We Need To Talk

Lauren - "Dad, can I talk to you?"

Dad - "Sure, Lauren. What's on your mind?"

Lauren - "Well, I've been thinking about a career change."

Dad - "OK, what arena were you thinking about moving into? Would you work for a politician or go into mediation like we were talking about?"

Lauren - "Ummm, not exactly. I was thinking of opening my own business."

Dad - "That's great. I think opening up a consultancy would be good for you. You could take some clients with you, right?"

Lauren - "Well, that's not exactly the type of business I wanted to open."

Dad - "What then? PR, legal?

Lauren - "I want to open up my own dog walking business."

Dad - "Have you lost your mind??"

Lauren - "Yea, I think I just may have..."


This conversation was followed by similar, futile dialogues and months of anxiety ridden days. There where weeks where I would avoid phone calls from my father. I had let him down. A bright, promising career in strategic communications and I decided to leave all of that to become a glorified pooper scooper.

My whole life, I had a fear of disappointing my parents. I was no stranger to grounding and the agonizing "we're disappointed in your actions" talk. I tried to get away with the usual teenage mischief but for some reason I always failed miserably at not getting caught. Some ridiculous mishap would end up doing me in.

My hippie wannabe years didn't impress my parents too much either. They couldn't figure out why I chose not to shower and wanted to make my own clothing. Luckily, I saw a young couple with two babies selling grilled cheese at a Phish show trying to get enough money to go to their next show. Instantaneously, I realized that being a hippie was no longer a desirable future career path. That night I quickly put a comb through my hair and took a scalding 30-minute shower. No more nomad for me.

I have to admit, though, I doubted myself for a long time. Was I going to be a failure with this company just like I failed at being a hippie? On the eve of my 5-year college reunion, would I have to tell people that I was "in transition" or "trying to find myself"? No...I had too much pride for that. If anything, I would work until my business thrived just so I could avoid this inconvenient question and response.

It's always difficult to go into something blind. No matter how you say it, I really had no idea what I was doing when I started my own business. I spent endless hours on the phone with abysmal bureaucratic state agencies. Who knew it took more than 6 departments to form an LLC! After navigating this labyrinth, I begun the legal, insurance and painful tax process.

I soon realized that the saying "money begets money" should be a warning tattooed on all new entrepreneur initiation packets.

Debt has a way of instilling the fear of death in you. If I was not successful, I would be broke. Or even worse, I would have to go back to a desk job.

For the next 6 months while forming my company, Debt lingered over my head. New insurance? Hello Debt. Cool web site? My good friend Debt became attached to my hip. I couldn't get rid of him now.

I became aware that the only way my buddy Debt would disappear was if I abandoned all online shopping and started busting my butt getting clients. I have to say that getting the clients was far more enjoyable then quitting the shopping.

I still might not be rich, but I can proudly say that I am not a failure. I get questions from people all the time, "How did you do it? You just quit your job and decided to start this? You didn't have another job as a safety net?"

My answer always is, "No." No safety nets or promises. Just a whole lot of fear and hope. I never thought I would be here. Maybe it's not as prestigious as a PR consultancy, but I own my OWN pet care business and I'm proud of it.

Album of the Year

Rewind seven years ago and you'll see me in the height of my college days. My aspirations before politics and dogs all were syphoned down to one thing - music. I was convinced that I was meant for a career in music.

Signal my ridiculous 1-year guitar class and worthless purchase of a guitar. After 6 months, it became painfully obvious that I was not destined for a life of guitar strumming and rock n' roll. My guitar teacher at the time let me down softly saying, "Kid, this just may not be your thing. You ever think of the piano?"

Enter my radio DJ career. OK, this is laughable. I had the genius idea of starting to work on our college radio station working as a DJ on a show I liked to call "Acid Jazz." I am seriously embarrassed to write that. After I found out that the radio station reached about 75 people a day, I quickly became bored talking to myself on air. I used to do shoot outs to friends in neighboring dorms but when I asked them if they heard me, there was always an awkward silence followed by a change of subject. So, OK, maybe I wasn't meant to be DJ Jazzy Lauren but I was still convinced that music was where I had to be.

Last ditch effort and definitely my most genius, create a UD Concert Board! Our musical scene on campus was bleak at best. So I did my research and created a concert board that would trump everything we had at UD (not that that would be too hard to do since the only music was my DJ spinning and the on-campus band Ducksauce - enough said). The first day back to school my eyes shone. They were filled with promise and hope. Maybe I had found my musical career after all! I set about bringing people on staff but the board fizzled out as my recruiting efforts were focused on attractive single guys instead of experience, ugh.

After exhausting all my options, I was depressed. What was I supposed to do if I couldn't live a life of rock n' roll? One year later my friend Aaron introduced me to The Good Life's "Album of the Year." For a week straight, I spent every attainable hour crying at the beauty of the music, scrupulously over analyzing every word, every poetic lyric. I became the dreaded "emo" overnight. But more importantly, I realized that my greatest contribution to music could be just to admire, observe and adore it.

Now everyday I wake up and hum a song to myself, carefully selecting my life theme song for the day. It got me to thinking, though, that my song always changes tune when I am with each of my dogs. So I decided that I am going to share something very special with you - my doggy play list.

Dog #1 - "Respect": Aretha Franklin. This dog is a diva and I love it!!
Dog #2 - "Layla": Eric Clapton. She's such a doll..I'm sure the boy dogs would do anything for her:)
Dog #3 - "Purple Haze": Jimmy Hendrix. This guy is as crazy and awesome as this song is! No frills.
Dog #4 - "Three Little Birds": Bob Marley. Definitely the chillest dog I know. He lets everything roll off his back.
Dog #5 - "Can't Stand It": Wilco. Everything is melodrama with this guy.
Dog #6 - "I'm Every Woman": I wish I could have as much confidence as this girl! She struts her stuff when she walks.
Dog #7 - "Bad Boys": Inner Circle. Very naughty dog.
Dog #8 - "I Will Always Love You": Whitney Houston. For my favorite MAN in the world


Two things are absolutes in my life - music and dogs. And both make me feel pretty darn good.

Lets Work

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This is how I lived for the past eight days. I basked in tropical breezes, engulfed air so sticky you could taste it and perfected the art of doing nothing.

I am a vacation elitist. You have to pass a very specific test to own your vacation claim. Many people say they go on vacation but actually spend most of their time worrying, working or planning their lives upon their inevitable return. To me, this is not a vacation. This is relocating your work to a different climate, country or state.

On my vacations, my mind becomes a vacuum. Nothing exists there except the air and sun. Thoughts of ice and work attempt to penetrate my state of nothingness, but when I am on vacation nothing can intrude my vortex.

I have always prided myself on being able to relax. I consider myself the aficionado of sleep. You could say that I have an affinity for all things serene. I can easily sleep for 12 hours daily and have no problem taking a nap after my work day. Those that know me are often left in awe by my mastery of sleep. I once saw on the Today Show that people significantly shorten their life span by doing the following three things:

1) Let stress rule their lives
2) Abandon healthy eating habits
3) Deprive yourself of sleep

As I watched these factors being rattled off, I pompously sat on my couch eating Kashi, fresh off of a 11-hour sleep. Call me self-righteous, but I think I am just plain smart.

My life wasn't always like this, though. For most of my lack luster career, I slaved away at a PR job where 12-hour days were the norm and uncomfortable business casual clothes were expected. Every morning I would wake up feeling robbed of what was most important to me. I adopted a coffee drinking habit and worked high off caffeine for most of my day. Everyday I struggled to stay awake after my noon-hour gorge and cursed my 12-hour desk job. I knew I wasn't meant to live like this.

When I would come home from work, I enviously greeted my dog. He had spent the entire day of doing my job.

The Europeans and dogs have us all beat. They live the life of siestas and long lunches. Have you ever noticed how dogs are always happy? This joy has to be attributed to their love of sleep.

When my entrepreneurial tenor could no longer be held in, I knew that I had to create a company that would a) deal with dogs and b) allow me to sleep. My new company could allow me to live a dog's life through and through.

My work week now consists of plenty of long days and nights of doing all things DDI, but I always allot time to "be"...to sleep...to rest...to be with dogs. To be me.

Great writers like Mr. Emerson are known as great because they eloquently state the obvious. He was my predecessor in the "be" appreciation. You may not be able to go on vacation anytime soon, but you can live a dog's life...work a dog's week. Sleep more and then tell me how you feel. I'm sure you'll be greeting your dog with a smile.