Going to college at 29 was never in my plans. One day I found myself reading the book “Making Sense When Life Doesn’t” by Cecil Murphy. I was reading Chapter 26, “If Only I Had….” He had a quote at the end of the chapter that stated:
“We all have regrets about things we have done. But the biggest regrets are about the things we didn’t do.”
I took some time to think if there was anything I felt I wanted to do but never did. I realized at that moment a dream of mine had been to attend college after high school. But then life happened. I started looking into different options I had. This was during the Covid-19 pandemic, so I liked to joke while everyone was buying puppies; I was looking at colleges. 🤣 What degree do I even want to pursue? I was working full time, and as a mom, I knew my time to work on school projects was limited, but I knew I didn’t want to look back and wish it was something I did.
I enrolled in the Business Management program at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I was working at Express Disposal and was running their social media page, so I added a Digital Marketing Strategy class to help inspire me at my 9-5. This class inspired me to switch my degree to a Digital Marketing degree. Little did I know that would be the start of this dream. We were given a “fake” business to create a digital marketing plan. My professor asked me about my interest, and I listed
- Drinking Coffee
- Cooking
- Shopping
I was fully prepared to be given the business of a coffee shop, but to my surprise, she assigned me a vintage clothing boutique called (I think) “Kayla’s Vintage Boutique.” I was not excited. I remember thinking, “what in the world am I going to do with this… VINTAGE!?!?” I sat there, and then I got this idea. What about retro? I loved dressing up in the 80s & 90s styles. How fun would it be to market for that type of company? I then messaged my professor and asked if I could change the name to “The Retro Queen” because I love the energy the title gave the business, and she approved.
Now, to be clear, I am a dreamer to the T. My husband has heard me bounce so many business ideas off him over the last three years of school. Including but not limited to: The Table- A rentable building to host cooking classes and events at. Kayla’s Cookies- A cookie-selling business. I wanted to be an event planner, a project manager, a freelancer, a social media manager, a business owner, anything but a business owner, and work for a marketing firm, marketing at a bank, and probably many more thoughts and ideas.
Then one day, while finishing up my Digital Marketing Campaign class for Retro Queen Vintage Boutique, I told my husband, “if this could be my job, I would never feel like I was working.” That day we agreed that the Retro Queen Boutique was the best fit for me and my crazy ideas. That day The Retro Queen Boutique was born.
Never would I have said at the start of that first semester that I would pursue this business. I have grown personally through this whole process. I’ve learned how to make decisions on my own rather than being consumed with what others think. I built friendships and a ton of respect for my professors. I chased a dream, and I came out the other side an inspired and free-spirited woman, the same woman who had the desire to pursue further education ten years prior.
If you have a dream, don’t be afraid to go for it. You may find out something unexpected about yourself.
Make sure to participate in our Launch Day Giveaway to win a $25.00 gift card to the Retro Queen Boutique. We are only a week away from the official launch day of our “All For You” collection, which will be available on our website on March 17, 2023!