Knock, knock. Who’s there? Opportunity. Opportunity, who? Opportunity wasted if you don’t answer the door. Sometimes, opportunity comes at unexpected times, in unexpected ways, and sometimes, opportunity doesn’t so much as knock as it softly taps.
Even when you’re not sure you heard it, sometimes you just have to throw the door open and see what’s out there. That’s what I’m writing about today. I have an opportunity that I don’t plan to waste, even though I do not have a great deal of control, or any, really, as to whether or not it works out. When I was approached by Alexandra Connell, founder of Patti and Ricky, a brand-new online department store for inclusive fashion and accessories, I jumped at the chance to interview her on my podcast, The Fashionability Channel. Early on, she had just a handful of vendors, and was working hard to build her business. Since then, I have enthusiastically supported her efforts, as I am a long-time advocate for people with disabilities.
When Alex learned that I am the designer of all the Elegant Insights Braille Creations jewelry and accessories products, she asked if she could carry some of my merchandise in her store. That was a knock, all right. I answered the door, and 18 months later, Alexandra’s business has grown, and she now has over 60 vendors on her site, with over 2,000 items. Alexandra has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Shape Magazine, several blogs and news articles, and now, on a national morning TV show.
Tomorrow, May 9, at 9:00 AM in all US time zones, Alexandra will appear on NBC’s The Today Show, chatting with on-air fashion expert Jill Martin about her adaptive clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Hours of video were edited down to barely 3 minutes, so if you blink, you’ll miss it. But Alex brought a representative sampling from each of her vendors, including Elegant Insights braille jewelry. Tap, tap, tap.
Even though Alex won’t be mentioning us by name, or even featuring our products specifically, she is wearing a couple of items on set. So, if a mention of braille jewelry was not edited in favor of any of the other super cool products Alex brought with her, at least you’ll see my jewelry on Alex herself.
While some may not consider this to be the sound of opportunity pounding on my door with a sledgehammer, I do consider it a door worth opening. Please tune in tomorrow morning and join me as I wait to exhale. Thank you for sharing my excitement, for tagging your friends, and for being part of my journey. If you are already tired of seeing my tweets, pics, updates, posts, and articles on the subject, I understand. Any entrepreneur will tell you how difficult it can be to make a real go of a small business and make a living, and I will add to that the even greater challenges of being an entrepreneur who is blind. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go answer the door.
Sparkle on!
Laura
Laura Legendary is a speaker, author, and educator specializing in disability awareness, accessibility, and assistive technology. She is the owner and designer of Elegant Insights Braille Creations, a distinctive collection of jewelry and accessories embossed in braille. Shop the collection at elegantinsightsjewelry.com/.