“I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life.  I think I’m going to make a sandwich.”

Today, I got my sign.

Through an unexpected chain of events, I have broken free from the corporate world.  For months now I have been preparing to “take the plunge”; to dive headfirst into my very own business.  It’s an exciting, but scary, step forward because you no longer rely on a boss who is there to hand you a paycheck every two weeks.  You’re not surrounded by an operations manager or a business development leader or a salesperson.

You are your own marketing team, your own assistant, your own ad rep, your own public relations specialist, and mostly importantly–you are your own boss.

After working part-time for the past six months and juggling corporate career vs. food obsession, today the two finally came head-to-head as my boss said to me:

“Fanny, I can see where your passion is–and from someone who turned what they love to do into a business…you should be out there too.  Go pursue your dreams.”

Although this job fell through my fingers instead of me having time to prepare to let it go, I have been given a gift and a blessing.  I’ve been struggling to balance both hats and not able to give my all where I know that it’s needed most.  While I have been able to pursue the occasional catering job or cooking class–my time has been limited.

As I left today, I had to give back my key.  The good news is, I walked out with another one.

I have been given a key to the door whose knob I’ve been wriggling for some time now.

As I spoke to my dad on the way home and we discussed this new chapter, he said something that stuck with me.  

“All you can do is TRY.  If you sit around doing nothing, then you can’t expect to accomplish anything.  But if you try, if you at least TRY, then you’ve taken the leap.”

He then congratulated me on the first day at my new job and asked me what I planned to do.

“Well…I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life.  I think I’m going to make a sandwich.”

Ladies and gentleman, friends and family, cats of all shapes and sizes…

Fanfare is officially open for business.

Don’t forget to check out the new Fanfare commercials here!