I first met the BoominGroup team back in August of 2014 when I came knocking on their door after a conversation with my Chase business banker. A couple of years prior, I had started up a boutique personal services business, Simplified Living, that offers professional organization and household management services to clients throughout the Bay Area. Business was booming and, because of that, I was being faced with a decision, “Do I expand or do I stay small?”
I came to BoominGroup because I’d heard about their creative agency’s website and brand design abilities and knew that if I decided to expand my business, I’d have to take my marketing up a notch. After a few conversations, I realized I needed to gain clarity about what I was building and why before I could take the next step of investing in my brand and marketing. I decided to participate in one of their Booming Model workshops. I had an epiphany! I realized that what I value most is building personal connections with others that allow me to be of service in meaningful ways. This lead to the clarity that, the reason why I felt resistance against expanding my business was because, by doing so, I might not be able to interact with my clients on as personal of a level. Additionally, I was realizing that, as much as I love being a solopreneur, I missed the camaraderie and inspiration that comes from involvement with an engaged group-work dynamic.
BoominGroup had also been steadily growing and was in need of a solution to sustainably provide their ecosystem of entrepreneurs with on-going support and guidance. The team was strategizing how they could scale so that they could positively impact even more entrepreneurs. BoominGroup’s Business Architect, Katherine Silveira, had just initiated a project to build a community of entrepreneurs that could learn and grow together, serving as support system to one another. BoominGroup was actively looking for someone to spearhead the project and get the idea off the ground. Katherine saw a synergy between us; I had just uncovered a deep desire in my heart to work with people in meaningful ways, BoominGroup was looking for someone to fulfill the role of program manager for the community. Katherine connected the dots, and presented the opportunity to collaborate together and to create something that would benefit all. I was immediately, and enthusiastically, on board. Not long after, The Booming Collective was born.
I have always thrived off being a source of support to others but, a year ago, the idea of joining a team of entrepreneurs to build a program with the core purpose of supporting an entire international community of individuals in building their dream businesses, from their hearts, for the benefit of all, was something that I would have never imagined that I’d have the opportunity to take part in, let alone spearhead! I had started my journey with BoominGroup with the intention of figuring out the next steps for my own business but, due to my willingness and openness to consider greater collaborative possibilities, I was presented with the opportunity to expand and amplify my impact in a completely new way.
I decided that I was satisfied with the size and structure of my own business and so the (unexpected!) solution for finding the sense of camaraderie and teamwork that I missed as a solopreneur turned out not to be the expansion of my own business, but the co-creation of something entirely new. For four amazing, life-changing, intense, and fun months, we worked together on laying the foundation for The Booming Collective. As part of the process, I too became a member and continued engagement with the Booming Model. I loved interacting with the entrepreneurs and I loved that I was contributing to their growth and development. At the same time, there was another wish deep within my heart, another glimmer of light that I had acknowledged before, but wasn’t ready to hold and commit to fully.
Once again, I had an epiphany! I wanted to write. I wanted to specifically write my memoir, which I felt would be healing for me, but also for thousands of others. Though it is what my heart had wanted for a long time, I had not yet organized my life around that dream. The same willingness and openness that moved me to leap into the role of program manager, was here again, urging me towards my heart’s desire.
This time I was ready. I made the decision to write. I passed the program manager baton on to the BoominGroup team, remain a member of The Booming Collective, but I am organizing my life so that writing is the priority and focus.
What I learned is there are no straight lines in life. Sometimes we have to shift our focus away from what is in front of us, away from what is familiar and known, and wildly imagine new scenarios. Sometimes we have to take a few unobvious steps in our journey before we can take the one our heart really wants to take. When we become clear about what is truly in our hearts, when we follow the light of our dreams and are open to the unexpected, the world opens up to infinite possibilities.
