The Courage to Begin: What Starting My First Business Taught Me About Freedom

There are moments in life that split you in two—the you that survives and the you that dreams.

I remember that season vividly: a constant tug-of-war between obligation and possibility. I was caught between the weight of the life I was living and the fragile, invisible thread of another life I secretly dreamed about. A life I hadn’t yet earned, or so I told myself. A life I had no roadmap for, just a stubborn hope that refused to die quietly.

By all appearances, I was surviving. But inwardly, I was running on empty—tired from a reality that demanded everything and gave so little back. I existed in a fog, where rest felt like guilt and dreaming felt like betrayal.

But there, in the quietest hours of the morning—when the world was still and the noise of other people’s expectations went silent—I let myself feel it. The ache for something more. The hunger to build something that mattered. The wild, pulsing question that whispered louder and louder:
Is there a way out of this life?

The $50,000 Spark That Started It All

One morning, as I cradled a cup of tea gone cold, I saw a listing:
A small spa for sale. $50,000.

It might as well have been $5 million. I had nothing close to that amount. But something deep inside me jolted awake. It wasn’t excitement. It was ignition. A fire that burned through my fear. A vision that burst through the fog.

The spa wasn’t fancy—it was aging, plain, easy to overlook. But I saw something different. I saw a sanctuary. I saw a place where tired souls could come to be held, not just pampered. Where lavender filled the air and kindness lived in every corner. Where women like me could come in weary and leave a little more whole.

It wasn’t about the building. It was about the life I could build around it.

When the Ones Closest to You Don’t Understand

The first person I called was my mother. I braced for doubt. Instead, I got a steady flame:
“Go for it. I’ll contact your brother. Maybe he can help a little.”
That was it. No fanfare. No questions. Just quiet belief.

But when I told my then-husband, the reaction was different.
“It’s too far.”
“You can’t manage that and the house.”
“Don’t do it.”

He wasn’t cruel. Just certain. Certain that I couldn’t do it. That I shouldn’t even try.

And in that moment, I understood something no one had ever told me outright:
You don’t need loud opposition to be held back. Sometimes, quiet disapproval is enough to cage you.

But I didn’t want a cage anymore.

The Power of Choosing Yourself

I stood in front of that tired little spa and handed the owner everything I had—$500. It wasn’t enough. It didn’t make sense. But it was mine. Five wrinkled bills that had taken me years to save. I gave it not because I knew what I was doing, but because I knew I had to try.

I had no business background. No formal training. No safety net.
But I had something even rarer: the willingness to begin without a permission slip.

We think bravery looks bold and loud.
But most of the time?
Bravery looks like one quiet step toward a life no one else can see but you.

Lessons From That Leap of Faith

Here’s what I learned from choosing the uncertain path of entrepreneurship:

1. You don’t have to be ready. You have to be willing.

Most of us wait for the right time—the right amount of money, knowledge, or confidence. But that “right time” is a myth. Readiness isn’t a starting point. It’s a byproduct of movement.

2. Support may not come from where you expect it.

The people who love you may not understand your vision. And that’s okay. Their doubt doesn’t define your destiny. Let it sharpen your resolve, not silence your voice.

3. A dream doesn’t need validation to be real.

If the dream lives in you, that’s enough. Not everyone needs to see it—only you do. Others will catch up later. Or they won’t. But your path isn’t theirs to walk.

4. The first step is always the hardest—and the most important.

Whether it’s $500 or five minutes of boldness, your first investment in your dream matters. It tells the universe (and yourself): I’m serious. I’m ready to try.

5. Freedom doesn’t come after the leap. It comes through it.

The journey of building that spa—and the life that bloomed from it—didn’t make me free overnight. But it was the beginning of freedom. It was the moment I stopped living by someone else’s story and started writing my own.

To Anyone Standing at the Edge of a Dream

Maybe you’re there now—tired, uncertain, holding onto a quiet dream no one else understands.

Let me tell you this:

You don’t have to wait until the stars align. You don’t need everyone’s approval. You don’t even need to know what comes next.
You just need the courage to take the first step with trembling hands and a hopeful heart.

And if no one has told you yet—
You are allowed to choose yourself.

Even if you’re scared.
Even if you’re unsure.
Even if the only thing you know for sure is that your current life is too small for your spirit.

Take the first step.
Put your $500 down.
Make the call.
Open the door.

Because sometimes, the act of beginning is the most radical thing you can do.

Your dream doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else.
It just has to make something come alive in you.

Let that be enough.