Launching my business

My wife and I were both long time CPA's when we learned of a Baby Store for sale. It was a well-established business badly in need of some TLC. We had no retail experience, but we wanted to make a career change. And who can complain about being around happy new parents and grandparents all day long?
 

Retail is fast paced and exciting. Creativity is required every day. It’s an exhilarating intellectual challenge to learn a new industry. As a local specialty store we have to be at the top of our game to compete with the big box stores and online sellers.
 

Now it’s three years later and we've never looked back. Sales have grown dramatically. Our college age children are working alongside us in the business. We’re planning a second store. And next year I'm going to hire someone else to do my tax return!

Advice for others

Everyone has transferrable skills they can bring to a new industry. I believe that our best asset is that we are fresh and energetic. We embrace new technology and trends in the industry because we never learned the old ways. If you are burned out in your career like we were, don’t be afraid to look into a completely different industry where your outsider's perspective can be a great asset!