From Marianne: Seven Years and One Giant Leap

Recently I celebrated the 7th anniversary of Savvy Planet.

Seven years ago I took a giant leap into the abyss... with almost no idea what I was doing.

My entire career had been journalism. Researching, interviewing, writing, editing, producing, reporting and anchoring on television and radio. Those skills still serve me every day. Once a journalist, always a journalist. But there was always this little entrepreneurial voice in my head saying, What if?

I wanted something I could build from a laptop so I could work from anywhere. So I dove into the online business world, took courses, learned Amazon, and started selling products. The first ones… well, nobody's fighting over my beeswax wraps right now.

Then I landed on my little hero product: a 16-ounce glass spray bottle wrapped in a colorful silicone sleeve. During COVID, people apparently decided they needed one in every room and every color. It was a good run. Along the way I started writing a newsletter centered around food and life. Only back then it was, let's call it "charmingly primitive."

What I didn't realize was that I wasn't starting one business. I was accidentally signing up for twenty-seven careers.

Since then I've become a headline writer, photographer, food stylist, videographer, podcaster, email marketer, social media manager, affiliate marketer, Amazon seller, graphic designer, web designer, SEO writer, analyst, recipe developer, product developer, sourcing agent, community builder, AI prompter, event planner, travel coordinator and, occasionally, someone who remembers to eat lunch. Every time I finally figure something out, technology changes and I have to learn it all over again. 

So if you're thinking about starting a side hustle, don't believe the people on social media who claim they make millions while working fifteen minutes a week from a beach in Bali. Maybe they do. I don't know any of them. What I do know is this: every new skill makes you a little braver than you were before. And after seven years, the most valuable skill I have isn't marketing or SEO or AI. It's resilience.The willingness to fail, regroup, learn something new, and keep going. Also... I still really love those bottles.

If one would brighten up your kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room, I'd love for you to have one. Just click here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have seventeen new skills to learn before next Tuesday.