Do you dread Mondays? A lot of people do, especially if their work isn’t bringing them joy or utilizing their passions. My book No More Dreaded Mondays is all about how to find your passion and get to a place in your work where it brings you joy and you don’t dread doing it. Today I want to share the story of a 48 Days Eagles Member—Mandy Lloyd—who has put the principles of that book into action, taken the leap into building the work she loves, and now no longer dreads those Mondays.
First, a Huge Leap of Faith
Three years ago, Mandy left her job of 14 years, and walked away from a career path she’d been on for 25 years to pursue her passions. She was an accountant for a Fortune 500 company. In her words, leaving was “a HUGE leap of faith.” But the promise of better work and life was on the other side of that jump for Mandy.
At the time, she had a side hustle, which was the window treatment company that eventually became her full-time business.
The Pandemic Was a Roller Coaster For Business
Mandy told us that the last three years have been a “roller coaster,” especially because COVID hit almost exactly one year after Mandy left her career. She says “my phone stopped ringing and I thought to myself that my pivot had been a huge mistake.” But Mandy isn’t the kind of person who gives up or gives in, and after “3 weeks of no appointments, no sales—my phone started ringing again.” She was patient, and “business took off and has not stopped.”
400% Growth — Yes, 400
Mandy is not kidding when she says her business took off. It’s grown 400% in the past three years, and her goal for this year is to DOUBLE their 2021 revenue! In 2021, her take-home pay as an entrepreneur surpassed her previous salary as an accountant, and there’s still plenty of room for her business to grow.
It hasn’t always been easy for Mandy, though. She told us that “I’ve shed a few tears and I work a lot, a whole lot, but it’s so much more rewarding and I have had a new energy the past few years. I also don’t dread Mondays.” I love this because what Mandy is speaking to is exactly what No More Dreaded Mondays is talking about. Going into business for yourself isn’t a “get rich quick” scheme or trying to find the easy way out—it’s hard! The point is to find something that’s hard in a good way; something that challenges you productively, engages your passions, and keeps you ignited and fulfilled.
You Still Work Hard, But You Build Your Own Wealth
Mandy had an “ah ha moment” about six years ago when she realized that the career she was in meant wearing herself down to build someone else’s wealth. And she also realized that there was an alternative out there where she could work hard and build her own family’s wealth. Now Mandy credits this moment to hearing me say something about it on the podcast, but I think deep down inspired and driven people like Mandy already know these kinds of truths—they might just need to hear someone else say it.
My message can reach the ears of listeners and eyes of readers all day every day and nothing will happen in the lives of those readers and listeners until they put the principles into ACTION! That, folks, is where the rubber meets the road. Back when Mandy first encountered the 48 Days message, her career and goals looked very different. Now, she’s shooting to grow her business and sell it for a profit of at least $500,000. She set that goal two years ago, wanting to achieve it within five years—she’s got three years left and that goal is more and more in her reach every day!
Finding or Creating Work YOU Love
To get to this place in her work and life, Mandy had to make some sacrifices though. She was walking away from a 6-figure income at a comfortably profitable company. But Mandy told us “I knew I mentally, physically, and spiritually needed to make a total change.” While her old job might have been financially comfortable, it limited her potential to pursue her passions and feel fulfilled in her work.
Mandy remembers it this way: “When I was at my job, I would spend time looking out my office window on a pretty day and just dream about being outside and active in the sunshine. On a cloudy rainy day, I would dream about being productive in my home or business.” She told us that “Freedom was VERY important to me” and her previous career just didn’t give her that freedom.
She says “Now on a sunny day, I am in and out of people’s homes and businesses. I set my own schedule (I do work a lot) but it is my schedule and my freedom. That is priceless. It has not been easy and I have doubted myself many times but I’ve also thought, why not, and have kept my nose down and to the grind.”
Working In Your Zone of Genius
To overcome that doubt, Mandy says she keeps up a regular prayer practice, which keeps her humble and keeps her anxiety at bay. In working on her mindset, Mandy has also developed strategies that work for her to keep her to-do list and workload manageable so she still has that freedom she so desired even as her business grows. That means that Mandy has to, and does, stay in touch with her unique skills, talents, strengths, and abilities so her to-do list is populated with what she is uniquely good at in her business.
That strategy is a great one, and Mandy had to learn the importance of it the hard way. She told us that when she first started her business “was mostly just me and I did everything.” And Mandy says that was “a cause of frustration for me, but it also helped me develop some disciplines I didn’t have before.”
Advice for Your Entrepreneurial Journey from Mandy Lloyd
There’s a lot that we can all learn from Mandy’s story, and she was also generous with her advice to someone a few steps behind her on their own journey. She told us that her recommendations are to
• get support from your spouse
• prepare a few things to have a financial runway (build up a savings, pay off debt)
• figure out a room or workspace
• do a lot of praying and soul searching.
Mandy also emphasized the importance of having guidance, encouraging others to “find a few mentors and have coffee or lunch with them and ask if they see a potential in you to do something different.” Most importantly, Mandy says to “JUMP! What’s the worst thing that could happen—you go back to a job? Maybe a different job, that might even be better? The journey may not look like what they envisioned, it may look even better.”
You can find out more about Mandy at https://www.shopmrblinds.com/, @shopmrblinds on Instagram, and Mr. Blinds on Facebook!
I am so proud to share success stories like this from the 48 Days Eagles Community.
Check out other 48 Days Eagles Success Stories:
• Helping Others Thrive is the Hallmark of Her Success — Coach, Speaker and Trainer Jevonnah Ellison
