I Made The Scariest Freaking Decision Of My Life This Year And Here’s How It Went Down

I felt so brave ten years ago when I packed up my very few belongings at the ripe age of 23 and decided to head down south from Michigan and make Nashville my home. At the time, I thought that would be the scariest decision I’d ever make. Shockingly, it didn’t take long for me to adjust to the move, make some amazing friends, and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Even though it was a really frightening move at such a young age, things fell into place and it didn’t take long for me to realize that Nashville was without a doubt God’s plan for my life.

For the past seven and a half years I have spent my days building relationships with some of the most amazing women in all of Nashville and these ladies have been there during some of my biggest struggles, they’ve provided knowledge and wisdom I never knew I needed, and they have helped shape me into the woman I am today. They are my clients, yet many of them have become family.

These real life angels trust me with their hair and their secrets, plus they threw me the most amazing winter white wedding shower you’ve ever seen.

When I started working at The Blowout Co, it didn’t take long for me to realize how much I truly have a passion for making women look and feel their best. I quickly moved up in the company and have been extremely grateful to have an amazingly generous and easy going boss who has trusted me with her entire business, yet also gave me the flexibility I need as a creative hard worker who loves to travel the world.

Best. Boss. Ever. I would be so lost without you, Leslie!

I’ll be the first one to admit that I have really had it made the past several years, so when it came time to make the actual scariest decision of my life, I was pretty much scared shitless (pardon my language). I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and I used to think that running someone else’s business would fulfill that longing I have, but I recently realized it was time to build something of my own.

So how do you leave a well paying, reliable, comfortable, stable job that you love after seven and a half years? It took a huge leap of faith, a lot of trust in God, and a realization that I had to make a change or else things would always stay the same. After wanting to do this for a couple years but always letting fear get in the way, I finally woke up one day and realized it was time. The only explanation I have is that God finally gave me the nudge. And so The Agency of Beauty was born.

Some people say you should always keep business and friendship separate, but those people clearly don’t have an amazingly talented best friend who has an identical passion as you. My partner in crime (and now business) Natalie Watterson and I have discovered how much we love what we do, and love doing it together.

Instead of simply “going freelance” we decided to build a business that would make money even if we were on vacation sipping margaritas on the beach. That’s the ultimate goal, right?! The Agency of Beauty staffs weddings, photo shoots, music videos, TV shows and everything in between with some of Nashville’s most talented hair and makeup artists. We love helping not only ourselves succeed by doing what we love, but other artists as well.

Since launching in September, we have 18 weddings under contract and landed a red carpet gig for a Netflix premiere. I’d say we’re off to a pretty good start. I’m not telling you these things to brag, but to simply be an example of what happens when you not only follow your dreams, but do it on God’s timing without letting fear get in the way. It took me a long time to get to this place.

My husband is self employed and having two of us living that life is both the scariest and most freeing thing in the entire world. Yes, I have it really good at my salon job. I’ll forever be grateful for that chapter of my life, but there’s nothing like working your butt off and seeing the results come to fruition when it’s your very own business.

The transition isn’t going to be easy. I don’t think it has fully settled with me that at the start of next year, I’ll no longer have the same full time job I’ve had since I was 25. It’s going to be a big adjustment and it won’t be easy, but making sacrifices is part of the process to building a business. I have to keep reminding myself how much can happen in a year. And 12 months from now, I’m going to be so glad I made this decision/took this leap of faith.

The day I sent the email to all of the stylists on staff at The Blowout Co. telling them I was going to be phasing myself out of the salon, I was pacing back and forth throughout the house and I couldn’t stop crying. I felt every emotion: excitement, sadness, fear, etc. I don’t think my husband had ever seen me that way before, so we were both pretty much in a state of confusion. HA! Like I said, this was the absolute 100% scariest decision of my life and although I’m not sure what the future holds, I’m confident that between Natalie and I, our passion, determination, and talent will result in a successful business. So, who knows someone getting married in 2020?! Send them our way!

Moral of the story? If there’s something you know you want to do but you’re too scared, you’re not alone. Big life changes don’t come easy, but trust God’s plan and take that leap of faith if you feel the nudge. I just hope I can inspire at least one person to live the life they have always dreamed of, even if it means making the scariest freaking decision of your life.

Thanks so much for reading and wish us luck!!