Somehow, I always knew I would be an entrepreneur. I thought I would own a chain of hair salons, though. Looking back, I was always different. I grew up in a small town called Round Rock, just outside of Austin, TX. I was creative, a free spirit, a tomboy, and well… a handful, to say the least.
I would have been classified as ADD in today’s world. I hated school but loved hanging out with friends, so I tolerated the learning stuff. My dream was to become a hair designer. Fortunately, my high school offered cosmetology as an elective in my junior and senior years. During that time, we were assigned a project to create what we thought the salon we would work at would look like. I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. It became so much more than a salon; it was a whole experience of how and what the customer would experience. From the moment they walked in and were greeted to the design and architecture, it was elaborate and well… AMAZING! I had a brief moment when I really wanted to become an architect, but that moment quickly faded when I found out how much college I would have to attend.
With a cosmetology license in hand and graduation just a few months away, I thought I was about to conquer the world. Then my world got turned upside down. My Gamy and grandpa were killed by a drunk driver, and we moved to Murrieta, in 1989. I lost my way and all my dreams… or so I thought. I eventually got a job at the Little Professor Book Co. in Temecula near my favorite store, Millers Outpost. Then I worked for the second Little Professor, that most people remember, with Sandy Dodson. Working for this small business ignited my desire to work for myself.
In 1997, I got married and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I started helping out a small business that did the apparel for the PBA tour. It was a placeholder kind of job until I found something else. Well, it turned into something I loved. They sent me to Japan to do a trade show, and I brought back a $32,000 order and said I wanted to work there permanently. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I can’t afford to pay you what you want, and I wish I could sell the business.” I went home crying because I wanted to do this, but I had to make more money to support my new little family. Incidentally, I got pregnant when I got home from Japan. I called my mom and dad and told them what happened, and my dad said, “Well, buy it from him.” Ha! How in the hell would I do that? I was so broke and had discovered I was pregnant.
In December of 1998, Brett was born, and a few months later, my parents sent me their savings of $60,000 and took a loan of an additional $10,000, and Impact Marketing & Design was born. To be honest, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing… I just knew that I loved working with—and helping—people.
In 2004, I relocated back to Murrieta to be closer to my family. I kept my office in Grand Rapids and worked from home here in California. I hated it. In 2005, I finally got an office here, and I hated that too. It was just a little executive suite in Temecula. I desired something different and couldn’t find what I wanted, so I started crafting my perfect space. A space where I could network, get inspired, be inspiring to others, separate work from home, etc.
Before “coworking” was a thing, I called it the Business Resource Connection. I had grand ideas and plans… but again, NO MONEY. In 2006, I had a business plan, the passion, and the drive to find investors to build this amazing space where entrepreneurs and businesses could thrive. In 2007, the economy went south, and I had to step back to save Impact Marketing from going under. We shopped at the food bank and tried desperately to hang on to our house, but we lost most of everything, divorced, and finally moved in with my parents. Ugh.
I was able to keep Impact going, and it finally started ramping back up. In 2010, all my friends started pushing me to find a way to get the space open. In 2011, Coworking Connection was launched, and in 2019, I opened my second location with Julie Ngo.
Today, I run Impact Marketing out of our Murrieta coworking space with my son Brett Moser. I am engaged to my first ex-husband (you will have to meet me over a glass of wine for that story), and I am the happiest I have ever been.
So many times, I had no clue how I could survive life’s little bumps or challenges, but here I am. I’ve watched my son flourish and create his own space in our little community, celebrated 25 years in business, worked with clients who have become friends over the years, and fallen back in love with my first love all over again. It’s not really the glamorous success that we all dream about, but you know what… it’s pretty darn good, and I have a lot more left to live.
I would not be where I am today without my parents, family, and my little village of friends who have pushed me, picked me up a few times, and even a few who said things I didn’t want to hear… but needed to. Thank you all!
Words of advice: Invest in your village. Lean on your village when you need to. Be there for your village when they need you, and remember you are never alone.