For years, my husband has encouraged me to start my own business, be my own boss, and escape the strictures of someone else's corporate culture. You always imagine that there is a 'right' time to do such things.
But perhaps it's better to start such adventures not as 'an unexpected journey' so much as a fiery explosion of color and sound. An endeavor born of necessity, forged in adversity, and propelled by rising from ashes.
I considered the phoenix to symbolize this time. Rising from ashes. But I didn't want to think of this juncture as death. Instead, I prefer to see it as it is.
Transformation.
Hence, the butterfly. The insects that perfectly capture the idea of completely transforming circumstances. I am still me. Essentials stay the same, but the transformation creates new opportunities for me to grow and to experience the world differently.
The idea for the Glasswing came from a piece of historical fiction that I was reading at the time I formed this new company. A Victorian-era novel set in England with a protagonist who bucked tradition and supported herself in life as a lepidopterist entertained and inspired me. This was, in fact, my second reading of the series. I hadn’t given much thought to the butterfly trivia littering the stories until then.
Probably because butterflies have a reputation for being fragile, beautiful, and ultimately sort of useless. They aren’t bees with their obvious contributions to life. They don’t organize their lives in colonies like ants. Sure, every fourth grade classroom had a chrysalis that hatched and a gentle spring day when the butterfly was released. But what of the rest of the story for this creature?
Fragile, beautiful, and sort of useless—just as women used to be seen in some cultures. When it was women who founded the practice of agriculture, women who give birth, and women who make up more than half the population of the world. Women contribute.
And that’s why I choose to use this time of transformation to strengthen my ties to friends, family, and colleagues. I choose to use this time to take care of myself and my own dreams. I choose to use this time to reframe myself from survivor to champion.
Glasswing Public Affairs is my first venture into being a business owner. For ten years, I was self-employed (before the gig economy was en vogue), but I didn’t take the final step toward formalizing myself as a business. As an entrepreneur.
Now, I'm ready. I am presenting myself to the world as I am--a business-owner, a leader, an influencer, an elected official, an activist, an advocate, a writer, and a citizen. I am not apologizing for who I am or how I want to run my business. I am enough. And with my passion, my hard-work, and my values, I am on the road to success. Even if I fail. I will learn and try again. That is success.
I invite anyone who is interested in joining me on this journey to reach out. Let's work together. Let's make the world a better place together.
Let's take flight together.
