Atlanta, here I come!

Atlanta here I comeIt's time. We are ready. The curtains have been drawn. In 3 weeks, I will be living in America to follow my dream of building a global small business marketing firm.

It's summer over there and winter here in Australia, so the weather is definately a big plus. Cost of living is significantly less which means I can buy more shoes. There is a god after all ;-)

And... the business is ready. Most importantly, we have dotted all of our 'i's' and crossed all of our 't's'.

So, what's next?

Firstly, this is an exciting phase not just for the business, but for myself personally. I believe wholeheartedly in the Marketing Eye concept and our ability to give small businesses a 'marketing eye' at an affordable price without the commitment of a fulltime employee. Our systems, processes and thirst for education is second to none and on top of all of that, our website is far superior to many that I have seen in that market. All reasons for us to celebrate and walk forward with faith that Marketing Eye will conquer any challenges that are put in front of us. Our firm focus is on attracting the best people and our employment policy is that we will only promote new jobs through our website and social media platforms. Therefore, there is a good chance that the people we employ REALLY LOVE MARKETING and social media - which is imperative in this field in this day and age.

Today, I have butterflies in my stomach. I am told that this is really good. For the first time in my life, I am moving without the help of a partner and I have just realised that I have no idea how to go about it. The men in my life have always organized everything. I have been fortunate and as my friends keep reminding me 'very spoilt'. My long term boyfriend endured every move we had by himself with his gorgeous mother because conveniently, I was always away working. How blessed I was to have such a good boyfriend at the time. So, in some ways, I suppose I am growing up and taking responsibility for my own things and my own future. It's seems crazy to be in my late 30's and to not have gone through this process in its enormity before.

I am taking a big risk. I leave behind an amazing family and my friends are the most remarkable group of people in the world.  Fortunately, they love to travel, so I suspect I will see them a lot. They pick me up when I need it most and they celebrate my good fortune when positive things happen in my life. Those day to day support sessions will be dearly missed.

As any person who has expanded internationally with their business can attest, it's expensive, but I am of the thought that it's only money. My dreams are far more important. However, my bank balance will no doubt take a big whack. Maybe I will have to put off those new shoes after all.

I am going to experience things that I have never experienced before. I will feel lonely at times which for some reason, I never seem to feel here in Australia or when I am travelling. I don't have a shoulder to cry on other than over skype with my family. I can't ring my brother every day to tell him how my day was and to ask his advice. Skype for some reason doesn't seem quite the same.

I have to find a home which is tricky. Do I buy, or do I rent? I suppose renting seems logical for now. Where should I live? We are opening in Atlanta, but have already a number of businesses in the pipeline in areas such as New York and Los Angeles. These are questions that will need to be answered fairly swiftly.

Do I take my time in settling in before I buy a car? There is so many things to think about and it's all quite daunting to be honest. No doubt I will share my journey with those who read my blog - the good and the bad, as always.

But for now, it's off to Atlanta. A city so beautiful and full of life and possibility. My friends there are fantastic too. I can't wait to spend time with them and to share their city through their eyes.

Let's see together what the future holds.

xx