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I carefully wrapped the bird ornament and put it back into the box. “My mom used to take me there when I was younger. It was a tradition to go see the lights, and we always bought an ornament to bring home.”
“That’s a sign that you should at least reach out to them to ask if they’d be interested.” Marley pulled another ornament out of the box and hung it on the tree. She had a great eye for design, so I appreciated her help.
“I can’t imagine they’d want my ornaments,” I said as I hung another one on the tree.
Marley shrugged. “You’ll never know if you don’t try.”
When I asked Lori if she would consign my work, it wasn’t that scary. I already knew her, and I was confident she wouldn’t say no. At the time, she was just expanding her shop and was eager to partner with a number of artists. But Longwood probably had requests to consign work from artists from all over the country.
Marley pulled out her phone as I continued to hang ornaments. Eventually, she tilted her screen in my direction. “These are some of the things they sell at Longwood, and a lot of it is focused on wildlife, particularly birds.”
I sucked in a breath as I took in the prints, ornaments, and carved wooden birds. “This gives me some hope.”
Marley gave me a pointed look. “If you don’t reach out to them, I will.”
I laughed. “And what would you say? You’re my agent and you think my work would be the perfect fit?”
“Absolutely.”
I considered her sober expression. “You’re serious.”
“Your work is that good. If you had an online shop, I’d share it with my followers.” When my eyes widened, she was quick to add, “Not in the way you’re thinking. If I livestream in front of my tree filled with your creations, I’m bound to get requests for the link to buy them.”
I’d heard she had a large number of followers. “I have an online store. You would do that?”
Marley’s brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I?”
I’d gotten to know Marley over the last few months since she worked closely with Lori and Ireland on events around the farm. I’d say we were acquaintances and possibly friends. But recommending my work to her followers was a big deal. I remembered her complaining about other business coaches on her live streams before. “I thought you didn’t like when people tried to poach your followers.”
“First of all, you’re not poaching. We’re not even selling the same things. Not even close. And second, you’re my friend. I genuinely love your work. I’ll need a few of everything so I can decorate. You can jump on the live stream and see the comments.”
I frowned, even as I thought about the implications of thousands of people wanting a link for my ornaments. “I don’t think they’ll notice the decorations on your tree.”
“One time, I drank water out of a glass on a live stream, and everyone wanted to know where I bought it. It wasn’t anything special or even expensive.”
I chewed my lip. “You’re an influencer.”
“Not really. It was more of an accident than anything. But they do ask about my dresses or outfits from time to time, and I will link them. If I love something, then I’m happy to share that with others. I just happen to have a huge platform.”
Marley created courses and led a podcast designed to empower women to be stronger and more confident around money. I’d heard Heath talking about it one day, how it was like she was born to teach about it. “That’s amazing.”
“You can build a nice business for yourself, too. If that’s what you want.” Marley examined me, and I was almost afraid to voice my dreams out loud.
“Do you enjoy creating ornaments?”
“I love making things and brightening up spaces. I love the glass ornaments because they reflect the light.”
Marley shrugged. “You enjoy doing what you’re doing. Why not make money from it?”
“I’m making money from it. Lori pays me for my work.” But it wasn’t enough. I would love a business that supported me so I didn’t have to work so hard.
“But what if you could make more? What if you could create a life for yourself and your future family, one that meant relaxation and fun? Less time working.”
I laughed at that idea. “That sounds amazing. Where do I sign up?”
“If you’re interested, I can help you.” Again, Marley’s expression was serious.
“I thought you didn’t do individual business coaching anymore?” I asked, trying to measure how genuine she was.
