Storytelling week + 3 years in business

Martha Author

Martha Warner LLC celebrates 3 years in business with a storytelling challenge!

--------

Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

.

In 2018, I was working as an adjunct at my alma mater and left my full-time teaching job to start working full time as the Assistant Director of a local nonprofit. I lost my insurance and took a massive pay cut from teaching full time (that should tell you how bad the pay was) to write grants, manage the marketing, brand and update docs, manuals, materials, and assist the Executive Director in his communication skills. But I went because it was my community center that I loved so much, and they needed me.

I ended up doing all of that, starting the club volleyball program, managing the staff, teams, coaches, refs, and so much more. I traded in a 10-12 hour a day job for a 12-14 hour a day job. I loved the people I worked with and worked for, and I felt like I was making a difference. This position was missing the horrible “chatty Cathy” who was the epitome of Mean Girls at my previous job, but the pay was much lower, I had no insurance and way more responsibilities, and there was only one other person who could step in when emergencies hit.

.

My Daughter Needs Me

Fast forward to 2019 when my daughter’s mental health wasn’t in a good place. I was sitting in the hospital with her, worrying about who would cover my shift at work and how I could manage to be there for her and for work. It was then that the realization that I couldn’t continue doing what I was doing hit me. I knew I needed more flexibility than 10+ hours a day. I knew I needed to be there more for my daughter and her younger brother. I already screwed up being there as much as I wanted to for my oldest two boys–I couldn’t do it again.

But what could I do?

.

.

Channeling the Power of Tashona

I met with a friend a few weeks later to help her get ready for a job interview. I was always doing that kind of thing–helping others get their shit together for jobs, life, death, or whatever they were struggling with. I was the ear for people to talk to, but I was also the idea generator, the motivator, the outliner, and the follow-up. If someone had a feeling, they could tell me about it, and I could come up with at least 2-3 alternatives or solutions, a story about someone who did it but probably failed, an outline of what it would take to get to that place (usually written) with detailed steps, materials, and support. And then, I would follow up with that person.

So when I met with my friend, I provided my usual help. She praised me for being so good at helping her. And then, she turned those tables. She helped me. She asked me questions and came up with ideas. She motivated me by sharing a story of a friend of hers who was successful when she took control. She challenged me to make a plan. And then, she checked in on me even after she got the job that she is now slaying.

.

Moving with Purpose and Pausing with Intent

I kept my job as Assistant Director but made it clear that I was going to spend time with my daughter. I had to share a few more details about what was going on than I would have liked, but it meant supporting her. I’m not sure if it was the motivation or my renewed sense of purpose, but when people started asking for my help, I started charging them. I started writing grants and helping other local organizations with their websites and marketing needs. When the millionth person told me I should start my own business, I listened.

I started putting a plan in place to get out of the situation I was in and into a better one. It may not have financially been better, but it was going to be a better place for my family and myself. I made a list of all my skills and interests. I consumed everything I could that was free and invested in a few low-cost options. I used the fire inside me to hustle like I had a million times before.

I was handling some pretty horrible health issues when I decided to quit my job. I figured it would be better to work side jobs, use up the remaining savings and retirement I had, and max out all my credit cards than face what I was dealing with day-to-day. I had to have surgery, which I scheduled around the holidays to minimize how much time I would lose from starting my business.

I quit my job and took some side work with local nonprofits and with a few online groups. The surgery went so well that I was only down for a few days rather than a few weeks as predicted. I took advantage of the time to work on my business. I also asked for more adjunct classes and got them.

.

.

.

Building Martha Warner, LLC

In January of 2020, I was teaching 3 classes as an adjunct and participating in a pilot program that added some money to the class load. But I was also getting calls for jobs. I decided to make it official. On January 13, 2020, I met with Lita Rouser with The Hoosier Heartland Indiana Small Business Development Center who helped me make Martha Warner, LLC legal.

Immediately, I was busy. I had taken my leave to call on some of the people who I had helped over the years to get them to invest in me. I had steady work on top of my classes when the pandemic hit. That’s when my business grew right before my eyes like one of those expanding seahorses my brother spent his allowance on as a kid.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was writing blogs about teaching online because I had a ton of experience doing it. I was helping clients get their websites and social media together because I had a ton of experience doing it. I was helping clients apply for grants and loans to save their businesses because I had a ton of experience doing it. Martha Warner, LLC grew and grew. And now, I’m celebrating 3 years!

.

Celebrating 3 Years of Successful Storytelling

2020 was a successful year in business for me. I even took in a few interns that year. In 2021, I hired a brilliant OBM and a few more interns to help my thriving business, and in 2022, I hired a rockstar VA and a skilled web developer. I’ve already hired again in 2023 and hope to hire more this year as we grow.

What’s helping Martha Warner, LLC succeed, thrive, and grow?

.

.

.

There are a lot of factors to our growth. But one thing I’m confident about is that our growth is in part because of our ability to understand, dig in, and tell stories.

As a business owner, I have to be able to tell my story. What got me started, why I do what I do, how I found my team–all aspects of my business have a story behind them. There are probably 40-50 other stories I could tell about starting my business or the rocky road it took to get me here.

But I know which story to tell when and which story to tell to whom.

.

.

Join My Storytelling Challenge

January 30-February 5 is National Storytelling Week. It’s usually focused on storytelling in education, so I’m going to be the educator. To celebrate National Storytelling Week, I’m challenging business owners to tell their story. Each day of the week, we’ll present a new storytelling focus. Business owners will create their story based on the prompt of the day. If you share your story, I’ll evaluate it and give you tips on how to improve it.

If you want to improve your story and decide where, how, and why to tell your story please join us January 30 - February 6, 2023 by joining our National Storytelling Week Challenge. We are going to focus on building your story on a different platform each day. I will be going live within the Facebook group at 12:00 EST every day for 30 minutes to share my insights and tips on all things storytelling.

There will also be a chance to win a free digital marketing audit. This is a $500 value! All you have to do is join our free National Storytelling Week Challenge and participate in fun challenges and learn how to improve your story.

And I would sincerely like to thank everyone who has supported me during the past 3 years. I appreciate all the kind words and the mean ones–they both motivate me.

.

Categories: : personal development, story-telling, writing