Well, it's about time I dive into the details that led me to move again. What's that saying for good luck, "Third times the charm" haha. They got that right! ;) I landed in one of the best buildings I have ever had the pleasure to be located inside of. It is gorgeous, and fully renovated. I'm sure you have been wondering how, why, what, when, and where. All those same thoughts you have, I had too. Although mine were the racing ones that keep you up at night with palpitations from anxiety. Wondering how I was going to move with such short notice, during a pandemic, while sick, and with a Husband Deployed? Who will help me move? I'm only one person with two children, 2 dogs, a bunny, and a business to still run. Will I have enough savings to relocate, purchase all my licenses AGAIN? I just renewed all my licenses, insurance, and taxes in the Fall less than 3 months before moving. Nothing like losing money when you're in the business to provide a living. Will I have to fold my business? Where will I move to? Will I have to renovate? Do I sign my own lease, or have a Landlord again? Do I hire, have renters, or go out on my own with no one else? Talk about a stressful time! hah I had so many thoughts racing through my head, and only 6 weeks to figure it out.
So, how did I turn that stress into fuel to light a fire under me and get to where I am? If there is one thing I am good at, it's pivoting. I pick up the pieces and race to fix the problem as best as I know how with as much grace as I can. Some things went to the wayside like social media, marketing, and emails. I went silent for a little while, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I was planning my next move. I'm a planner. I'm that person who has a day planner and Google Calendar filled to the brim with scheduled events. I use them like it's an organ needed to survive. My husband opens my Google Calendar and is instantly overwhelmed. Many would call me a "Type A" personality. So, this uncontrollable moment threw me for a loop. I didn't plan to be kicked out.
HOW? How did we get here?
This leads me to January 4th when the bubble popped. That's the day things were confusing, and more weird than they have been. This is the day I sent a text to my office mate saying "Is that her way of kicking us out?". Before I go into great detail about this move we have to back up to the Summer of 2020. Where things began to get increasingly awkward and confusing. Remember I'm a planner, and everything I do is calculated to get to the next place. Three months before my lease was up I requested a new Sub Lease. My current Sub Lease was ending October 31st. I wanted the new Sub Lease that way, in the event I wasn't staying, I would have enough time (12 weeks) to plan the next step, save, and find a new location. Well, I was told that a new one would be waiting for me, and that my Landlord didn't mind me leasing for another year... Boy, was that a lie.
WHY? Why are you moving?
I don't know what happened between July 7th, and October 31st, but that Sub Lease never came. I never renewed my lease. I became a "squatter" at that point. I was in a place of do I stay, or do I go? I don't have a Sub Lease, and I'm still paying rent for a room to conduct my business out of. Holidays came and went, and we just kept keeping on. Things were weird in the office. We would run out of toilet paper, hand soap, trash bags, paper towels, drinking cups etc... Things our Landlord supplied previously, I was now supplying those things. Mind you, our contractual agreement stated otherwise. Many of my clients believed I was the Landlord. You'd think I was by the things I went above and beyond to do outside my contract. You could cut the tension in the office, and I still to this day do not know why, or what happened. If it was me, or something I did, or didn't do. Something I could fix, or should have done differently. I will never know why, or what happened. On December 30th, 2020 I sent a group message to my Landlord, and office mate asking if they minded if a Client/Acquaintance rented my room on the hours opposite of the hours I was working. My Landlord wanted to halt that conversation and discuss the Sub Lease instead on January 4th. I didn't know why at the time, but it's because that wasn't going to be an option as we were about to be kicked out with 6 weeks notice. Don't worry, my jaw was on the floor too.
WHAT? What is going on here?
The months leading up to this I was under the impression our Landlord was moving to another city, and didn't want to keep up her lease with the space. Said Landlord was telling us about buying a house in another city, and unsure of continuing building a clientele in a city she wouldn't be living in. I totally get it. If I was moving to another city, I'd be questioning the same things too! I would hear that her husband wanted her to give up her business, and that broke my heart! I know how hard it is to be a business owner, and an Esthetician. I definitely didn't want to see her fold, and walk away. There was just lots or weird warning signs that I ignored leading up to this point. My office mate and I offered to take over the lease and stay put thinking our landlord was going to pull the plug. That was not the case. Come to find out that Friday, following our January 4th conversation, we had just 6 weeks to find a new location before our Landlord needed the rooms back. Talk about a curve ball. Here we were thinking our Landlord was leaving, and quite literally it was the opposite. I can't speak for my office mate, but I was caught off guard. However, I understand. People have to do what's best for them, and their circumstances. However at the time, I didn't understand.
WHEN? When are you moving?
I immediately began telling my clients that dreaded sentence "So, I am moving again...and we'll be in the new place by March 1st". My clients were shocked to say the least. Confused is an understatement, but they were already feeling the tension. They would walk in without a smile, or greeting from the front desk girl. It was weird. They felt unwelcome, and my heart was breaking as a business owner hearing that from them on my table. Much less new clients were confused thinking I was working for a different business, or thinking I name changed. Clients would express that it felt so cold in the waiting area, or didn't match the vibe of my room. Things I couldn't control were eating me alive inside like crying babies in the office, dogs running around, clients fighting with their spouses, and slamming doors outside my room window. I knew it was all in God's plan, and my time to go had come. I needed to move my business for the sake of my business surviving, and my clientele being happy. None the less, even me being happy!
WHERE? Where are you moving to? My office mate, and I immediately began searching for a new location. Any time we weren't taking a client we were out looking at places to Lease. We skipped Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to go look at places. Any time we had a gap in our schedules we went hunting! Hundreds of emails, phone calls, and txts back and forth to Leasing agents, and each other discussing our next move. We toured 6 locations before landing the location we have now.
After 2 weeks of shopping around for the perfect space we signed THE lease. We ended up at the San Jose Professional Center right off the corner of San Jose and Baymeadows. It is the only three story building in the block. We are on the third floor, and it's glorious. I remember my girl friend telling me "There's a reason the Penthouse is on the third floor!" I laughed at her. She wasn't kidding! LOL It was less than 2 minutes from our previous office. We fell in love with the space! I will never forget that moment signing a Lease for 3xs the amount I was currently paying for rent, and writing that check for $4,142.50. Thank GOD my office mate split this space with me. That was just to move in, paint, flooring, trim, patch holes, deposit, first months rent, and obtain keys. That didn't include the Electrical, and Plumbing work we still needed to do. We also needed to furnish the place top to bottom, find room renters to help carry the overhead, licenses, inspections, insurance, taxes, zoning, etc... My office mate and I just wanted to break even. We didn't care about turning a profit on room renters. We just wanted to make sure we could handle the overhead, and keep our heads above water. We have never been Landlords, or had Sub Leasers. We knew how we felt as tenants, and what we would and wouldn't do moving forward.
This left us with FOUR weeks to change the flooring, patch holes, paint, trim, plumbing, electrical, shop for furnishings, AND still provide services to our clients before relocating! Meanwhile, my office mate and I were both sick. We had NO idea both our Gallbladders were tapping out on us while all the madness was going on! Haha They say when it rains it pours. Did I mentions we had to also turn JEA over to our names, install internet, and still PHYSICALLY move in? Meanwhile our plumbing got pushed back due to poor communication between our plumber, myself, and our Leasing Manager. Which meant, there was still plumbing going on after we already moved in. hah It was a nightmare that left us with sleepless nights and eyes filled with tears from the mental break downs. I still to this day don't know how we landed on our feet after all this, but we did!
We did it! We found two Sub Leasers who are wonderful, friendly, professional, and most of all CLEAN! My heart is so happy sharing the Salon with 3 other incredible woman in the industry! I couldn't be happier! We managed to interviewed three people, two of the three were perfect, and locked arms with my office mate, and I! However, one of them sent me the longest, nastiest text I have ever received in my life! It was full of false accusations, hate, and disgust on a Monday night at 10pm. I never saw that coming. I didn't respond. If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, I cannot control people, their emotions, and their circumstances. I can only control myself, my decisions, and change the things I have the power to.
This experience was one for the books. If you're an Esthetician, Landlord, have Employees, a Mom, or a Military Spouse, or maybe you're like me and all the above... HAHA I see you, and I feel all the things you feel too! I have learned so much as a person, a friend, a business owner, an Esthetician, and a Landlord. If you would have asked me 4 years ago when I opened up my LLC if I saw myself flourishing, successful, a Landlord, about to hire staff, and surrounded by incredible women in the industry while recovering from Gallbladder surgery, I would have said no. I still can't believe this is real. We did it! I don't know how, but we did it. I am so thankful for you, incredible clients who rode the roller coaster of really high, highs, and really low, lows with us. I wouldn't be where I am without God, my family, and you!
Thank you! Thank you for sticking around, thank you for trusting me, thank you for confiding in me, and thank you for providing me with so much positive support while I went through one of the most uncertain times during a Pandemic. Thank you for all the hugs, tears, gifts, and laughs along this rocky road to get here. I appreciate you more than words can express. I needed you, more than you know!
Until next time,
RayAnna