Even the most glamorous of jobs has its pros and cons. Most people (including my family!) think my job is all fun, all the time. So today, I’m diving into the things I love (and don’t love) about my job! This is going to be a two-part post…come back next week to find out the things I do not love about my job :)!

But today’s all about happiness and sunshine, so let’s dive in…

1. Sharing Stuff I Love
The social media part of Oh Joy (it was originally just a design company) was rooted in sharing the things I love. And slowly, more and more of you cared to follow along and come back! I love that I can share with you my love of fashion, color, home decor…and all the things I’ve learned over the years or things that come naturally to me to inspire you, too.

2. Designing for You
The licensing part of this company is so fun, and I love working with amazing brands to design products that you can have in your homes and use in your everyday lives. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing an Oh Joy! bag, suitcase, shoes, or tissue box “in the wild”! Stay tuned for a new collection coming soon that I am SO excited about!

3. Testing New Products or Clothing
We get so many people writing in and sharing their amazing new brands and products with us. I am so excited to try things out and share what I truly love with all of you – and to see the evolution and growth of indie brands.

4. Teaching
Sometimes the work I do can feel so fluffy from the outside, but there’s the deeper stuff in there like teaching and sharing how to grow a business. Or, the things I might inspire or teach you for your home or wardrobe are ultimately meant to inspire your own confidence in life (and confidence is a big deal to me). And I love that I get to play a small part in that.

5. Meeting Friends
Through this job, I have met so many wonderful people who are in my community (in person and online), going through the same unusual business model and the hustle I manage. They are now some of my closest friends and some who I can turn to any day of the week for feedback, help, or just to vent.

6. Getting to Work with a Variety of People
From the Oh Joy! Team (past and present) to tons of freelancers, my agents, lawyer, accountant, and partners and clients I work with on every new job, there’s an array of people I work with all the time. It keeps it interesting and ever-changing! And, I’m always learning from all the talented people who help me grow my business.

7. Flexibility
Being a business owner affords you a certain level of control over your schedule that you don’t usually have at a 9-to-5 job. It depends on how you structure your business and also knowing that things will always evolve and change. I love that in my current season of my business, I have shaped my hours around my kids’ schedules to be available for school drop-offs, pick-up, sporting events, and other things that I couldn’t always be there for in the past.

8. This Community
I’ve been running Oh Joy! for almost 17 years. And in that time, there have been so many of you rally around my on-going message of finding joy in the everyday and coming back to see what I have to share. So many of you have showed up to past in-person events (pre-pandemic), and it all means so much to me. I love spending time with all of you, chatting with you, and seeing your successes and growth. I connect with many of you daily through various social media channels, and you’re like a virtual family for me! It’s truly the part that makes this job something that I keep doing and showing up for every single day.

P.S. Stay tuned next week for my least favorite things about my job…we all have them!

(Top photo by The Confetti Project)