To entrepreneur or not…

Posted on by JustAskMaia

I have known my entire life that I never wanted to work for someone besides myself. I also knew I was destined for, well, more. I couldn’t quite put my finger on that ‘more’ but I knew that I would know it when I seen it. At fifteen, I worked at Burger King and McDonald’s and Taco Bell. When I was seventeen I got a night job in the mail room at Corestates bank (which became First Union which became Wachovia which became Wells Fargo). I would get off at 7 am and rush down Center City to my second job, United way, and work from eight until two and then I would rush down to my first class, English, at Peirce College. My whole life has been about the hustle and bustle, which I never really minded being a city girl and all but there was nothing to show for my hard work, dedication, and drive except a very exhausted me.

In 2009 after the passing away of my daughter, Madison, I decided I needed to live! I started my company Rush Consulting Firm from literally nothing and I just kept pushing. Every time I wanted to quit I thought about the times I never quit on my bosses out of a sense of obligation. Every time I felt like I just couldn’t do it, I reminded myself of all the late nights and early mornings I pushed for companies who never even noticed my hard work. And every time I felt like a failure, I remember the courage it took to build what I have built.

I want to say that entrepreneurship is not for everyone, but I know that is not true. Even if you decide not to leave your full time job, I implore you to never give up on your dreams. Just a few minutes a day, a couple hours a week, a few weeks out the year will have you feeling more dedicated and refreshed to do more, be more, even in your everyday life. There is something amazing about giving a little bit of you to yourself that makes it all worthwhile, and if you can inspire someone along the way, even better.

I know what some of you may be thinking; Time. Let me tell you a little something about time. Time is your most valuable asset. Time is something you can choose to be generous with or selfish with. Time is something that is yours to do with as you please. Time is one of those things that you can never get back. So you can spend your life planning it or you can spend your life living it, but its your time to do with as you wish.

As a wife, mother, and serial entrepreneur, I can say that sometimes things will get hectic but for me, I choose not to make a fuss over time as long as I spend it the way I desire to. I have 9 children and I home school them all. That is in addition to running a seasonal toddler boutique where the items are made by hand, by me; I also run a successful Consulting Firm where I do everything from coaching to speaking, resumes to job placement, and, our specialty, helping people start the business they always wanted to. In addition, I host Meet and greets called Heels&Hustle where we bring together women who do, did, and want to start their business for the purpose of networking, collaborating, and mentoring. Trust me when I say that I know all about time management and that is why I believe, no, I KNOW you can do it too.

Entrepreneurship IS for everyone. Whether its full time, part time, seasonal, or weekends only, be sure to give it a go. There are people around you that believe in you and your vision and they are just waiting for the opportunity to support you. You can do it.

-Rush
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I’m not the one to gossip so…..

Posted on by JustAskMaia

Hello my loves!
Not quite settled into our new home but I am definitely settled into the joy of having a place to call my own when it’s all said and done. Its been a long road traveled for McRush and I. I remember first talking about buying a home with him; We were in our college math class, one we both hated by the way. That seems like many moons ago. Either way, we made it!

This, however is not what I wanted to blog to you guys about. I wanted to talk to you about gossip. Its such an ugly thing and unfortunately,  sometimes even unintentionally, most of us do it. I know I did. I grew out of it and moved away from it and to keep the temptation away, my circle of trusted friends is very small and one that does not have room for negatively,  ever.

In this home buying journey with the slight tinge of homelessness,  I found myself with alot of free time to do some soul searching, as some would say. But it was more of a search of “who am I and why am I here”. I am happy to say I have found the answers to both of those questions and have found solice and much forgiveness for myself. I have ultimately grown closer to the God of my understanding and can now grow because of it.

I reflected much upon my teenage years. You know, when I was stupid and made a lot of mistakes. Friends that I often think about thst no longer talk to me because our paths are now different but I am grateful to have gone through life with them in it. The person that I am today is strong because of them and the silliness thereof.

I do wonder now looking back,  did they grow? I mean, obviously their physical appearance shows signs of growth but I mean mentally and spiritually. I think back to the times I was often used as the scapegoat and for a long time it hurt because I could never understand why my kindness was also my weakness. But now, I am just grateful.

I just wanted to remind you that words hurt and for people like me, sensitive, it hurts for a long time. Twenty years I have been pondering this and finally I had to learn to accept what I could not change and use it as a tool of knowledge.

I said all this to say, mind your words. You words mean something. In the effort to leave an impacting memory on those you love as well as a legacy, mind them. Use them wisely. May they embrace all those who come in contact with you that you leave a smile upon their heart. Namaste.
-Rush

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(Two of the three of my heartbeats.  #SistersAndBrothers)

Why hello there!

Posted on by JustAskMaia

I know. I keep popping up and disappearing but in my defense, I have been feeling very lazy. Yup, that’s all I have. The truth. No real reason not to blog except laziness.

To be honest, nothing much is going on. I am still homeschooling my nine. I am still running my companies from home, although I have been contemplating opening a little shop in town for Slips Socks and Bows. But Moncks Corner is so dead right now, I wonder if it would be worth it, besides, these people out here think they can charge you New York rent for these beat down properties….uh, no!

I have contemplated, however, pushing an initiative to get more of these properties rented or sold to minorities and their small businesses as it seems the minority here is the majority (as anywhere else in America) but that a story for another day.

I am also considering doing a seminar to teach people to start their own businesses for less than a months worth of groceries. I do it for people all the time with Rush Consulting Firm. The thing is, you end up paying me much more because you are paying me for my time. And if you don’t know, time is the most precious thing that you can offer anyone, it is one of the only things you can never get back. I want everyone to follow their dreams and reach their goals, but I can’t make you want it bad enough.

Anyhow, enough lecturing.

I have been transitioning to becoming an alkaline vegan since around mid December. This month, I decided to jump all in and I am dragging my family along with me. Being an alkaline vegan is different from being a vegan which is different from being a vegetarian. We follow the late Dr. Sebi and his common core fundamentals on balancing (more increasing) you pH for self healing and cleansing. I feel great. There are a lot of positives to this lifestyle but the only drawback is COOKING. I cook for every single edible moment of the day, as a mother should but uhmmm, I didn’t factor this in with a family my size. I feel like I live in the kitchen! I homeschool in the kitchen. I read in the kitchen. I research in the kitchen. Pretty soon, I’ll be making love in the kitchen. SHEESH. TMI, I know, but that’s me.

Speaking of making love in the kitchen ( I see that creeps you out). I made the decision to remove my IUD, so I am sure it will only be a matter of time before I am gracing the earth with another Rush. In  my defense birth control never worked for me anyhow, I had the IUD with #9, so I suppose you can just say we have been lucky so far. However, I am using an app to keep track of my Ovulation days because I have got to get my body into some type of shape, even if its a square. I cannot be out of breath running up and down theses stairs all day long. I had better breathing when I was a smoker. So it stands to reason that having children is worse on your health than smoking.

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-Rush