How it all started

As I’m writing this I am trying so hard not to quote the theme song to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air:)
In my last post, I told you about the joining of Around the Om and Darn Good Yarn. Have you checked out the belly dance scarves or the Tibetan Prayer Flags yet?

I’m nosey and if you’re like me you might like to see a glimpse into my world and how both of my businesses: Around the Om and Darn Good Yarn got started.

It all started when I married a great man I am desperately in love with my Mikey after I separated from the Air Force as an officer. Muah Love you schnoogie woogie pants. Shortly after we got hitched his job allowed us to move. I actually joke about being a professional mover” but I’ve been all over. For awhile, we did not know how long we would be at any job site so it made it near impossible to work a 9-5 job. But OMG, I needed to do something! I had watched every re-run of the Golden Girls and The Nanny on Lifetime and this needed to be stopped!

One day I had a light go off. I had all this great knowledge and experience in business from college and my ex-career and I’ve always loved anything that involved entrepreneurship. I’ve had little businesses as long as I could remember. A small home business would be portable and I could work on it when I had the time. Good solution!

So, what to sell, what to sell? Well, what do I like? I like color, I like exotic, I like eclectic, I like travel and I like to help people. Hmmm…how to combine all of these? I decided I was going to import items from all around the world. At this time I was renting a small area in the back of a home in Lincoln California and we had a bonus room. That bonus room quickly was filled with shelves, boxes, a work table, and a computer. (God bless Beth, out roommate, who watched as a box multiplied to boxes and then multiplied to shelves and shelves…) I started contacting different suppliers and purchasing all around the world. I knew for sure that I wanted to support the women from struggling countries produce and distribute products. I was adamant that I did not want to support child labor. This was very important to me that what I did would help and not hinder or hurt others. Aside from Around the Om turning profitable very quickly, I was able to give almost 10% of my sales back to UNICEF!

I began buying mixed lots to get a better idea of what I might want to carry. I ended up with tons of different items while doing this, all the time learning all about importing, tariffs, shipping etc. I was so excited I think I may have branched out into too many areas at once (it happens!). That has been a very useful lesson. But let me tell you Around the Om was and is great fun and lots of work. Every time a new product came in I felt like a giddy school kid getting a present. I found myself staying up late cataloging, organizing and getting the items ready for sale. There were many sleepless nights in the beginning for sure. Wait, what am I talking about, there still are!!!

Well then Mikey was transferred yet again and I could not take all these items with me just from the sheer weight and amount of items I had acquired. If I was going to be transferring every few months I was going to need some help.

Oh no what to do?!….stay tuned for the rest of the story. In the meantime, check out some of Around the Om’s new stuff!