We have moved a few times in our lives. Because of our trade shows, we actually move several times a year! We have had two significant moves in our lives, one was the move off of our family’s ranch in Saratoga, one of the hardest acts of obedience we have faced (another story for another day). The other big decision we faced was moving the Pure Dixie business out of the house.
Pure Dixie started in a ranch house bedroom, about 150 square feet. It was previously the room for our custom embroidery business. Dixie and I had prayed for a long time for something she could do and be a stay-at-home mom. This was VERY important to us. No job or position, no matter how much it paid, would have trumped the decision for Dixie to stay home and do what she could while raising our three small children, that was definitely Dixie’s calling. The embroidery business worked so well, she could put something on the embroidery machine, go do house work, do something with the kids, and then back to the machine. In that season, the business HAD to be in our house.
Pure Dixie was in our house from 2016 until 2020. For 2 years on the ranch and 2 years off the ranch. Then, we had a decision to make; we were growing and needed more room, should we get a space in town? The other option was to finish out our garage that would give us about another 1000 sq ft.
It just so happened at that time, the Platte Valley Community Center’s business incubator came available to rent. It ended up being 2 smaller rooms for a very cheap cost to us. We ended up taking it and it was great! I remember the board for the community center asking us if it met our needs, if we were able to do more business out of the space. The answer was NO, it did not help us do more business since we didn't use it as a store front. What it DID do, was give us a chance to see how our business would operate separate from our home. We are very thankful for the opportunity that the community center and their donors gave us.
We were in the business incubator for a little over a year, then we were fortunate enough to be able to buy the building we are in now, with our good friend Mandy. And finally, the latest update, we are in the process of finishing out a new shop, back near our house! It seems like a lot of moving around, decisions to make, but I think we have been in the places we were supposed to be; when we were in the house, and when we were out of the house. For anyone else thinking of taking the step to move a business out of their home, here are the good things about each one that we have experienced.
The great things about having a business in the home:
- Time with family- this is number one and I think it has to do with what season of life we are in. When kids are little and at home all the time (especially before school) we needed to be home and pouring into them. Anything we do, business or otherwise, comes second to raising kids.
- Kids involvement in the business- When Pure Dixie was in the house, the kids did a lot more with it. They did more leather sewing projects, helped us work, and learned hands-on things, this was wonderful.
- Multi-tasking- In the early days of Pure Dixie, Dixie was simply not busy all the time with the business. When she wasn't busy making things, she was busy being a great mom and a great wife. Being at home allowed her to do both.
- Much cheaper to run a business- The shop in town comes with a lot of overhead costs, at home, it cost us almost zero to operate another bedroom! For us, it made our house seem cramped, but for that season, it was worth not having the additional expenses of a separate space.
The great things about a business outside of the home:
- Separating work from home- This has been the best thing about deciding to move the business to town. When we are at work we are at work, when we are home we are home. Even now that we are building a shop near the house, it is a short walk away and it is separate. Some people have enough discipline to make this separation, even in the home. It is harder for us and the physical separation has been really good to draw the line. We still work some days from home (like I am doing right now) so that flexibility is great too.
- Space- This is obviously a big one. At some point, enough and even extra space is great. Every time we have moved we ask how we ever even came close to operating in our old space. And right now Dixie and I are trying to remember how we loaded out of our house into the trailer for our first NFR (still don't know, we should have taken pictures!)
- Employees- We have had short times with people working in our home. It has worked out well, but it's not always that easy for us or for them. We really do love our people, and love it when we have the opportunity to invite them for non-work time. Our out-of-town team will even stay the night here, but there is still that healthy, work-home separation. They can come and go as they please, and this would not work if we were still in the house.
- Customers- Besides loving our team, we love our customers. We love you so much that we don't want you to have to drive out of town to shop, drop something off or pick something up. Our shop is in an easy to find place in Saratoga. We still do most of our sales online or at tradeshows, but if you ever want to come and put your hands on products, there is a place to do it…. And it is not in our home!
We have been so thankful for the places we have been and the doors that God has opened for us. We still have a soft spot for one of the most important people in our society, the stay-at-home moms. Whatever your situation or season you are in, hopefully our experience can help you if you are in the place to make a decision to have your business in or out of your home!
