Employment
Today, I spent the day working on my online stores. Updating pricing and listings and creating promotions so I can get rid of as much inventory as possible before reporting to prison. After my arrest in January 2020, I lost my business. I’d founded and operated my own business for nearly a decade. However, my business came to a screeching halt on January 22, 2020. Although I spent an additional year working 25-35 hours a week transitioning all of my clients and cases to other providers, I wasn’t earning anything.
I began applying for jobs within a month after my arrest. To my disappointment, I was unemployable. Although I was only accused of white-collar crimes, not a convicted criminal, the pending charges impeded my ability to earn a living through traditional means. As an MBA and business owner, I was shocked to learn that even freelance administrative and remote transcription work were unattainable. Ubur, GrubHub and other well-known delivery services wouldn’t allow me to work from them. It was discouraging to say the least.
I knew that I’d need to sell my home and move to something substantially smaller. With that in mind, I began finding things around the house that I could sell. I had little experience selling online so I started with Facebook Marketplace and eBay. I had a learning curve, but that wasn’t going to deter me. I dove in and began learning as much as I could. I began selling my books, furniture and toys; the things I knew we wouldn’t have room for when we moved. I combed through every closet, sifted through cabinets, rummaged through every storage tote in our basement, and accumulated a room full of things to sell.
I learned how to create great optimized listings that were detailed and accurate. The reality is, nearly anything is sellable, and anyone can do it! The success is up to the individual selling!! I needed to make money to survive and not fun money so I was invested. As I was learning and selling things that I owned, I stumbled upon a wealth of knowledge and a ton of people who make a living from the resell industry. It gave me hope.
My mind is an endless chamber of curiosity so the more I learned, the greater my desire for more knowledge. Understanding the online retail market, identifying items and brands most in demand, considering profit margins and differentiating my listings from competitors all interested me. After all, I went to college for business and marketing because I love them. This selling online gig was (is) in my wheelhouse!
As I realized success, I became more enthusiastic and motivated. Despite being considered unemployable, I was working and earning money as a taxpaying citizen! I began sourcing products to sell through numerous venues. Thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, auctions, private sales… there’s unlimited opportunity. Even my friends and family began giving me their unwanted things and gave my name to their friends who wanted to help. I certainly wasn’t earning anything close to what I had been or needed to, but I was contributing to my family and able to give to a few charities I value.
For three and a half years, I’ve been an online reseller and I love it! I’ve met a lot of great people and I’ve had flexibility to be an active part of my son’s education, sports and social life. Reselling isn’t a lifelong full-time career I foresee in my future, but it’s met the needs of our family for these past several years.
As time nears for me to begin my prison sentence, I’ve been evaluating how to temporarily close my online stores without losing the time and resources I’ve invested. One upside to technology is that I can press pause and hit play when I return from prison. Once I’m released, I can continue selling while I rebuild and pursue my next purposeful professional venture. (More to come!)
Every day during this legal process, I’ve asked myself, “What’s next for me professionally?” I love working and arguably, I’m a workaholic. However, I’ve come a long way because of the lessons I’ve learned. I’m more intentional and deliberate about how I spend my time and am committed to maintaining balance.
With Hope,
Melinda Bixler
“If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade”
Dale Carnegie (with inspiration from Elbert Hubbard)
