The Beginning of the End- Chapter 25

I have learned many times in my life.... Really Crazy Good things will only last so long.  There has been so many times where something was going too good it was almost unbelievable.

In 2010 we went through a hard time in the Company, and responsibilities were shifted.  I was very excited, though, because I was able to take back the sales department.  I was right back where I started and loved to be!  Sales and Marketing go hand in hand.  I did not have to work with someone else's vision.  I was able to work with my team to close sales that were created by PR and Marketing efforts.  It was like juggling!  Damn it was fun!

Once I took back over sales I was able to grow revenue over 600% in only six months.  This opened a ton of doors for me, as far as budgets go!  I had the money to try new avenues of sales, I hired a whole new management team to handle the day to day activities while I concentrated on growing the business year over year.

I was unstoppable!!!

It was at this time that I started booking speaking engagements at regional events.  I was consulting with large resorts, teaching them to merchandise their retail areas.  I was having the time of my LIFE!

And at the height of all of this, Derek and I were married.  It was a gorgeous wedding that completely embodied who we were.

Mia spoke during the ceremony about what she felt we both needed to do to show each other we love each other every day.

At the reception Derek and Mia exchanged "promises" to each other, and Derek gave Mia her very own ruby heart ring.

Everything was as it should be.  Both of our families were there, the wedding was no stress, and the three of us were ready to move on with the next chapter of our lives together.

All of these new ventures at work and in my personal life were perhaps a distraction as to what was really going on in the office.

I was not the only one who had new ideas.  So did the Boys Club and so did the Doctor.The Boys Club was excited about new infrastructure.  These were all great ideas, and I could see how they could continue to help me build.  I knew that in order to keep this growth momentum going, I needed a solid foundation of processes in place.  We needed to expand our technologies and capabilities.  This was all fine - in fact it was fun!  At this point I had finally earned the respect of The Boys Club.  One of them even told me he was "done fighting me.  I can see now that I underestimated you.  I am ready to work with you now."  HOT DAMN!  That is some HONESTY there!  And I had to respect it.  I agreed to leave the past in the past and we began working together more frequently and collaboratively.

The Doctor, on the other hand, was a different story.  His vision was completely different from mine moving forward.  He wanted to move forward with many different initiatives that did not make sense to me - but listen - this is HIS Company.  HIS MONEY.  I was not the owner -he was.

We finally came to a place where our own personal morals no longer met.  I could not stay any longer.

For months  I woke up several times a night feeling like I had been in a screaming match.  I would wake up with frazzled nerves and anger.  I would be so mean to Derek if he even breathed too hard and woke me up.  This is not who I was.

And when I finally realized that it was time to go, I cried for two weeks.  I cried for the 52 employees who had trusted in me, who had fought along side me, and who stood by me through the good and the bad.

I cried because I would be turning my back on my "baby."  This brand that was nothing and became my whole world.

And I cried because even though we were now on completely different islands - I had devoted my blood, sweat, and tears to this man for six years - and really.... we were breaking up.

So - I walked in one day with a lovingly written letter to him.  He stared at me and said nothing. After two minutes or so of silence I got up, took the letter out of his hand, and told him I would go speak with the lawyers to see what they would like me to do next.  He never said one word.  He just watched me walk out of the office.

I went in to talk to them. I had given six months notice, but as things go I really thought they would walk me out.  They did not.  They, and crazy enough, the Boys Club, asked me to reconsider.  We all kept it a secret for the entire six months as I prepared the entire FOLLOWING year's budget.

When I left I had finished all sales reporting and analytics for the entire year up to my last day of October.  I had then created a budget and marketing plan for the following year.  That way  - whoever came in after me would have a guide to work off of.  It was not fair for someone to walk in cold.

I spent six months writing down every single thing that lived in my brain, that no one else knew but me.  I cataloged it, created folders, backed up my computer very organized so that the next person could find anything they needed.

No one realized how much was still in my name.

No one realized that the computers I used were my own personal computers.  I had been a 1099 for so long of my career there that no one bothered to buy me a computer.

No one realized that all of the sofas, tables, book shelves, chairs... everything was bought by me.  Until the week I was supposed to move out.  The lawyers and HR asked me move out on the weekend so as to not upset everyone as I emptied my office.

I did. I wrote them all a letter to let them know how much they meant to me -it included pictures of all the great times we had together.

And then I closed this door forever.

It has been over five years now since I left, and I have so many wonderful memories.  I do not regret a moment.  This is the experience that brought me into the Spa World - and I now have lifelong friends and lessons because of it!

This is also the moment that I started my Distribution Company with my business partner.  And since this is not purely my story to share - the timeline of Chapters will now stop.  You are officially caught up.

However, now is where I begin to tell you new stories.  The stories of all the ways I FUCKED UP!  And how I survived.  We shall call these stories..... Lessons Learned.