The Author

Who am I? So glad you asked. 

My name is Erica. I am a story teller and I will be your thought guide. 

I am an entrepreneur. I didn't always know that, of course. It wasn't until I was standing in my storefront talking to one of my employees when she commented that I was an entrepreneur. I giggled. Then she proceeded to get very serious and squared my shoulders towards hers and said, "Erica, you know that right? You have to know that. You are an entrepreneur. We are standing in your store."

And that's how I realized I was an entrepreneur. 

Let me explain. 

My whole life.. I was slightly... odd. Not to a point that I would send people running, but I was most definitely different. While most young girls were very interested in fashion and boys, I was hanging out with my dad--building things, wiring new gadgets and learning about convectional heat with coffee cups. By 4th grade, I was creating class projects for matching vocabulary words with definitions using insulators and wires to complete a circuit causing a light to ignite when the correct word and corresponding definition were connected. By the time I was in 6th grade, I was testing out of science and went into an independent study and by 7th, I was moved up a grade in math. 

By the time high school hit, life threw some curveballs and I became very lost. Traditional school wasn't working for me anymore. School started to become easy which became a very hard problem. I started to do things outside of the box. I started to become a menace. 

I was a student who frequented the library from study hall often. I wanted to be in the computer lab, but there wasn't a teacher in there for me to go. Eventually I found a way around our study hall-to-library system and was signing myself out of study hall completely. The first few times, I used that time to just wonder the halls. Then I stumbled on the empty computer lab. Computers were still coming into their own and not having one at home it was something that fascinated me. It was locked. 

A few more days went by and the door was still locked. Then one day... it wasn't. I went in slowly and found a computer hidden in the back corner. I turned it on. It made a noise that was way too loud for a student in an empty room. Then the home screen screamed blue and it was time to start exploring. 

My computer lab trips started to become frequent to a point that teachers started to expect that I was supposed to be in there. I used those days to learn the ins-and-outs of a computer. Little did I know the impact that would lead to have on my life and the foundation it would lay for my launch into the entrepreneurial world.

One day after school, I came home and my mom had a computer there. It was exhilarating to finally have one in my house and now... I know how to use it. 

As high school progressed, I started to find myself doing odd jobs for people based on my skills. I was making graphics for class projects, after-school groups and eventually graduation invites. Next thing I knew, I had a little business going on. 

That accelerated even more in college. I had branched out to photography, screen printing and children's books. After college, I moved to California and started developing an art business in Laguna Beach when an opportunity arose for me to develop a BioTechnology company by pioneering their marketing department, building their website and designing the concept, flow and integrations of their inventory management system. 

After that company, I launched my current companies in fashion, technology and manufacturing. 

You see... I never knew I was an entrepreneur because that's who I was my whole life. I approached situations with a desire to find solutions. The rest was just a natural progression. 

My goal and hopes for this blog is to connect with other entrepreneurs and hear their stories and help others like us realize their potential and start harnessing their approach to life sooner. 

Thanks for sharing this space in time,

Erica