Finding Beauty in the Messy Middle: The Real Story of Entrepreneurship

They say entrepreneurship is freedom - freedom to work when you want, where you want, how you want. That’s not entirely true... and yet, somehow, it is.

They don’t always tell you is that freedom can feel like a double-edged sword.

It’s not always yoga on the beach with a laptop and passive income rolling in. Sometimes, it looks like typing invoices at midnight, answering emails from the sidelines of a basketball game, or running on fumes after a long drill weekend with the Air National Guard - knowing there are still five sessions to edit, three blogs to write, and eighteen emails filled with tasks that needed to be done yesterday.

I’ve worn more hats than I can count: mom, military member, military spouse, community volunteer, photographer, writer, small business owner, student.

Before I stepped into full-time entrepreneurship, I spent over a decade juggling business dreams while working a traditional 7–5 job. I’d clock out of work, handle dinner and bedtime routines, and then clock right back in... editing galleries, responding to clients, and managing logistics late into the night.

That season taught me how to build in the margins, to hustle with heart, and to never lose sight of the vision.

There have been stretches where I’ve had to leave my family for months at a time to serve with the Guard. The goodbye hugs never get easier. I’ve missed birthdays, holidays, school performances, and the everyday ordinary things you only realize are precious when you’re not there to witness them. And yet, even while across the country or halfway around the world, I kept my business running. I answered client messages in the in-between. I coordinated photo shoots and delivered projects from makeshift office setups in hotel rooms or lodging or airplanes.

That balance, as exhausting as it was, shaped me into the business owner I am today. It taught me how to adapt under pressure, how to lead with integrity, how to solve problems on the fly, and how to stay anchored when everything feels like it’s shifting.

Those lessons transferred beautifully into entrepreneurship, but so did the chaos.

No one talks about how you go from writing client proposals to being your own accountant, social media manager, customer support rep, scheduler, therapist, and janitor... sometimes all in one day.

Entrepreneurs don’t just wear many hats - we wear all the hats. One minute you’re negotiating contracts, the next you’re watching a YouTube tutorial on how to fix your website, and after that, you’re cleaning up your studio space before the next client walks in. You are essentially doing the job of five to ten people and you rarely get credit for it.

They don’t see the tasks that pile up behind the scenes. The contracts, the inbox maintenance, the late-night Canva edits, the constant reviewing of analytics, the researching and reading to stay on top of industry trends.

They don’t see the questions that haunt you: Am I doing this right? Will next week be less overwhelming? Will this process get easier?

They don’t see the guilt when your child asks you to play but you’re knee-deep in reconciling expenses. They don’t see the quiet tears when you finally sit down at night, knowing you gave everything you had and still feel like it wasn’t enough.

They don’t see the constant fear of instability, that maybe your business won’t grow enough this month to cover the bills, that next month you might have to consider getting a “real” job again. That a client might cancel tomorrow, and with them, go a big chunk of your income.

They don’t see the imposter syndrome, creeping in during those moments of stillness, whispering that you’re not good enough, not skilled enough, not business-minded enough.

They don’t see the sleepless nights where your brain won’t turn off, running through next week’s to-do list on an endless loop. They don’t see the anxiety when you realize you overbooked yourself - again.

Or the fact that when you’re a team of one (or even when you are not a team of one but are the owner), a sick day or a vacation just means extra work before or after, because there’s no one else to pick up the slack.

But here’s the thing I have also learned... there’s beauty in the messy middle and there is nowhere I would rather be.

It’s in the client who sends a heartfelt thank-you because your work made them feel seen and valued or gave them space to breathe again. It’s in the flexibility that allows you to be there for your child’s performance or that mid-afternoon pickup when they just need you.

It’s in the courage it takes to start over, to say yes to going back to school while running a business because your growth matters too.

It’s in the deeper purpose that threads through every challenge and every victory: a desire to serve, to build something that matters, to leave a mark on this world.

Entrepreneurship has taught me that you don’t have to be perfect to be powerful. You just have to keep showing up.

Some days you lead. Some days you cry. Some days you’re in flow, riding the wave of creativity and momentum. And some days you’re praying for clarity and the strength not to give up

To the outside world, it may look like a curated brand, a polished website, a confident presence. But behind it all is a woman learning (daily) how to hold everything she loves: family, service, purpose, and passion.

So if you’re in the messy middle too, I see you.

You’re not alone.

Keep going.

There’s beauty here. And it’s yours to find.