A Shift for Juggle Source; A Shift for Me

I have recently accepted a contract assignment in an administrative capacity with Mission Driven Data, a software company that is vigorously affecting change in the social services arena. My days of support for multiple clients in various capacities is now primarily with one client and one focus.

Like so much of my life, this move wasn't planned, but neither was Juggle Source. I am a "put one foot in front of the other" kind of person. In my young life, I didn't have a vision of where I would be in five years, ten years, and definitely, not in 50 years. Did I say that out loud? It's true. In my young life I never considered what the future would hold, outside of possibly marriage and a family, and the most immediate needs of working enough to pay for rent and other life necessities. I didn't consider that a vision for my future was something of value until many years into adult hood. By then I'd gone through lots of doors, many of which make adulthood happen fast and hard.

Whether I was stumbling, falling, solidly had my feet on firm ground, or raced to an exit, I was good at putting one foot in front of the other. My favorite offensive scoring strategy in football is to watch the ball move down the field, one first down after the other. So whether it's one foot, or one first down, I like the methodical movements of making a difference. It might not look like much, but incrementally all these first downs result in a touch down, and victories often follow.

The idea of Juggle Source came to me a few weeks after I'd left the school district and started another job, which lasted just a couple of weeks (more on that in person). Leaving the Principal's Secretary job was planned; leaving the subsequent job was not. After a sermon at church, where Pastor Randy Remington spoke about the process and faith that inspired Peter to step out of the boat, I left church that morning, certain that I could also step out of a boat. When I arrived home, fifteen minutes later and having already conjured up the name Juggle Source, I called a couple of friends and asked them what they thought about my new idea to launch a Personal Assistant business, with the name Juggle Source. Those two friends seemed to be the right friends to call at that moment. The first friend still talks about the chills she got when I proposed my idea to her. The other friend talked to me soberly. She asked, "How did you come up with the name?" I told her, "I thought about it, and how I like to manage people and projects. I like to juggle things, and I'm good at finding resources, and bam, it came to me!" Then she advised me of what I was getting myself into, which was perfect for a person who was highly inspired after a good sermon and needed to hear a voice of reason. Then I asked, "But do you think it's a good idea?" She replied, "I think I do!"

Then I set out to put one foot in front of the other. My first foot (outside of getting out of bed, which may be obvious, but is not always easy) was to secure the name. I did a quick search to ascertain that the name wasn't taken. Then I went to bed excited for where the next day would take me. As the global Internet world would have it, scammers got to my name first and registered the URL... yes, within hours of me having done the search, jugglesource.com was taken. I could have gotten it back if I wanted to buy it from the company that had registered it. I opted to add LLC to the back of the URL, and called it good. There were often setbacks, the Covid pandemic being one of them. People were leery of anything unknown to them at that time, and they didn’t welcome strangers into their spaces. But one foot in front of the other… one foot in front of the other.

The owner of Mission Driven Data, Ginger Bandeen, was the first Juggle Source client who wasn't a friend. She answered my ad on Craigslist in 2020. Ginger (who had also just started her business) and I met across from one another at a picnic bench near her house. With masks on, Ginger shared her list of projects and tasks, and I got to work.

Ginger's business has grown substantially over the years, and I continued to assist her in her personal life, and then began helping her from time to time with her business. And here we are.

This new assignment is a big shift. In any given day I might have made travel arrangements, confirmed doctor appointments, packed boxes, entered wedding dress orders, or helped organize a garage. I loved helping my clients in a way that felt like a partnership; like the assist on a team, helping them to score in the big game of life.

A daily schedule that isn't based on client project timelines, but rather a standard work week, is an adjustment, and also a blessing. I'm creating new habits, and thanks to the book I read, Why We Sleep, I'm newly inspired to get the 7 to 8 hours of sleep we all need to thrive. The energy of a growing business is palpable, and I love building camaraderie with a team who shares a vision.

Thank you, for being part of my life, my steps, my first downs. You've allowed me to be a partner in your busy lives, and it's been an honor to earn your trust. I likely won't be organizing your garage, decorating a bedroom, or confirming doctor appointments, but I hope we'll find time to collaborate or problem solve occasionally, because two are always better than one.

We made a lot of progress over the last five plus years. Thank you for your trust and confidence in Juggle Source!