Hey there what's up welcome back. This is critical about recital school. We are coming to the end of the week and I've got another story for you now earlier this week I told you a story of a woman who started an online dating profile writing service. That project didn't go on to make a ton of money, but it did change the trajectory of her life. It gave her confidence. It developed that entrepreneurial spirit, that what are you going to do lots of other stuff. So, as I sometimes say, there are a lot of benefits to having a sight of sorts, not just about money, even though the money matters too and today story, even as I tell it to you, it's still being written me my script, I mean the story. Of this story is about another woman in Santa Barbara California, who opens a brick and mortar shop, selling, succulents and gift items like the one about the honor

getting profile writing service? This also isn't about making a ton of money, though it is making some money, because this the societal school, but it's more about how stepping out to pursue a dream, can end up empowering you and lots of way I am passionate about you having more than one source of income and also about you being able to pursue a dream to whenever I hear examples of how these two important goals or values intersect. Of course I want to know more, then I want to tell you about it. This is a succulent story, stay tuned Obregon to you in just a moment. Santa Barbara ninety miles north of LOS Angeles, but it feels like a different world. You still have the beautiful California sunshine, but depending on where you live, can take ten minutes. To a gorgeous beat instead of an hour or more in standstill, traffic There are winning restaurant wineries in just two more laid back way of life as a few months ago. There is now also a succulent bar and gift shop. It called thunder,

Collective mysteries and residents can wander into my house plants, handmaid goods from local makers and meaningful vintage home goods. The best of all that can pick out a pot, succulent or cactus Nina Britain will help them create an arrangement or terrorism on the spot on. Those are one of a kind so whose Nina and how to undermine collective come to be our first near her day, job as the national sales director for a wholesale clothing company before it

if you can remember, she's, had some sort of sidekick when she was sixteen. She used to buy brand names, a discount shops and sell them on Ebay. She also taught jewelry making classes then soldiery online and markets she had a craft show than a blog and so on. All those things took place. While she was working full time for someone else as creative and as productive as she's been. It was only recently that she took advantage of our biggest opportunity yet mean I've been going through a hard time. Just coming out of a divorce and using work is a distraction, but, oddly for once, she didn't have aside us all that would soon change. Her inspiration was to make succulent arrangements shed a collection of vintage vessels that bordered on hoarding just about a garden and neighbourhood full of succulents. He started making these arrangements for herself than four friends and wish you ran a room and people to give them to. She went into a shop in town and they agree to carry them soon after she snag three other shops and was happy to at least have a reason to make more

didn't bring her much more than a couple hundred dollars each mind, but that inspiration led to a bigger idea that bigger idea that led to what she calls her big break. A friend connected her with a commercial property manager when they met for lunch, Nina told her about her idea to create a community space. There was also a retail store. She talks about how she would merchandise how she would decorate. She also explained how she would Kate, or not only two visitors to Santa Barbara, like many other shots did, but the locals as well. The property manager was interested. She convinced me not to look at a space. You managed, even though opening a retail store see nearly impossible at the time. Was it because she didn't want mine, but because she didn't think she could afford it? Still she agreed to see the space when she did. She fell in love. It was a complicated kind of love like so many are the space was beautiful, but how could she ever afford it? The property manager asked what she would do if she had it ass. You say there were no restrictions if you could move in Would you use the space? Instead, all the ideas came to her at once, and she tried telling that probably meant

you're all about it. The manager stopped her and said What I want you to have the space it turned out. It was actually read it, but not until four months later, until the permanent tenant moved in Nina could pay whenever she wanted to an rent and take a low risk chance on pursuing a big dream, because the landlord was so personally invested in the project needed just had to pay for inventory fixtures signage in a business licence all told the initial costs were just twenty five hundred dollars, which is pretty cheap for retail store,

Southern California? Actually, let's say it's extremely cheap. Next Nina had a lot of friends who are also side hustlers, so she asked to sell some of their goods on consignment in it. You didn't have to pay a front for them should only pay them a commission when I sold it was all going so well, but then disaster struck a disaster struck in the form of the worst fires in California recorded history. The shop had to be completely closed and, after working for several weeks, Nina had made a total of twenty dollars. Still, all that was outside our control, as the area began to recover, so did the new store it began, paying for itself right around the five thousand dollar sales mark its now bringing in three thousand dollars a month and is made two thousand dollars in that again stories just a few months old in the first two months were in the midst of those fires. Of course, the location was temporary, so all the while Nina was learning to run a storefront while working irregular job. She was also stepping up possibilities for a more permanent home. Just as we prepare to record this episode, she wrote in with an update she had a plan.

Thunder Moon Collective will soon be moving to a new space in downtown Santa Barbara. Naturally, therein is more in the space of smaller since its essentially in a group of shared artist stalls, but their stalls or an upright location till she calls it a dream scenario. For the time being right now, she's gonna focused on building up more of a following and perhaps look for something more free standing in a future, which is also not worried. You see the biggest success, isn't the money? It's this change of mindset, here's how she describes it. She says I'm still at the beginning of this journey, but doing the stork gave me confidence, a new sense of what I'm capable of and literally living my dream. Well before I thought it would be possible for Santa Barbara newest seller of succulents that doesn't sound, it actually sounds pretty great. I was in Santa Barbara just recently, myself have actually been herb several times it's beautiful place, but when I first heard about a retail shop there, I thought well isn't that expensive, because it is an expensive area in

We in this story Nina caught a bit of a break. It still remember that there is often more than one way to accomplish just about anything. That's a lot of what I talk about in the shower like there's the traditional way to do something in it at least one alternative way. Probably more one. So, at the traditional way to open a retail shop and expensive part of California is to go through a long process and are a lot of money. They're, probably several other directions that you could go in as well. We might not open a retail shop it off my take that vision and adapted to where you're, focusing more on online sales or maybe you're, making something and taking it to a market lots of things you could do, but still just to be clear about dream: redirection, like. If you have a dream, don't let me or anybody else redirect you if it is your dream to open a bricks and mortar story, don't be discouraged, there's again probably some way to do it even an inexpensive area also, you know the other way I think about is. If it is an expensive area with wealthy residence in a lot of visitors come into town, then you have lots of buyers. So that's a positive. The question I have to answer is, then: how can I get in front of those fires? What are those buyers want, and how can I

to them. So, as I said, I was in Santa Barbara recently. I didn't know about the story the time, but hopefully I'll get a chance to go back and visit Thunderin Collective, if you're in the area definite check out what Ninos up to and whatever you're up to remember. Inspiration is good, but inspirational action is so much better. Today, succulent show now it's all right: side, axle, school dot, com, four hundred and forty eight thank you for listening I'll, be back with it weekly recap tomorrow. My name is crystal about for side, hustle school.