How Fabric Came to Be — Rosalynn’s Version
From flower shop to workshops: overcoming self-doubt and starting Fabric
When I was growing up, there was a flower shop on the second floor of a building on the corner of Minnehaha & McKnight. We would drive past it maybe 6 or 7 times a week and every time I would look up it and think, “I WANT that.”
It’s possible the flower shop originally appealed to me because of my love for my grandma Rose Ann’s amazing flower garden — but ultimately, it wasn’t about the flowers. I loved the idea of having something that was mine. My own little corner of the world, that I could put my stamp on, that I could be proud of, that I could pour myself into.
If I find myself back on the Eastside, driving down McKnight, I still look up at the shop — even though I know it’s no longer there.
As I got older, the “flower shop” started to feel more pie in the sky than an actual possibility for me.
Let’s face it, there’s a lot of risk with owning a business. I was taught to work hard but the stability of doing that work for someone else was always the safer bet. Add in wanting to make enough money to give my family some of the things I didn’t have growing up in a working-class family and it was easy to find excuses to keep my dream just that: a dream.
In actuality, the reason I wasn’t starting my business was because I wasn’t ready to accept that I COULD.
Self-doubt, fear of failure and worrying about what others would think kept me from believing I would be successful — which led to inaction. But then, something changed, I changed, or maybe, the correct way to say it is, I found myself.
Through a lot of personal growth and self-discovery, I stopped telling myself I couldn’t and started asking myself, why couldn’t I? I started to recognize that other people trusted me to guide and steer their businesses — so why couldn’t I do that for myself?
When my self-talk changed, I stopped being able to talk myself out of the reality that I COULD start a business.
Once I started believing in myself, I quickly ran out of excuses to keep putting it off. And the voice inside me, telling me that this is what I was called to do, could no longer be silenced.
The tipping point came when I watched #AQJTM 16 about when to go all in on an idea. After watching John dispel the notion that there would ever be a perfect time, I decided now really was the time for me. So, I got a domain name, started working on a business plan and started reaching out to people for help.
I knew I wanted to help others define who they were but I needed help defining my services — that’s where John came in.
An inventory of my personal and professional values made it clear I wanted to help others with their own self-discovery. I wanted my business to be meaningful and I wanted to be able to apply the professional knowledge and experience I had. Thankfully, that was a road I had already started down back in Sioux Falls.
At a volleyball game, in 2013, John asked if I’d help him and Lemonly. They needed core values and some company guidelines. I took him up on the offer and loved every minute of it. Four years later, I needed to know if what I did was valuable for him and for Lemonly.
So I sent an email to John to ask for some long overdue feedback.
Here’s a snippet from that email:
John’s response: “Oh boy, this is exciting… can we setup a call?”
John and I had that call on 9/29 and he asked if I wanted to go into business with him. I was honored he asked and felt like it could be a great match. We both cared so much about the importance of culture, we shared similar personal values and our abilities complemented each other.
It was an easy decision really and here we are.
Two people embarking on path we’ve both had inside of us for a long time. It’s our sincere hope the work we do through Fabric will make a difference in people’s lives. That together, with our clients, we’ll shift the mindset in business leaders to truly focus on people and we honestly believe our workshops can help companies have cultures that make working an enjoyable part of people’s lives.
And I believe we will.
Stay tuned,
Rosalynn Verges
Co-Founder of Fabric
Learn more about Fabric and how we can help you with your business culture by visiting our site or signing up for our newsletter.
