On being a founder and having a side hustle.https://artinres.com/

noniculotta556·Sep 30, 2020

It's the 2020 shuffle pivot hustle dance. In January of 2020 the path started to look relatively concrete for a moment. My startup had been accepted to Y Combinator's winter batch and would graduate in May. I was still working full time as an office manager at a software consultancy in NYC, and installing paintings in the homes of art collectors across the 5 boroughs after work, sometimes until midnight. An exit from the double life was in sight: Demo Day loomed intimidatingly but also as a an exciting beacon of hope: do well, grow, and Art in Res can become the full time role. March 10 of 2020 and we had a burst in sales that meant 27 paintings sold in one weekend. I was buckled over with fulfillment duties, smiling from ear to ear as the artists on our platform celebrated along with us - many of them were making their first sales directly from their studios. I put my notice in at my office management job, excited beyond belief for the next few months.March 16 and we got word that Demo Day might not take place in person but rather virtually. Things started to slow... I wondered if I had quit my job prematurely.May 2020 Demo Day had moved online, investors were scratching their heads about the future, we had gone a month with only 7 sales. I had definitely quit my job prematurely.July 2020 sales started picking up again, our first ever inbound leads started reaching to me saying they've heard of Art in Res and are looking for art / art advice. I moved in with my parents and started looking for office management jobs to stay afloat.Today: 40 job applications, much head banging, much distraction from growing my business and 2 unfruitful responses later, I launch my own independent art advisory via Instagram to supplement my livelihood and continue driving traffic to Art in Res @TheAustinArtScout. While I received radio silence from almost every job application, interior designers from all over Austin and NYC are flooding my inbox with replies to my cold outreach offering personal, tailored curations for their clients homes like this one: https://artinres.com/articles/the-cat-mountain-home-curationHope abounds.I am still not financially stable. I have so much work to do to get on my feet. I'd love to hear your stories from this whammy of a year.Bless,Noni @TheAustinArtScoutCo-Founder at Artinres.com

Iynna·Sep 30, 2020

Hi Noni! Thanks so much for sharing this story.The thing I'd say to you is to be kind to yourself - reading this I am so impressed by how much you've achieved and how you've been able to stand back tall! Those bleak days are not forever trust me!On a side note, the link you shared to The Austin Art Scout is not working ie. it directs to an unavailable page :)

noniculotta556·Dec 03, 2020

Thank you so much! I'm sorry for my delay and I appreciate your warm advice and support.

Iynna·Dec 03, 2020

Hi Noni - of course! How are things with you and how did you decide to move forward? :)

TiffanyParker·Oct 01, 2020

Hi Noni, my heart goes out to you. Keep the positivity alive - it will always be when you remind yourself of how far you've come. You have it in you. You already knew that. Sending good vibes your way.

AmandaJayAnne·Oct 03, 2020

Hey Noni, it's been a tough year but you should be really proud of yourself and celebrate all of your wins nonetheless! You have so much strength and grit within you to keep going, which I'm sure will result in eventual success. And what a great accomplishment to have such positive responses to your cold outreach efforts, that's incredible! Keep pressing on and finish the year strong :)

noniculotta556·Dec 03, 2020

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to log back on and say a huge thank you for this note. I can't tell you how much it means, and I am so glad to be part of such a supportive community. Back. at you.