Entrepreneurial Journey to the right side of wellness

Flown The Coop's Tiffany Eckhardt taking flight as an entrepreneur

My entrepreneurial journey has had many twists and turns.  The latest adjustment is a hard for me, but I am confident it will be WELL!  😉

The Story Of A Serial Entrepreneur

Tiffany Eckhardt with Flown The Coop is a self proclaimed serial entrepreneur

I am a self proclaimed Serial Entrepreneur, tenacious in attempting business ventures and gravitate towards the under dog.  I wholeheartedly believe in the American Dream.  I believe that a life worth living is not handed to you, but is earned by hard work and dedication to a dream.  I also believe everyone would own their own business if it were easy.  Despite the changes I’ve had to face, I prefer to create a life on my own terms.

As you can see from the above picture… I’ve attempted a lot of businesses over the years.  I am blessed by the experience each venture has added to my life.  The uncomfortable truth of creating a life on your terms is that you must remain flexible and learn to adapt to changes in the market place.

Flown The Coop

I have officially closed Flown The Coop.  I’ve known in my gut that it was time for a change, but my heart didn’t want to accept it.  For four years I invested my heart and soul into my dream shop.  I loved creating a destination in this sleepy little town that begs to be discovered and LOVE all my customers who are now friends.

I could list all the reasons that Flown The Coop didn’t flourish, but I prefer to face the future with a positive attitude.  I believe that a new exciting chapter awaits.  I hope you stick with me as I embark on a new journey.

Moving forward I plan on hosting classes and special events at Flown The Coop.  Keep an eye on the Creative At The Coop webpage.  I will also focus my attention on our Guest House project.  Stayed tuned for regular updates as I share the progress.

For now, let me explain how I got to this point….

An Entrepreneur on the Right Side of the Quadrant

I am a big fan of Robert Kiyosaki’s book CASHFLOW QUADRANT.  I read his first book, Rich Dad Poor Dad when it came out twenty years ago.  Has it really been that long????

His CASHFLOW Quadrant explains my entrepreneurial journey completely.  Most of us live in the E Quadrant.  We are taught in school to be a good employees.  Some of us set out to own our own businesses.  MY EPIPHANY: As I struggle to make Flown The Coop profitable.  As much as I enjoy owning a store, I had basically bought my own JOB (Just Over Broke).  A true entrepreneur eventually understands the importance of creating residual income (or passive income).  I am now focused on the right side of the quadrant.  I highly recommend reading CASHFLOW QUADRANT.  Robert explains the concept way better than I ever could!

An entrepreneur on the right side of the quadrant

SIDE NOTE:  Jeff and I have the CASHFLOW QUADRANT board game.  Anyone interested in a game night??????  Seriously, message me!  I won for the first time during a recent family vacation.  So, I’m feeling empowered!

Business Opportunity In Wellness

I have spent the last year focused on wellness.  Jeff and I have come to the realization that we are approaching the prime years and want to enjoy them.  We want our grandkids to have to keep up with us.  Honestly, we still have work to do… but it’s a journey worth taking.

Wellness is not just ONE thing.  It’s a lifestyle.  It is learning to listen to the body, mind and spirit.  Wellness is eating whole “real” foods, staying active and getting the toxins out of the home.  Wellness is focusing on what the body needs before there is crisis.  Wellness is taking charge and living the best life possible!

I want to spend the rest of my life promoting this lifestyle.  I hope you have enjoyed traveling the world of Young Living essential oils with me, and now Scout & Cellar clean crafted wine. These two businesses have been game changers for me!

I’ll never forget when Lynsey Kramer visited me after I ordered a Young Living premium starter kit.  She had shared her lifestyle so freely on her Facebook page.  I didn’t hesitate to jump in when she shared the opportunity to purchase a starter kit.  Lynsey came to my house to help me understand what the essential oils could do for me.  In passing she mentioned that she was growing a Young Living distributorship for retirement. As small business owners, they didn’t have a traditional retirement to fall back on.  IT WAS A LIGHT BULB MOMENT.  I remember immediately thinking about the book CASHFLOW and saw a real opportunity to make a difference.

Then another opportunity presented itself.  Bethany Dwyer reached out to me, offering a Scout & Cellar wine tasting at the Flown The Coop Backyard Karaoke Bash in the spring.  Bethany is a Young Living member as well.  She mentioned that this wine company shared a similar philosophy and paired well with essential oils.  First of all, who would turn down a wine tasting opportunity?  I liked Bethany right away.  I love her boldness in reaching out to me and her tireless pursuit of many business ventures.  I asked her why she worked so hard.  Her response was another LIGHT BULB MOMENT.  She replied, “The truly wealthy people have more than one income stream.”  In April I invited her and Lacey Harwood back to Flown The Coop for the Cotton Gin festival.  I got excited watching the people try and love this wine.  I had to get involved in this opportunity too.

I truly believe that these two movements (plant based products and clean crafted wine) are the future.  This generation will demand cleaner products and are taking charge of their wellness.  I also believe there are people like me, who want to enjoy their prime years and still have the spunk to grow a business that will give them financial freedom.  They call people like me encore entrepreneurs.

I urge you to invest twenty five minutes watching this video…. while a little goofy and long winded, he totally nails retirement.  Totally worth the time!  {Here are the docs he mentions: the income disclosure statement, the comp plan and the personality colors}

This is why I am focusing the next phase of my entrepreneurial journey on wellness and the right side of the CASHFLOW quadrant.

Dollars & Cents of a Young Living Business from stacie malkus on Vimeo.

Flown The Coop will become my creative outlet for prime lifestyle, wellness and wine.

SO…. stayed tuned.  I’m looking for people to join my team.  Reach out if you are a kindred spirit (a serial entrepreneur) who wants to build a thriving business in Young Living or Scout & Cellar.  I would also love to chat with anyone who simply wants to take charge of their wellness.  I’d love to help in anyway I can!

Life is a journey, come travel with me!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!