Having a "weird" business concept, and being OK with that...

Still of the movie Field of Dreams on IMDB.

When I was at Yoga the other night, my indescribably amazing instructor and I were chatting before class about our businesses.  We each have a concept that's not way-out wacky, but is unique to what else is being offered in our respective markets.  She runs a yoga studio.  Lots of people do that.  But what makes hers incredible is that it's up in the woods, with a breathtaking view of the Green Mountains.  Birds were chirping outside, and the breeze was flowing across us during Monday night's Shavasana.  I left there feeling energized and relaxed all at the same time.  It's the best of Vermont, and the best of Yoga all combined in one magical place.  She has a fantastic concept for her business, and for her practice.  So we were discussing how to get more people on board with our concepts.  I think the answer in the end was that neither of us had any idea, but that we knew we had to stick with our visions and trust in their awesomeness.  You know, like Field Of Dreams style?  "If you build it, he will come."

Sometimes I have to catch myself when I feel like I'm not fitting in with the mainstream line of products.  Sometimes I feel self-conscious for my products when they're turned down by a wholesale account, or not scooped up by a customer in my shop.  They're different, and sometimes it's rough to be the weird kid.  I have to stop and remind myself that that was the point.  They're different on purpose.  I'm not making cake-batter-scented lotions on purpose.  I'm packaging my products differently on purpose.  I'm making my own unique formulas on purpose.

So I'm channeling my inner Kevin Costner.  He didn't give a crap when people thought he was nuts for building a baseball field where his corn crop should be.  He kept right on playing baseball with ghost players that no one else could see.  I probably won't go quite as far as he did and kidnap James Earl Jones, but he went right ahead and did that too, because he believed in his cause.  And in the end he was right.  When people started being able to see what he could see, they were stupefied that they hadn't believed sooner.  They came in droves to see what he had created.  Sorry for the spoiler of the end of the movie, but seriously, it was made in 1989.  If you hadn't seen it by now, I probably didn't rock your world too much.

PS:  is Kevin Costner not just the most dreamy thing EVER?!


Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey