fully developed until age 25.) I’ve rekindled my love for writing and started freelancing. My husband and I bought a house. We had our first child.

For five years I was a dedicated Owens’ employee. I hardly ever said no. I faced challenges and new assignments head-on. I’ve taken classes and attended meetings. Owens was a good place for someone like me. Someone that doesn’t do well if they get bored. Someone that needs more work than they can handle. Someone that always wanted to learn.

Now, I’m asking, “What’s next?” I have such a mix of conflicting feelings. I’ve given a lot of myself to this company. Owens was a good company that made really good products. I can’t say I’ll miss the year-end inventories that had me working (on one occasion) 18 hours straight. I don’t think I’ll miss all the sawdust. Of course, many of the people there I will miss.

When I was pregnant I thought about how nice it would be if I could work from home. For a little while I thought I was close to realizing that dream. Then things changed. After selling so many articles so fast, suddenly no one was hiring freelancers any more. I never lost the passion for writing. It got buried away a little bit, but would always resurface.

I think this entrepreneurial spirit must be in my blood. There really is no logical explanation for someone to start their own business. It must be genetic. I witnessed my parents’ business ventures and all the hassles and headaches that came with them. For some reason, that is what I want. And I have a strong desire to see businesses succeed.  Maybe that's why I like business writing so much.

I always thought someday, in my own sweet time, I’d quit that day job. Now unemployment has been thrust upon me. I didn’t take the leap, but I was nudged. The question is, “Do I jump?” All these clichés and metaphors are coming to me now. Sink or swim. Taking the leap. No there was no press release, no going away party, no well-wishers, no investors. It’s just me. Me with a pen and a little more time to do my thing.



*Thank you Owens for five great years and for this fresh start.

Linkedin

I recently joined Linkedin. I just thought I'd let you know.

If you are on Linkedin and we've done work together, please be sure to let me know.

Thanks!

Picture of Me!

I was just checking out Kristy's website. She's got a picture of me on there! I haven't gotten my proofs back from her yet, but I guess I got a sneak preview. She also did one-year-old pictures of my son. (That's him on her photography page.) C'mon, you know you're curious! Go check it out.

Thanks Kristy!

It's about time...

I've blogged for other businesses, but I decided it's about time I started my own blog.

I am a freelance writer and I love it! I write for many other sites and purposes. This blog is what I'm doing for my business and my clients.

You can view my website here:

http://fletcherfreelance.com/

Thanks,

Terra L. Fletcher