It's More Than Writing and Speaking...It's a Business!

An aspect of this journey I didn't realize nearly three years ago is once you are a published author and paid speaker, you are now a business. Yikes!

Earlier this year as we sat with our accountant I asked, "Is there anything else I should be tracking, counting, or doing?" 

A special thanks to Mary Buske for creating a couple "business" designs for "One Sister's Journey"

His answer turned my face a bright red as he explained since my dream is a reality now - I must function as a business. My response, "I just want to write and speak." He smiled and assured me I could do this. I noted the things our accountant suggested I track, and made a "to-do-list" to start once my head stopped spinning around.

Ed and I talked on the way home. The first order of business, no pun intended, was to develop a company name. Some people use their name but our accountant suggested I come up with a name and then file my DBA. You might think this would be easy but it was the farthest thing from easy. I spent time on Google with possible names to see what came up when I searched each name. 

A business' name, just like a person's, should encompass the whole being. I write to share hope with others yet how could I choose a name with "hope" that hadn't been used before. We brainstormed lists using "Heidi", but decided this could limit future writings. So how do I develop a name for my business that emphasizes why I write, who I write for, and the central theme of who I am as a writer and speaker?

I couldn't put off filing my DBA anymore so with a few business names rattling through my brain I stopped at the County Clerk's Office. I waited in line asking God to show me the name to use. The finalists each passed the "Google" test, so now I just needed to pick one. The clerk called me to the window and asked, "What's your business name?" and without thinking, "One Sister's Journey" came to my lips. 

My hope is to write, publish, and speak more. My sister's kidnapping will always be a part of who I am, and most likely, play a vital role in the writing and presentations I share. This is my journey as wife, mother, daughter, sister, author, and speaker. I don't know what tomorrow will bring but I do know WHO brings tomorrow ~ Heidi's kidnapping and presumed death was the catalyst to push me from private journaler to published author and professional speaker. In God's strength I share. This is my journey...One Sister's Journey.

Thankful to share this journey will all of you...
Have you ever learned there was more to something than you planned, after it was too late to change your mind?
Are you glad you didn't know because it might have prevented you from becoming who you are today?