When you hear, Waco, Texas, what is the first thing you think of? 

Unless you’re from Waco or know people there, I’m willing to bet that your first thought would be Chip and Joanna Gaines or all things Magnolia. Am I right?

If you’ve never been there, it’s a small town of about 170,000 people and that to me feels like true small-town Texas. Unless you are visiting Magnolia and the Silos, there isn’t much happening there. When we drove through the streets of Waco it was like any small town that had been there for many years. Lots of history and character washed over the streets and buildings. Even the structures at Magnolia, with their crisp white paint and black trim, seemed to want to “blend in” to their surroundings. I couldn’t help but think about all of the obstacles Chip and Joanna faced when they decided to start reviving the Silos.

Would they have enough business to sustain it? Were they concerned that their dream was “too different” and their community wouldn’t support it? Did they worry that it wouldn’t survive in the current market?

Fast forward just a few years and the Magnolia brand is truly awe-inspiring. Joanna is quoted by saying she and Chip were “making Waco beautiful one home at a time”. 

One home at a time!? Read that again for me, will you? One at a time. I read that and felt so inspired. As an outsider admiring all that they have built, it’s easy for me to look at it and think that it’s always been like this. For me, it seems it came easy for them to build this incredible brand. But as you know, building anything is never easy. It takes one step at a time and sometimes those steps are very small. 

I think about all it took to grow what Magnolia is today in a town that may not have supported this kind of growth. But they did it anyway. They had a dream and a vision for what they loved and they weren’t afraid to tackle it one step at a time.

It’s easy to look at other people’s businesses and admire what they’ve built and think it can never happen for you. Maybe you’ve even thought that they’ve had it easy, or that you couldn’t do what they’ve done because of xyz. Or maybe you’ve even talked yourself out of something you love, something you’re good at, because you don’t know where to start or you’re afraid you’ll fail.

Those are all normal thoughts, so if you’ve thought them or you’re thinking them now, you’re not alone. But don’t let those thoughts hold you back. I’m here to tell you that it’s time to step into your space. Today. 

Here’s the thing; with most things worth fighting for, we have to start from the ground up. We create the blueprints, we hire the right people to help, we learn a few new skills ourselves, we get the best designers to help build our brand, and we turn what seems like nothing into something incredibly beautiful. Yes, you will have to grow one step at a time. Yes, you will run into issues along the way. Yes, it might feel like it’s taking forever to build. Yes, you might want to throw in the towel, maybe more than once. But that’s business. It’s a beautiful mix of what you love to do, what you get to do, and how you get to share it with the world.

So this is me, giving you permission to take your time building your business from the ground up. To stop thinking that it’s not needed, that it can’t be possible, and that it will never grow into something worth working for.  It’s a tough process but it can also be a really fun one if you let it. Ask for help when you need it and celebrate when you’ve gotten to where you want to be. 

Now, go channel your inner Chip and Joanna, and change the world with your idea one step at a time!

And if you feel like fear is holding you back, I wrote a little freebie pdf just for you!

Let’s get to work, friends!