The Pivot
2023 has been a questionable year for me, but I’m ironing out the wrinkles of what’s left in the year and setting up plans for 2024. Quitting in some capacity has popped up several times and in several ways this year and making the necessary changes is imperative to the next year being one for the record books.
Being an entrepreneur is not easy. Not having your business provide enough financial stability to fund your lifestyle and not being able to have insurance for you and your spouse with a serious health complication is beyond stressful. I’ve went and got a few nine to five’s this year. Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch and now Swift Transportation. Trying to be a local truck driver at all three companies as I obtained my CDL last summer after a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ with the Wife. She had an insane evaluation for her kidneys out there for Four days. I realized that I need something to build an umbrella for the rainy days of life’s many obstacles.
Fast forward to Fall 2023, present day. It’s been a frustrating six days after orientation with my new career partnership with Swift Transportation. I finally did something that I NEVER wanted to do. I became a Truck Driver. Yeah, Trucking U.S.A. is the course I will set the tires of my life upon. Some Pun intended. Growing up, I was turned off to Trucking because of the fact that you are away from home for a long period of time. I had about three uncles that were Truck Drivers and they would always talk about how cool it was but that they missed so much being over the road. Today I’m facing the same dilemma. My Wife has kidney disease and I don’t want to be away from home as she needs my help. She is not helpless, she can still get around and do for herself, but her health has declined in the last year. By God’s Grace she has been regaining her strength and motor skills slowly but consistently which makes this move a little easier.
Other than my Wife’s issues being a concern, my Photography Business “Barker Shoots” has been super slow in regard to clients and revenue. Not seeing this downfall as a reason to close up shop I felt like earning a CDL would be a great way to finance my business and stay afloat during financial hardships.
Everyday of the week, I do research and study the subjects that would make me a better Professional and in my research I found a lot of posts about photographers quitting the art. Various videos of individuals speaking on what challenges they have encountered along their journey and what was the final straw in their decision to take a step back from photography. There are days and nights where I question why I keep going, feeling like a fool that created something special that has yet to garner any amount of success. I believe in staying the course because I love taking photos of things that interest me and I feel like the right opportunity is right around the corner.
Patience has been unfamiliar to me at times and anxiety has been a thorn in my backside regularly, but channeling the mentality needed to persevere through the madness has been helpful to my progress this year. The fear of starting over and the regret of not making the correct moves to further establish my business has weighed on my shoulders as it has done to many entrepreneurs. My choice was to pivot and take another route to make sure that I stay online and not shut down. Trucking was not on my bingo card and it most definitely is not a plan B. I see it as an outlet for various means of accomplishments as the horizon of success is limitless. Don’t give up, just pivot and continue to move forward.
-AB