Saturday, November 10, 2012

How I Traded a Suit & Tie for Flip-Flops & Cut-Off Jeans

Dreams come true, but not through wishful thinking.

After successful careers as an attorney, lobbyist, trade-association executive and bowling industry magnate, I tired of the corporate rat race.? (I was also tired of winters bundled in layers of long johns, shoveling snow.?)

Everybody has their own version of paradise. Whether it?s New York City, the Great Smokey Mountains or my personal favorite, the French-Caribbean island of St. Martin, paradise is within reach ? with a little planning.

An essential part of that was deciding what to do for a living.

??Dream big ? and do it: I had always had a high standard of living, which I?ve enjoyed, but it was time for me to risk a completely foreign scenario ? in terms of business and lifestyle ? and follow this dream.

??Business trends: Boutique perfumeries are where boutique wineries were three decades ago ? they?re personal, fun and interactive. They?re not just about walking into a store and choosing a bottle from a shelf. ?Customers want a hands-on experience customizing their scents, and by using local ingredients.? I ?offer visitors a meaningful souvenir of their stay. ?This new business model would work at other vacation destinations.

??Fortitude amid real-world challenges: A dream is the spark to the journey, but moving to St. Martin, where the natives speak French and Dutch, and starting a business takes work. The hurdles included the search for property, anxiety on closing the property deal, remodeling, acclimating to life there, obtaining a business license, moving, and the language barrier. These problems may be deal-breakers for many people, but part of the excitement of doing anything worthwhile is the fact that it?s not easy.

??A history of business sense: Creating an unprecedented cottage industry may seem like a long shot layered in wishful thinking. ?I?ve made several career moves throughout my life, and no matter how unlikely, I always came out okay.? However, one has to be in the right phase of life to pull off such a change. ?Plan and prepare so you?re ready for change. Risk is involved.

??Loved ones: Even though my two children are grown, I needed to make sure Cyndi was on board. ?You can do all the planning and troubleshooting that is necessary for a dream to work, but the one thing that can change the minds of the most passionate is the opposition of a loved one.? It?s worth a discussion with your family early in the planning process.??

About John Berglund

John Berglund is the author of A Beach Less Traveled: From Corporate Chaos to Flip-Flop Perfumer. He began his career as the chief county prosecutor at age 24 and then transitioned into a lobbyist and read more

Source: http://expertadvice.biz2credit.com/2012/11/10/how-i-traded-a-suit-tie-for-flip-flops-cut-off-jeans/

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