Kimberly Shares about Stepping Out to Pursue Dreams

Plain and simple: It takes balls. (Again, I should probably be filtering but running a magazine has taken over my life. I have about two brain cells left and the one brain cell is telling the other to get it together.)

Logistically, I've been rather fortunate. I was laid off, so having the unemployment income has been very helpful. It's given me a full year to focus on building my business at Minted Magazine. But since it's in its start-up phase, it's definitely not generating a full-time income in any way. I've also been blessed with a very understanding and supportive family, including a wonderful and talented boyfriend. And honestly, I couldn't do it without my business partner, Shirley Lau. Achieving your dreams takes a village. The hardest and scariest decision to date has been taking that first step and deciding to forgo looking for a job in finance that would have given me stability and instead, pursue what really makes me fulfilled.

Beyond that, it takes an incredible amount of discipline and patience. We are trained in our society to have everything right away. However building a business or a brand takes an incredible amount of time. I wake up everyday and grind it out and most of the time for no visible financial gain. Moreover, start-up hours are no joke. I have never worked so hard at anything in my life but I do wake up and go to bed everyday completely at peace with my decision and proud of myself. It is truly a matter of having faith that hard work, perseverance and talent will eventually get you to the finish line. I love this quote by Emily Giffin for an interview she did with Guest of a Guest, and I'm paraphrasing— but success is more about tenacity than anything else. It's about who wants it the most.

I guess the message that I want to communicate in all of my work, including Recession Proof, is that you don't have to settle. Settling is a choice and so is not settling. It's a rocky road but it's completely worth it.