Part 3: Navigating Storms –
Overcoming Challenges and Setbacks
From the Top of the World to Rock Bottom: Burnout and Reinvention
At one point in my entrepreneurial journey, I was truly on top of the world. Honestly, rockstar status. I could write a book and share my adventures from those days but unless you were there, you wouldn’t believe what we did, how we did it, and how we all lived through it. My lingerie business had grown from the trunk of my car to three successful retail stores in Charleston and 3 in 2 other states. I managed to buy out my former employer, who had once hired me as a lingerie model, and I took over her modeling business and her three additional stores in West Virginia and Ohio. I had 6 stores in 3 states, my mom had moved to Charleston and was running one of my stores, I had the world at my feet, and I got lost in the success of it all. I was only 26 years old, and was by anyone’s account a success in all aspects of my life.
It felt like I was unstoppable. But success has a way of hiding cracks in the foundation, and those cracks were starting to show.
Challenge #1: The Pain of Trust Being Broken
As my business expanded, I faced something I never thought I’d encounter: theft from my own staff. People I trusted were stealing from the business I had poured my heart and soul into. It wasn’t just the financial impact—it was the emotional betrayal that stung the most. And they weren’t stealing a little, they were stealing a lot. But because I hadn’t put proper systems in place, by the time I realized it, it was a huge hit. The stores being stolen from were the ones in WV and OH. Being young and sometimes irrational, I made an abrupt decision and closed all business there immediately. When I was younger I had a very short temper, and a tendency to react without thought. I still have zero tolerance for a thief, and once my trust is broken, there’s no getting it back. I knew I would never trust anyone to run those stores again, so I closed them. I rented several vans and my staff in Charleston drove with me to take all inventory and fixtures out, and within 24 hours, we were on the road and those locations were out of business. I broke all my leases, and left it all in my rearview mirror. Mentally, that was harder on me than I admitted. The betrayal stayed with me and sparked a rage and distrust in me that had never been there before. “Once bitten” as the song says.
I learned that trust is earned, not given, and that running a growing business requires a balance of compassion and accountability.
Lesson Learned:
Implement systems to track inventory, sales, and finances meticulously. Trust your team, but always verify and monitor closely.
Challenge #2: Growing Too Fast
Success came at me like an avalanche, and I didn’t have the infrastructure, staff, or systems in place to handle it. Growth isn’t always the blessing it appears to be—it can be a double-edged sword.
I was constantly putting out fires instead of planning for the future. What started as an exciting growth phase turned into an overwhelming spiral that left me exhausted, overwhelmed and unprepared.
Lesson Learned:
It’s okay to pause growth to stabilize operations. Sustainable success requires systems, support, and strategy—not just momentum.
Challenge #3: Losing Myself in the Business
While my business was thriving, my personal life was crumbling. My marriage, that everyone saw as great, wasn’t great. I thought I had a great husband and an amazing son, but my husband never supported me or my business growth. The harder I threw myself into the business, the further we grew apart. I wanted more and more and more. He wanted the status quo. He also had a hard time with the fact that I was the bread winner. To me, a marriage is a team. If I grow, WE grow, but he didn’t feel that way. I would have been happy with him being at home full time with our son, and to let me continue on our road to retirement. The more success I had, the more bitter we became towards each other. I had to make the decision to leave. That’s when it all came crashing down. I moved out and left him the house and everything in it. He was a great father, so I didn’t think twice about sharing custody of our son. We were doing ok with the split and the custody and things were amicable. Then, the most devastating day in my life came on April 16, 1997. My mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack. During what should have been the most exciting time of my career, I went quickly from top of the world, to paralyzed with grief. It broke me emotionally. I was lost. My father passed away when I was 18 months old. I was now an orphan at 28 years old, going through a divorce, with my biggest cheerleader now suddenly gone. I stayed in bed for months. The grief completely consumed me. For days on end, I wouldn’t even open my businesses or show up for work. My employees, who had become my best friends checked on me constantly and pulled my weight in my absence.
With my mother gone, and my marriage ending, I realized something had to give. I needed a change. My heart was broken and it was no longer in the game.
So, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life: I sold my business, got divorced, and walked away from everything I had built. At 28 years old, I “retired” and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, hoping to start fresh. My ex husband was from Cleveland, and with the sudden death of my mother, he wanted to be closer to his parents. With my blessing, he moved our son to Cleveland to be near his family. I was trying to be rational and fair to my son. It was the best thing for him and me at the time. He’d get to meet and form relationships with my husbands side of the family and I could mentally get myself together. My entire world changed in those few months.
Lesson Learned:
Success isn’t success if it costs you everything else that matters. Work-life balance isn’t optional—it’s essential.
A Fresh Start in Atlanta: From Loss to Discovery
“Retirement” didn’t suit me. I was bored, restless, and directionless. I tried day trading, hoping to grow my financial independence. It was fun, and exhilarating, but instead of hitting it big, I lost everything from the sale of my business. It was essentially gambling, and I wasn’t good at it.
For the first time in my real adult life, I had to face myself in the mirror without the identity of “business owner” to fall back on. And once again, I’d moved to a city that I only knew 1 person. In Charleston I was a queen. I had the world at my feet. I wanted for nothing. In Atlanta, I was nobody. It was a much needed reality and ego check.
But Atlanta gave me something unexpected: clarity.
While working my first “real day job” in the sales department of a web design and hosting company, I found myself drawn to the technical side of things. It was weird working for someone else, but also easy. I was great at my job, and I loved being able to clock out at 5 and actually be “off work”. I had to answer to people and be accountable, but not on my own terms. I’d always been the boss, so this was new territory for me, and thank God, the company was a new start up tech company that treated us like gold. So, I did something bold: I put myself back through school for a third time. I enrolled at Oglethorpe University, took classes while juggling my sales job, and learned how to code and design properly. I went to school 7a-11a and worked 12p-9p, Monday-Friday. With Atlanta traffic, I barely made it to work on time most days. Thank goodness the building I was in had a food court or I wouldn’t have eaten. I had NO social life, but I had a goal. I did that for 2 straight years. I knew in my gut, this website stuff wasn’t going away. I wasn’t great at programming, but I learned enough to get me promoted in that job, and into the web design side of the business. What I was good at, was design. In my lingerie days, I had built a website for the store. Way back in 1996. It was unheard of at the time, but I saw the benefit, even then.
It wasn’t a great website. But it was mine, and I had loved every minute of creating it.
My spark came back to life after my first year in ATL. After a few years in Atlanta, I returned to Charleston with a new dream: to start my own web design business. I had technically started the business while still living there. The company I worked for got bought out, and the new corporate structure didn’t suit me, so I went on my own.
Returning to Charleston: A New Chapter Begins
Starting over isn’t glamorous. I went back to working in Food and Beverage, waiting tables and bartending while building my business on the side. I knew what it meant to start from scratch, and I wasn’t afraid to do it again.
Slowly, clients came in. One project turned into two, two into four, and before I knew it, I had built the foundation of what would become Kalson Media.
Lesson #4: Reinvention is Always Possible
Life will knock you down—hard. You’ll face betrayal, burnout, and heartbreak. But here’s what I know to be true:
- You can start over at any age.
- You can learn new skills and reinvent yourself.
- You can find passion and purpose again, even after losing it all.
Tip for Entrepreneurs:
Your past successes and failures don’t define your future, but you must learn from them. Stay curious, stay humble, and be willing to start over when necessary.
How Kalson Media Helps Today’s Entrepreneurs
Reinvention isn’t just personal—it’s professional, too. A strong online presence is often the first step to starting over.
I help businesses tell their stories, grow their presence, and create something they’re proud of. I don’t just build websites, I build businesses.
Whether you’re just starting out, scaling up, or pivoting into something new, I’ve been there—and I’m here to help.
Ready to reinvent your business? Let’s talk!
Looking Ahead to Part 4
In the final installment of this series, we’ll explore The Digital Age – Thriving in a Connected World. I’ll share how the lessons from my journey shaped the way I run Kalson Media today and why a strong online presence is non-negotiable in today’s market.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
