Since I’m always saying that we are out of the information age and in the age of creativity, I thought I would talk about two people I recently met who are great examples of truly living your dreams.
We met Kevin and Tanya quite by accident. My husband recently had surgery and was unable to repair our car. I took our car to Kevin and Tanya’s repair shop and they assured me that the work would be completed by the next day.
When I went to pick up my car, I arrived earlier than expected. Tanya and I then began talking. This is when I learned how she and Kevin started their small business and how they began living their dream life.
Tanya had worked in a County job for nearly five years. She claimed that it was nothing more than five years of torture. She spoke about how she hated the office politics and all those little rules one must live by to be the perfect County employee. She also spoke about the troubles she and Kevin had when one of their two children would get sick and she or Kevin would have to miss work.
Working a Dead-End Job
Tanya then explained that while she was working her County Job, Kevin was working at an automotive repair shop as a mechanic. Kevin loved working on cars, trucks, or anything else with an engine. He also liked working for a smaller shop. Unfortunately the small shop that Kevin was working for was quite a depressing place to work. The owners could never get along, decisions were far and few between, and the employees were stuck in the middle.
One day while on his hour long commute to work, Kevin was rear-ended by a large semi-truck. The truck bumped into Kevin’s car and ran him off the road. Kevin was fine, but while waiting for the police to arrive, all Kevin could think about was what he wanted to do before he died.
Kevin wondered why he had never worked harder to accomplish his dream of owning his own repair shop. When Kevin arrived at his work place a few hours later, he immediately quit. Kevin gathered his tools and put them in the back of a friend’s truck and headed home.
Using Creativity
That night Kevin and Tanya decided that they could live off their savings and hopefully Kevin would find a new job closer to their home by the time they ran out of money. But after three weeks of not finding a new job, Kevin and Tanya were forced to weigh their options. They decided that if Kevin didn’t find a job soon, they would continue to go broke and lose their home then be forced to move in with Tanya’s parents or Kevin’s parents until they could get back on their feet again.
Kevin and Tanya then decided that if they were going to go broke, they were not going to do it without a fight. They had a credit card with 20k available and decided to use it to start their dream small business.
Creativity Started a Small Business
Kevin and Tanya’s new automotive repair shop opened one month later. Kevin didn’t have everything he needed in his shop so he had to be careful about the work he took in. With the expenses they had in getting their new small business up and running, they were left with almost no money for advertising. With what little money they had, they decided to use it on radio advertising.
Within six months, Tanya was able to quit her job as well as pay off that credit card. But things were not as peachy as they appeared.
Tanya had planned on keeping her job longer so she and Kevin could afford more items for the shop. Unfortunately, Tanya was needed at the shop. Constant phone calls and paper work overwhelmed and interrupted Kevin which caused him to work at a slower pace.
Kevin and Tanya took a gamble with Tanya leaving her job. They also had to use their credit card again to purchase large items for their shop.
Kevin and Tanya were working twelve to fourteen hours each day, seven days a week and wondering if this was what it was like to be living your dreams. Their shop had a large loft area which Tanya turned into a playroom for their two children and there was also plenty of room for the children to play outside. The family was working hard, but working together.
This lifestyle continued for the next year and a half. Finally after all their hard work, their credit card was once again paid in full. They also managed to save some money and began to only work five days each week. Soon they began working eight to ten hours each day.
Living Your Dreams
Tanya said many times that the stress and the long hours nearly killed them, but in the end, it was worth it and she wouldn’t trade her life for anything else. “This is what living your dreams is all about.”
I was glad this story had such a happy ending. Although I don’t particularly agree with the way Kevin and Tanya financed their business, it all worked out. Their creativity and their drive to succeed is what kept them going and led them to live their dreams.
More and more people are taking the plunge into owning their own small business. Many people have been stuck at dead-end jobs for so long that they are craving creativity in their life. They are starving for change and want to be different from everyone else. They also want to take control of their life and their financial destiny.
People today are creating ways to make money from their passions and it is their passions which give them drive and determination to succeed. It was Kevin’s passion about being a mechanic in his own small business which allowed him to work bazillion hours each week. His passion became his drive to succeed.
