1000 Days in Full Time Business

What even is time?

We were driving through town when I announced I needed to pop into the Dollar Tree.

“For what?” my husband asked.

“Balloons,” I said.

Maybe it’s foolish to throw a few dollars down on a counter for four gold foil balloons, or maybe—just maybe—it’s really important to mark a milestone, even if it’s kind of silly.

1000 days ago today, I embarked on the scariest, boldest adventure of my life. I stepped away from a secure job of eighteen years and I stepped into full time publishing.

Three main things led to this decision:

1. I was terribly unhappy, unseen, and unfulfilled in my day job.

2. My husband said, “Go for it!”

3. I felt a keen calling to help creatives feel seen in an industry that excels at making creatives feel invisible.

According to my impressive Google skills, the number 1000 symbolizes divine completeness and perfection—which is kind of hilarious. In a recent email, an author I’ve published in past issues of Blank Spaces and for whom I provided an endorsement statement for his newly released book (through At Bay Press), wrote this:

How are you? I see on soc med you are just ripping along and your star seems to shine brighter every day! I am glad, you deserve it, and long may you sparkle.

I responded to that statement with the following:

Social media is so funny because we project all the good out into the world (and don't get me wrong, I'm very happy in the work I'm doing) but we don't usually share the frazzled, always playing catch-up, tired narrative because that's just not as grabby. Things are going well but they are very busy. I'm not foolish enough to lament this - busy is good! Busy means there is work that, in turn, keeps my lights on. Whew! A messy reply to your lovely comment.

So yeah. I'm good!

And I am good. But I am working as hard on Day 1000 as I was on Day 1. And you know what? I feel happy. I feel seen. I feel fulfilled. There is this new cultural push to reject the hustle culture; I like the hustle. I like to work. I bought the book The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, but I haven’t read it because I don’t actually want that. I believe that hard work pays off and fulfillment comes through that hard work. You have to show up and earn your spot, and sure, I’d love to grow this business to a place where I can hire some help, but not so I can stop pouring my heart and soul into it.

I have learned two (very) hard business lessons over these 1000 days:

1. Always pay your taxes on time.

2. Don’t mess with copyright law.

The first I blame on the heaviness of administration. Because my heart is with the authors I am serving, I used to let the unimportant things take a back burner. You know… like passing the HST I’m collecting through sales on to the government. I didn’t get in trouble. Actually, chatting with the folks at the CRA was entirely pleasant. They gave me grace I didn’t deserve and everything is sorted, but not without the painfully aggressive pay-back terms and painfully aggressive late fees. The lesson? I now move all collected taxes into a separate bank account EVERY WEEK and I ALWAYS PAY ON TIME.

The second I already told you about and I blame it completely on my love for John Travolta. (If you weren’t around when that story dropped, you can catch up here.)

—How My Love for John Travolta Got Me Sued—

I tell you these things, because no matter what you see on social media, this is a hard industry to navigate—even without silly snafus that could have easily been avoided. Thankfully, it takes a lot to knock this old girl down and I am banking on my grit, tenacity, and scrappiness to face whatever is ahead of me on this journey.

I know I’m going to continue to make mistakes. I also know I will learn from each one and be better on the other side.

Now, if I could list all the victories of these 1000 days, I would probably bore you to tears, but here are a few highlights to prove I’ve really been doing the work.

• I have published 37 books and 11 issues of Blank Spaces since going full time

• I’ve hosted more than 200 people through various workshops and writing events

• I’ve entertained film rights queries from production companies in New York City and Los Angeles

• I’ve been named the Most Influential Ontario Indie Publishing Businesswoman in 2024 by Acquisition International Magazine

• Several CHP books have won prestigious literary awards

• I have met some of the most creative and passionate people who motivate me each and every day to do better for them as I work to amplify their incredible talent

It is my intention to do this work until I can’t do it anymore. And you’re here because something about what is happening at Chicken House Press compelled you to follow along. I don’t take that lightly or for granted and I am so thankful for your support. I hope you’ll stick with me through the next 1000 days. I can’t imagine what’s in store for this business. I don’t expect to ever attain “divine completeness and perfection”—I mean, what would I even do with myself after that?—but I do know I am going to grow into an even truer version of myself than I am right now. And who knows… 1000 days from this moment, you and I might be looking at sending your book out into the world! 💛