(By Rebecca Fletcher)
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV).
Thank God, His plans are better than our plans! If you would have asked me five years ago where I would be right now, I promise you I would not have a said a wife, mother of two very energetic boys and a business owner! But by God’s grace here we are.
Before we were married, my husband and I agreed that it was very important to us that when (and if) the Lord blessed us with a family I would stay home with our children. So when we welcomed our first-born son, Oakley, in 2012, I quit my job in marketing and graphic design to commence my journey as a stay-at-home mom. While challenging, I loved being a mom and never missed going to work. However, as most stay-at-home moms know, it is very difficult to raise a family on one income in today’s society. However, my husband and I both agreed it was (and is) worth the financial sacrifice.
In 2016, my oldest son was starting junior kindergarten, and as you would expect, I was feeling some bittersweet emotions. I was so excited for Oakley to go to school but was sad that a chapter in our life was ending. In anticipation, I decided to order a back to school chalkboard sign to allow us to capture these precious memories. After I scoured the Internet, I finally found someone local to make me a sign. In my excitement, I showed it to a few friends and family. My mom, Sue Smith, responded by asking, “What did you pay for that? I could have made that for you!” After explaining how she could make it, we both agreed that we might have stumbled upon an excellent business venture, a business that would allow us to set our own hours, make some money, and allow me to stay at home.
We registered for my son’s school Christmas Bazaar and hurriedly made some stock to sell. We hoped to sell a few signs and make enough to cover our cost and maybe go out for dinner. God had other plans! Even though we were met by three competitors with similar businesses, we sold over fifty signs!
In the New Year, we decided to fully commit (as much as we could) to Time 2 Sign. As we have expanded and learned in this business we have all taken on separate roles to make the business run smoothly. My husband is responsible for all construction. My mom cuts the stencils and keeps our books up to date. I complete all communication with customers, sign prep, staining, and graphic design. Three years in, we finally have a business that runs (somewhat) smoothly but requires a lot of work and dedication. In addition to custom orders, we host workshops and provide make and takes. Paint nights have become the heart of our business. We are strongly supported in our communities and have a truly wonderful group of women who attend our events. While running a business takes a lot of time and energy, we try to put the Lord and our families first, scheduling the Time 2 Sign events around our lives. Although we have faced some controversy, we take a stand against offensive language and love to create texts and beautiful signs for our churches and our homes!
As 2019 is quickly coming to a close, we are excited to see what the Lord’s plans are
for us. My mom has retired and with both children in school, we now have more time to focus on the business. We hope our business will continue to grow, but not just financially. We want to use our business for the Lord and to spread the gospel through our small business in our communities. We ask for your prayer and continued support as we continue on this adventure the Lord has blessed us with!
Our facebook is the best place to see our work www.facebook.com/groups/time2sign our website is www.time2sign.net and our email is time2sign2016@gmail.com.
