Enriching Your Business Through Travel { Diary of a Creative Entrepreneur, Volume 3 }

I believe that exploration is an underrated and often untapped resource. I’ve seen the benefits and felt the effects, which is why whenever the opportunity to travel presents itself, I jump on it. While it was a conference my husband was attending that prompted this particular adventure; I turned the week into a fruitful trip of my own. Between exploring modern workspaces, connecting with new friends and being inspired by old legends, this week was one of professional enrichment and personal growth.

Do you ever wonder what your fellow creative entrepreneurs are up to? In between the big wins, product launches, and collaborations are the small steps (some forward, some backward) that lead to those turning points. Here’s a transparent account of a week in the life of a gal in passionate pursuit of business growth, personal development and those magical milestones.

Monday, January 23rd

My assignments for the week were few and far between, but my love of finding new coffee shops to work from left me wishing I had given myself more to do. Mr. MHD’s conference didn’t start til Tuesday, so I dragged him with me to the first coffee shop on my list: a modern spot called Crema. I put the finishing touches on last week’s Diary of an Entrepreneur post and scheduled an email to subscribers letting them know it was published.

When our cappuccino cups were empty, we walked across the street to a multi-purpose space called Pinewood Social. If you ever find yourself in Nashville and need a spot to work from, this is your place! With a dedicated co-working space set amongst a restaurant/coffee bar/bowling alley, it was the perfect combination of function and fun. I logged in a couple of hours doing freelance magazine work while enjoying a yummy lunch.

After lunch, we went on a “field trip” to a print shop we heard about from some fellow travelers we met the day before. Hatch Show Print brought back memories from my college screenprinting class and had me gawking at their wall of masterpieces. I may or may not have purchased too many prints, and then went back for one more.

Tuesday, January 24th

Tuesday, Mr. MHD headed off to his conference, and I set out to explore another workspace in the city. I used a new website called Workfrom.co to find Barista Parlour— another hip spot, tucked away in an alley that I would have never found on my own.

The energy in this space was fantastic. It seemed like everyone there was either on a laptop or having an in-person meeting, making things happen. Also, their raspberry oatmeal was out of this world good. Consider making a trip to Nashville just to try it!

I used my time there to get caught up on emails and log a few more hours working on my freelance magazine section.

When Mr. MHD was finished up, my workday was over, and it was off to our next destination!

Wednesday, January 25th

Good morning, Asheville! Or should I say, good afternoon? After a long road trip the night before, we allowed ourselves to sleep in on our first official day of “vacation.” The day was spent exploring around town and taking in all the culture it had to offer. No work for this girl!

Thursday, January 26th

After a quick stop to grab the coolest doughnuts in town, we were off on another field trip. This time, to the Biltmore Estate. On the short shuttle ride from the parking lot to the mansion, we learned how the Vanderbilt family became wealthy enough to build such a landmark.

Cornelius Vanderbilt came from humble beginnings. He borrowed $100 to fulfill a need he saw and started a new means of transportation, which eventually became the Staten Island Ferry. From there, he became a powerhouse in the railroad industry and secured himself a place in history as a legendary entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The estate was incredible, but it was Vanderbilt’s story that left an impact on me. I consider that 3-minute shuttle ride, to be the most productive part of my work week. And not just because I took most of it off {wink}.

Friday, January 27th

To break up our journey home to Florida, we made one last stop, in Savannah. I made a couple of indulgent visits to two of the sweetest spots in the city; Paris Market and Back in the Day Bakery, before completing our final stretch of driving.

Even after what felt like days on the road, I was anxious to get back to work. I love to spend Friday evenings at home working on what I call “fun projects”— the ones that always seem to get pushed to the back burner because they don’t necessarily contribute to the bottom line of my business.

On this particular Friday, I created a secret Pinterest board to cultivate re-branding ideas for both of my websites and even got started on new logo designs. The perfect ending to a fun week!

Lesson of the week

Make the most of every opportunity you are given. Take in the sights, make friends with strangers, and seek the history in the places you visit, even if it’s in your hometown. These experiences bring a richness to your life and business, alike.

What I’m reading:

Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill

What I’m watching:

Not much time to watch anything this week, but after returning from our visit to the Biltmore, I re-watched one of my favorite series: The Men Who Built America, featuring our very own Cornelius Vanderbilt.

What I’m listening to:

The limited-run Billy Joel station on Sirius XM kept us laughing and singing throughout our entire road trip.

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