From Corporate Chaos to Creative Control: My Entrepreneurial Path

If someone had told me back in high school where I’d end up today, I wouldn’t have believed them. My journey has been anything but linear, shaped by unexpected challenges, financial struggles, and a lot of lessons learned the hard way. This isn’t a tale of privilege or a carefully laid-out plan. It’s a story of fighting for every inch, pivoting when the roadblocks were too big to climb, and finding ways to create a life that aligns with my values—even when it felt like everything was falling apart.

The Vet Tech Years: Dreams and Disappointments

In high school, I apprenticed as a vet tech. It was supposed to be the start of a lifelong career. I worked in the field for several years, planning to go to vet school, but financial realities hit hard. Taking on that level of debt wasn’t an option, so I stayed in the field, doing the work I loved. Unfortunately, things started to unravel. I began passing out at work, and my symptoms—caused by an undiagnosed condition that would later be identified as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)—led to me losing my job. Accusations of being drunk at work followed because my condition was invisible, and doctors dismissed my concerns with phrases like, “These things just happen to women.”

At the same time, the industry itself was shifting. What was once an apprenticeship-based role was now becoming a formal college degree requirement. My on-the-job training didn’t hold the same value as a diploma, and I found myself being offered lower pay for the same work. Disheartened by the public-facing aspects of the job and burned out from fighting these uphill battles, I decided to rethink my career path.

A Pivot to Mortuary Science and Computer Science

Medical work still fascinated me, but I wanted to avoid dealing with the public. Embalming and reconstruction—behind-the-scenes work—caught my interest. I enrolled in a mortuary science program, and at the same time, I double-majored in computer science. The tech industry needed skilled workers, and I saw it as a practical way to diversify my options. I had no desire to become a funeral director—sales and public relations weren’t my thing—but the technical and restorative aspects of the funeral business appealed to me.

While in school, I waited tables, modeled, and even worked as a go-go dancer to make ends meet. To stay connected to animals, I volunteered with rescue groups. Eventually, I landed a job at a family-owned funeral home I loved. Around the same time, I started my own pit bull rescue, focusing on responsible pet ownership education and fighting breed-specific legislation. It felt like I was finding my groove—until corporate interference derailed everything.

The Corporate Takeover and a New Direction

A large corporation bought the funeral home where I worked and outsourced all embalming and reconstruction to a central facility. Anyone unwilling to pursue a funeral director’s license was let go. The predatory corporate environment left me disillusioned, and my entire team left for other jobs. With few options left in the industry and a growing disinterest in sales-driven roles, I leaned into my computer science background.

I took a job fixing computers with a small business, which soon evolved into maintaining their website and doing graphic design. When the business closed, I moved on to a mortgage company, working as a graphic designer. For a while, it seemed like things were finally settling. The job was close to my new house, I enjoyed the work, and I had friends there. Then came the financial collapse of 2008.

The 2008 Financial Collapse: Rock Bottom

The mortgage company I worked for was at the center of the 2008 housing crisis. I lost my job, and worse, the house I was buying “for sale by owner” was lost too—the seller had been in foreclosure without telling me. This all happened right after I had my child, while my illness worsened and hospital visits became frequent. Struggling to stay afloat, I juggled waiting tables, modeling, and dancing at nightclubs. Childcare was inconsistent, so I scraped together income any way I could: designing print work and websites, crafting and selling handmade goods, and even cleaning houses. It felt like survival mode, not living.

Rebuilding and Reinvention

Through all the chaos, I learned the ins and outs of starting a business. I tried launching my own ventures, but after a more than bad relationship drained my bank accounts—business and personal—I gave up and returned to the 9-to-5 grind. I took a low-paying graphic design job at a UPS store, which at least allowed me to match my schedule to my child’s school hours.

Then came 2020. Like many others, the pandemic reshaped my priorities. When my job required me to work more and find childcare during the lockdown, I walked away and decided to bet on myself again. This time, it paid off.

Building My Own Businesses

Today, I’m proud to say I run three businesses:

A graphic and web design company, where I use the skills I’ve honed over years of freelancing and corporate work.A gift shop, where I design and sell eco-friendly products and collaborate with small businesses for production.A garden nursery, specializing in native plants and ensuring that I only carry species not protected by patents. This is my antidote to spending all day hunched over a computer—working with plants keeps me grounded and connected to nature.

Running these businesses isn’t easy, but it’s fulfilling in a way no traditional job ever was. I get to create the kind of world I want to see, rather than bending to the will of corporations that don’t see me as a person. People call entrepreneurship a privilege, but I know what it took to get here. I’ve fought tooth and nail for this life. There was no inheritance, no financial safety net, no help with childcare. Just determination, grit, and a refusal to give up.

Lessons from the Journey

This path hasn’t been linear or smooth. It’s been full of failures, wrong turns, and moments when it felt like everything was falling apart. But looking back, I see now that it was all coming together in the way it needed to. Each setback pushed me toward the life I have now—a life built on my terms.

I share this story not to paint a rosy picture of entrepreneurship but to show what’s possible when you’re willing to fight for it. Success isn’t always a straight road with neat milestones to celebrate. Sometimes it’s a messy, chaotic scramble—but it’s worth it.