Serendipitous Beginning (Part 2)

Welcome back! Thank you for following my story!

Now where were we?

Ah, yes, in a strike of serendipity, I received just enough money from my car insurance to pay for both another car AND the 3k I owed for the trade show!

And I'm off to the trade show!

Feeling completely confident and knowing I had done the right thing by following my inner voice and signing up for the trade show despite all logic, I entered the Seattle Convention Center, trolly loaded with what little I had.

I had never been to a trade show before, never the less been IN a trade show.

As I'm trudging towards my far back corner I can't help but notice the intricately designed booth spaces.

I hadn't realized all of the extra money, building, and planning that went into booth design.

The Convention Center halls were filled with seasoned sellers, busily building their eye catching displays with their teams.

Most vendors had rented out atleast 2 spots, many 3 or 4 length spots & brought in plenty of lighting to make sure they stood out and no customers were missed.

And than there was me. I found my tiny spot way back in the corner. It was dark. Black drapes, no lighting. Felt like a cave. And I was the last spot so buyers would need to specifically walk to me as there was no one past me.

I didn't have anything to attract buyers to my location.

No lights, beautiful displays , eye catching signage, give aways, or samples.

But that was okay. Because I KNEW I was meant to be there.

The 3 day show was filled with buyers and buying. But not from me.

I stood in my booth smiling and waving at every person - from a distance- as no one came to my booth.

Well, 4 people came to my booth.

The first day someone came by and started smelling my candles. I was so excited and began explaining why my candles are special and what sets them, and me, apart from others.

Than they asked if I'd like to be in their magazine.

Oh exciting! Of course! I'd love that! (Thinking I'd be featured in an article)

"Great!" They said. "It's only 10k for a business card spot."

Ohhhhhh. You don't want to buy my candles or write an article, you're trying to sell ad space to me.

Um, no thank you. I need to make money, not spend it.

The second day, same thing. I could see the hustle and bustle in the other booths but only one person came to me again. And again they were just trying to get me to buy advertising in their magazine.

But I was still completely hopeful! I had the utter most confidence that I was meant to be there and that the show would be life changing.

Day three, and the last day of the show, I prayed/meditated for a long time that morning & I entered that convention center without a doubt in my mind that something amazing was going to happen .

Hours went by and the halls were barren. Other vendors told me the last day is always slow. It was slow for me already soooooo......

As the day crept on my optimism & faith began to wain and I began to question my inner guidance & unlogical decision making just like I did when I was driving down the road & got in my serendipitous car crash (part 1).

Did I just waste $3,000? My family needed that! Am I an absolute nut job?

But than I reminded myself that, while yes, I may be a nut job 😂 , Everything in my heart and spirit said I was meant to be there and even if I don't see it now, it will come later.

I reminded my self of this as the last hour of the show approached and I held my head high, smiling the biggest smile at anyone who might come close enough, with a twinkle of hope in my eyes.

The show personnel were starting to prep for breakdown and removed the barricade next to me that was a temporary wall for the show.

This opened up an area that could now be used as an exit.

I noticed 2 women approaching and tried to get their attention. They were chit chatting and very evidently on their way out as they passed me heading through the new exit. I watched them as they left, hoping maybe they'd turn around.

And than one of the women suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, turned around, and made a beeline to me!

She came over, picked up my Hiking Trail candle, inhaled deeply with her eyes closed, and swooned, "This smells exactly like the hikes I would take with my Father." as her face lit up.

Oh she could be the buyer I've been waiting for! My heart was pounding and my ADHD blubbering came out in full force lol.

I could barely contain myself.

Than she pulled out a magazine that said Isabella Catalog , laid it on the table and asked, "How would you like to be in our magazine? We have 6 million subscribers."

My heart sank. She was just another sales person.

"How much does it cost?" I asked, not actually curious.

I will never forget her amused smile and assuring answer," "Oh no honey, WE will pay YOU."

Now, that's a happy ending to the trade show, but not exactly serendipitous.

It wasn't until a few months later, when finalizing the Isabella custom order with the buyer, Janet, that Janet filled me in on her story and why she came back to me.

"Can I tell you something that might make me sound crazy?" Janet asked.

"Of course! " I replied, all ears.

"I was afraid to tell you this as I didn't know what you'd think but I know now that I need to tell you. When I was at the Seattle Gift Show I was all done with shopping and heading out when suddenly, right after I passed you, an angel tapped on my shoulder. Yes, an Angel. I stopped in my tracks, completely off guard. The angel looked at me and said, " You go back there and you buy from that girl right now.""

This serendipitous moment with Isabella was only the beginning of years of collaboration that brought healing and miracles to their customers (story on that later!) as well as laid the foundation for my exponential growth created by free marketing through their 6 million customers.

I am so grateful I listened to my inner voice and Janet listened to her Angel.

Things would have been quite different had we poo pooed it as nonsense.

I hope this story encourages you to listen to your inner voice. We all have "God" in us and we are much more intuitive & powerful than we think, we just gotta listen to the "still, small, voice".

Thank you for reading and much love to all ❤️