I need to speak to those of you who are working from home. Those of you who have little ones running around while you are simultaneously trying to build your own business. Those of you who are preparing lunch for your kids while you answer client calls.
Read MoreHad I known, I'm not sure I would have agreed to do it.
See the little girl in this photo. She turned four a few weeks ago. We have never cut her hair. It has grown at it's own sweet, slow pace and I've honestly wished it would stay short forever. As silly as it may sound, there is something about her hair being short that makes me feel like she's still a baby.
Read MoreLast year, I had the incredible privilege of speaking to the attendees at Nourish Retreat, an all-inclusive, luxury retreat for mamapreneurs looking to rest, connect, and create.
I was asked to speak on how I balance my business life with my personal life. It was an incredible joy to sit with fellow mom business owners and share my story, my struggles, and the boundaries I’ve created for myself in order to live the life I want to live. I personally think entrepreneurship can be a lonely thing. Throw being a mom on top of trying to run your own business and you totally feel alone. Speaking honestly about this struggle was a beautiful moment during the retreat because sometimes I think all we need is to know we aren’t alone. Someone else feels this way too!
Read MoreMy Great-Uncle Buck was a successful, self-made businessman. He grew up on a farm in Arkansas and later moved to Seattle with his wife, Lou. He started out dirt poor working in construction. Later, he began investing in storage units, then office rental properties, and eventually became a self-made millionaire. You would never know it. He wore the same pair of Levi’s jeans and denim shirt every single day of his life. He knew what was important in life, and it wasn’t flashy, material things.
Read MoreBrian and I were married eight years before we had kids. During those years I would go through Ina Garten’s cookbooks, page by page, and cook a new recipe each night for dinner. I love to cook. There is something about taking ingredients and making them into a delicious meal that just makes me happy. Brian and I always ate our dinner at the table together. This is where we would really talk about our day or dream about our next vacation. Fast forward to today and life's a little more full! Driving three ...
Read MoreI remember so much about my first year with Stella. I remember the way she looked at me when I fed her, making faces at her while I changed her diaper, laying on the floor beside her cheering her on as she learned to crawl, sitting with her for hours as she played with her favorite toy, and I’ll never forget her first effort in trying to talk when she said, “agoo”. I loved oohing and ahhing over her. I loved to just sit and study her facial expressions. I will forever treasure that time. She was 15 months old when I ...
Read MoreAfter several newsletters about important topics like maximizing your workday, getting a grip on email stress, and making more time for your family, I thought it was time to write about something a little more fun, TRAVEL! A little background about me and travel - it is my favorite thing in the world! It’s why I work. I’m constantly planning the next adventure and no day is more exciting than when my new issue of Travel and Leisure arrives in my mailbox. For me, travel has been far greater an education than ...
Read MoreLast year, I was in a meeting with a client; she and her mother had a wonderful relationship with one another. They listened to each other. They respected one another. I could tell they had great admiration for each other as well. I’ve seen lots of different mother daughter dynamics through my years of working in the wedding industry, but this one was different. While the daughter completely respected her mom they also genuinely enjoyed being around each other. They were friends too. In one of our last ...
Read MoreAppointments on your phone are great, and I used to do that; but I found having EVERYTHING in one place helps my everyday productivity tremendously. I decided to buy myself an annual planner. I use Emily Ley’s simplified planner. I bought it keeping in mind it is going to get messy, but it’s a way to organize my life around the things that matter most! I learned a wonderful tip from Emily Ley: there needs to be plenty of white space in your planner.
Read MoreRemember when the smartphone came out? Remember how life changing it felt to be able to check your email anywhere? Talk about freedom! Fast forward to today - do you still feel that same freedom? Can I be honest for a second? Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade. I remember when I was a kid how the phone would ring and someone would yell, “I’ll get it!” I miss those days.
Read MoreHi! How are you doing with your quit time? Sticking to a quit time is much easier to do when you feel productive during your work hours. My next newsletter is all about making your work hours count - I’ve laid out for you what a typical work day looks like for me. I’ve listed several tips that will help you be more successful during your work hours and leave your work each day feeling accomplished so you can stick to your quit time! But before I send that one out - I need to speak to those of you who are ...
Read MoreI’m Jessica Zimmerman. I’m the owner of ZIMMERMAN, a floral + event design studio. Brian is my husband and together we have a daughter, Stella, and twin boys, Perry and Zeke - a full home and even fuller hearts! Three years ago, I was drowning. I owned a rental company and I was working 12 - 14 hour days barely scraping together enough money to pay my bills. My daughter was six months old and I desperately missed her. Every single day I would wonder.. How did I get here? How is it that I’m ...
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