LET'S TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
Picked up a new hobby called “Glass Painting” after watching a bit too much youtube. Took all my creations to an Arts and Crafts Fair on the beach and sold out that day – Not 2 Shabbey was born! For the next 5 years I would slowly grow my brand. First painting on my dining room table and then my studio in the basement. I started selling to stores, learning the wholesale business while also growing my Facebook business page and online ETSY store.
Quit my day job of teaching, Left my basement studio and opened up my own storefront on the avenue. I created tabletop handpainted glassware and serveware such as pitchers, bowls, and cake domes. I hired 2 painters to work alongside me. The back of the store was our manufacturing facility and the front was an open glass painting studio for walk-ins and parties. That fall, I went to my first trade show – I opened up my first international wholesale accounts.
Within (3) years I grew my business from 5 wholesale accounts to over 90 worldwide. My retail business was booming and I hired my 5th employee – BUT SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
Although the business was “successful” I knew the truth. My pieces were sold all over the world, however, my work-life balance was abysmal. I was working 16hr days making pennies on the dollar because I was investing the money right back into the business. Throw in 5 children and I was barely holding my head above water. I was miserable.
At that moment I wiped my face and realized that the only person in control of my destiny was me. I was in charge of the choices that I was making. My unhappiness was on me. Every opportunity I was saying YES to was a NO to something else.
I vowed that night to never feel that miserable again… I would get to the bottom of what was really going on in my life and examine the choices that I was making. I challenged myself to a 90-day business challenge and opened up publically to all of you about what was really going on.
During those 3 months, I learned a lot about myself, what I wanted, and what I wished I never had to do ever again. In the end, profits were up 10% and I was working 5hrs a day. I got so much feedback from my followers who joined me on my journey, that I figured if it helped me, why couldn’t it help all of you too?!? That’s how the 30 Day Business Challenge was formed way back when.
Within a year and half of opening up about my business goals, I had over 2,500 women take my Business Challenge. I began mentoring women entrepreneurs and started my first mastermind and classes. When the Founder of the JWE (Jewish Woman Entrepreneur) reached out and asked me to run their 2019 Business Conference I knew it was time to pivot. What I loved about my glass painting was creating and designing, what I hated was manufacturing. I closed my studio and connected with a variety of manufacturers and created royalty deals with my artwork. My pieces are still being sold today under my brand – Abbey Wolin – through different companies around the world.
I fill my days now with helping businesses and nonprofits maximize their growth and profits. We all have super powers, and mine is pin-pointing the exact areas in which leaders can harness their business and organization to reach their goals. I have launched a bunch of courses and classes, including the Intensive, the Bootcamp, and Canva for Beginners and I speak all over the world to women, business owners and leaders about entrepreneurship, goal setting, and how to live a more balanced life.