Entrepreneurship, Foster Care, and Taking Big Risks with Boutique Owner, Paige Howell
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If you’ve ever felt stuck in your career or in a season of life where you couldn’t see how things were going to get better, Paige’s story is going to encourage you so much. From working an exhausting job as a night nurse to becoming a full-time fashion entrepreneur and a mom to four, Paige never would have imagined the life she has now.
Stuck in a career she didn’t love
Paige became a nurse at the age of 21, this is where she met her husband who was a paramedic. It wasn’t until she became a mom that she really had this yearning to be home with her girls. After many attempts at different schedules to make it all work, she and her family started going to church. Around the same time, they had toyed with the idea of foster care but it never felt like it was going to be achievable because of how intense their schedules were. “I can remember driving away from my family, silently crying all the way to work, “ Paige tells us. It wasn’t because she hated her job, it was because she felt like she was never going to have another option. She remembers crying to her husband saying that this is just how it’s always going to be, they’ll always be working opposite of each other and we’re just going to miss out on things.
A calling to foster care
Paige continued to remain faithful and eventually did leave her nursing job, they finally were able to sign up for foster care classes. It felt like everything was coming together. During her season of transition, her husband was offered a part-time position with their local hospital’s flight team which had always been a dream of his to be a part of. Paige remembers feeling so scared, this wasn’t in their plan, but she prayed about it and God told her he had her and to trust him.
The big risks that led to big rewards
That schedule turned out to be the biggest blessing after they were placed with their first foster placement. Having this newfound freedom and flexibility in their schedules, Paige and her husband were able to take in two teenage boys whom they adopted to be a part of their forever family the following year. Her husband was offered a full-time position just shortly after.
When Paige started her clothing boutique it was all online, so opening a brick and mortar store felt like going against the grain a little bit. “It all comes back to relationships,” explains Paige. “I wanted to connect with people in real life and grow those relationships.” She wanted to create a safe space for others to share their story or unload. For Paige, there’s something special about seeing someone on a more personal level like when they try something new on and you get to see the confidence in their smile.
How the pandemic developed resilience
Paige had to close her shop for 3 months and she feared she would never be opening the shop again. She decided she wasn’t going to go down without a fight so she needed to get creative. The pandemic gave her the time to be able to dive back into her online community. This resulted in doing fun things like a week-long outfit challenge that encouraged you to get up and get dressed even if you had nowhere to go because it will make you feel better. She was able to expand her offering with a full loungewear collection. They were also able to develop their own online shopping app!
Being able to relinquish control and having faith in God really helped Paige trust that everything was going to work out. Her biggest takeaway from this past 1-2 years is that nothing is ours, we just have to roll with it, we have to trust, and take each step day by day. She really learned to unclench her fists and let go to the Lord, this is when she’s been given the true blessing of it all.
More from Paige
Paige shares so much more inspiration with her journey of becoming an entrepreneur having faith in taking risks. You definitely don’t want to miss this episode! You can also connect with Paige on Instagram @ayvenaveboutique and online at ayvenavenue.com. Scroll to the top and hit play on your favorite listening platform to listen to The BrandWell Podcast on iTunes, Apple, or Spotify!
KEEP BRANDING WELL,
Victoria
