What I’ve Learned Since Leaving My 9-to-5

It’s been a little over a year since I left my 9-to-5 and stepped fully into entrepreneurship. Today, I have the privilege of running not just one, but two businesses that reflect different parts of who I am—my consulting work in child nutrition and my creative passion project, Mi Madre Candle Co.

At first, the idea of owning two distinct businesses felt overwhelming. How could I balance both? But what I’ve learned is that, much like the changing of the seasons, each venture has its own rhythm, purpose, and beauty.

🍂 Fall: The Season of Change

Leaving my 9-to-5 was like stepping into fall—full of transformation. Just like the trees release their leaves, I had to let go of security and old patterns. I embraced change to make space for something new. For me, that meant pouring energy into building a consulting business that makes a difference in child nutrition while also allowing myself to explore my creative side through candle-making.

❄️ Winter: The Season of Stillness

There were moments, especially in the beginning, that felt like winter—quiet, still, and sometimes uncertain. Building two businesses from scratch is no small feat. Winter taught me patience and the importance of rest. Behind the stillness, ideas were forming: strategies for supporting schools and nourishing students, and scents inspired by traditions and memories that would later become best-selling candles.

🌸 Spring: The Season of Renewal

Spring brought growth. In consulting, new partnerships blossomed as I supported districts and teams working to improve child nutrition programs. In candle-making, Mi Madre began to bloom—market by market, customer by customer, each candle carrying a piece of tradition and story. Spring reminded me that renewal comes with consistency, planting seeds, and trusting the process.

☀️ Summer: The Season of Abundance

Now, a year into entrepreneurship, I feel like I’ve entered summer. There’s abundance in seeing both businesses thrive in their own ways. My consulting work fuels my passion for advocacy, education, and impact, while Mi Madre Candle Co. gives me an outlet for creativity, storytelling, and honoring tradition. Summer reminds me to celebrate wins—the big and the small—and to savor the joy of seeing hard work bear fruit.

🌿 Two Passions, One Journey

What I’ve learned over this past year is that entrepreneurship is not about choosing one path—it’s about embracing the seasons of change and allowing space for different passions to coexist. Both businesses challenge and inspire me in unique ways, and both reflect pieces of who I am.

If you’re standing on the edge of change, wondering if you can pursue more than one passion, remember this: just like the seasons, life shifts and makes room for new growth. With patience, persistence, and a little courage, you can create a rhythm that honors every part of you.

Here’s to one year of entrepreneurship—and to many more seasons of growth ahead. ✨