Bay Street to Bohemian

The Barter Babes Project is complete:

Help 300 women – check

In one year – check

Live on $35/week – …….not so much

Well, the dust has settled. The party is done. I had my last Barter Babe session at Starbucks. My one year, leap-of-faith project is over.

The final count is 310 women! Pretty incredible! I’m so proud, but the ending is bittersweet.

What’s next?

Wow. What an intimidating and terrifying question.

Even though the project was a huge leap of faith, and scared me to death half the time, it still offered some sort of protection. Protection against the need to make “real life” decisions. Protection against financial reality. Protection against having to earn a living….

While I was in the thick of it, I was constantly building something, pushing and pushing, dreaming, thinking. Now that it’s over, technically I’m just an unemployed financial advisor. Hahahaha (don’t worry, I won’t burn my bra)

These thoughts are starting to be all-consuming. I’m no longer meeting with Barter Babes, doing analysis and write ups for hours, interviews, media – the project! Now, I have to face the “what’s next?” question and actually have an answer.

Well, I’m going to try to make a go at it!

I think I’m unemployable now, after being an “entrepreneur” – who doesn’t make money – for over a year. I enjoy working like a mad scientist, eating cereal right from the box, in bed, as I obsess over my to do list. This is not socially acceptable behaviour in the work place.

So, I’m writing a book. I’m doing financial talks, writing business plans for entrepreneurs and hopefully a TV show comes from all of this! Oh yes… for all of you who may have missed the Barter Babes 300 party, I’m waiting to hear back from a network to see if Barter Babes will be turned into a TV show!!!! FINGERS ARE SO CROSSED!

Either way, show or no show – I’m going to give entrepreneurship a go. My goal is to cobble together enough of an income from various sources of financial work that I can live, pay rent and continue to barter one-on-one financial sessions! That’s the ultimate goal.

I’ll continue to blog about my trials and tribulations throughout this process and keep you all up to date on the show. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Even talking about it makes my legs shaky with excitement/anxiety.

So, here I am. A year later, unemployed, several thousand dollars in debt, 10…..okay 12 pounds heavier and I still feel like I won the lottery.

Was it all worth it?

Yes. Helllllllllls yes.

I’ve never felt so alive. I’ve experienced my highest highs and my lowest lows – true happiness and true terror. I really found out what I was made of this year, and I like what I found out.

Thank you to everyone in the Barter Babes community – Barter Babes and readers for supporting me throughout the year. I’ve said this so many times, but without all of you, there would be no Barter Babes project. I would just be a sketchy financial advisor who quit her job for no reason!

Things I’ve learned

Everyone should take a leap of faith that scares the shit out of them at least once in their life

$35/week is not enough

We are all worth more than what is in our bank accounts

When I quit my job, so many people asked “what are you thinking?”

Now I know, I was thinking that I wanted to take a chance. I wanted to find out what I’m made of. Most of all, I wanted to make a difference, and I think I did. 310 times.

So stay tuned Barter Babes community…..I’m not going anywhere

Until Next Time (which there will be)

Barter On Babes

xo

Shannon