Client Case Study Monique Cucchi - When I Grow Up

Client Case Study Monique Cucchi - When I Grow Up Um, do you know that Ive coached hundreds of women since I started offering dream career guidance in 2008? And that these women are freakin rock stars, leaving soul-sucking jobs and traveling the world and launching creative, grown-up businesses and simply doing work that fits their lifestyle goals? Well ya do now and youll hear their stories firsthand in my  Client Case Studies series! Theres another artist in the house, and today its Monique Cucchi! She signed up for  Discover Your Dream Business  exactly a year ago, and now I head to her  Crooked Beautiful  Etsy shop and beam. Its such a true reflection of who she is and what she loves, and her work is so unique and special. Read on to see how she brought it to life and whats on the horizon for her and click on over to her store for that Halloween feeling I know youre ready for! Why did you decide to work with me? Id toyed with the idea of striking out on my own as a creative business owner a few times but I had always concluded that it was too difficult, improbable, and/or chaotic. Then I came across your interview on my favorite podcast, Real Talk Radio! What stuck out to me the most about your conversation with Nicole (podcast host) was how practically and systematically you approach business building. It assured me that a clear path does exist and that someone had already figured it out! Your confidence in the process coupled with your energy and enthusiasm encouraged me to give it a go. You are excellent at empowering folks to get out of their own way and take a step forward. About 5 months later, I joined the Discover Your Dream Business program and the rest is history! What were you doing work-wise when we started working together and what are you doing now? I was, and still am, the Creative Director of a financial technology company. My favorite thing about your work is how comfortable and reasonable you make the process feel for real people living real lives. I did not have to cinematically storm out of my day job surrounded by flames and explosions. Im still here earning a salary and paying bills. However, thanks to our time together, I have also been taking very calculated steps toward transitioning from this work to the next! What was your biggest takeaway from our work together? Learning to identify and avoid the evil p-wordsâ€"passion and perfectionâ€"when they interfere with my forward progress. In a world that often/usually/pretty-much-always celebrates these two words, its very difficult to understand how problematic they can be. When it comes to lots of things (not just my business), passion and perfection prevent me from starting projects or trying anything that has the potential to fail, If this isnt going to be THE THING, why should I even do it at all? This can be so incredibly limiting and you do a great job of spotting it when it happens and providing coping mechanisms to get me to push through. Think of someone who is currently in the shoes you wore when we first started working together. What advice do you have for her? You do not have to burn your life to the ground in order to do this. Follow your curiosity and see where it takes you. Is there anything thats been a game-changer for you when it comes to your business that you can share? Wed love a good resource or a mindset/productivity tip! Finished is better than perfect. Literally every time. Whats on the horizon for your business? Wed love to hear about any upcoming offerings or goals!   Now that my Etsy shop is up and running, Id like to spend some time figuring out how to optimize that channel. There is a lot to learn about how their search engine and marketing tools work. Id like to eventually expand my inventory beyond illustration into things like jewelry and textile design. Most importantly, however, I think it will be crucial for me to carve out time to simply play in the next few months. I want to make sure that I am enjoying this work if I intend to do it full time and there are so many things to explore! Where can we find you and your work? Etsy shop: etsy.com/shop/crookedandbeautiful, Instagram @crookedandbeautiful Doors to  Discover Your Dream Business  close this Friday for all of 2019! You dont want to wait until next year to take *tangible* action steps to be the entrepreneur youre dreaming of, do you?  I didnt think so.