We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John Monroe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

John, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

For over 30 years, I worked for a variety of companies in a financial capacity. I always thought my career would be as a “company man.” This career path came to an end in 2017 when the startup I was working for shutdown. My wife, who had a “hobby” business of selling antique Catholic Saint medals online, convinced me to takeover her “hobby” and see if I could grow it. I told her I would give it six months. After seven years, I am still trying to grow the business and loving the challenge.

Periodically, I do think about going back into the corporate world. This is usually when I have had a frustrating day as a business owner or I miss receiving a paycheck when on vacation. However, this feeling goes away quickly when I think about the freedom I have being my own boss. I like controlling my own calendar. For example if we want to go visit our grandchildren, I do not have to get a boss’ OK. Also, I work out of my house which means I have an awesome commute.

However there are some downsides to working for myself. First off it can get lonely working by myself. That is why I go to the gym everyday for interaction with other people. Secondly, there is the stress of being responsible for everything from strategy to ordering supplies to fielding customer questions/complaints. Finally, if I close the online stores to go on vacation I have no income. I have come to make peace with this because if I do not periodically take time off I will burnout. However one nice thing about an online store is that it is open 24 hours a day so I am making sales even when I sleep.

In conclusion, I would say I love running my own business; however, I also realize that I needed to work in the corporate world to learn the skills and discipline I would need to be self-employed. The thought of having to commute to an office, wear a suit or business casual clothes, have a boss who can control my time and not see the direct benefit of my efforts makes me realize I could never go back and work for someone else.

John, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My wife and I own Rosa Mystica Medals which is an online retailer of Antique Catholic Saint medals. Over the years we have collected over 300 antique religious medals and crucifixes which we recast in sterling silver. My wife started the business almost 20 years ago as a hobby. I took over the business in 2017 as a full time job when the startup I worked for shutdown. Since then the business has grown from a “hobby” to a growing entity. In 2023 as an online business, we sold medals in all 50 states and over 30 countries.

What makes Rosa Mystica Medals unique is that our religious medals are replicas of antique medals. This means they are not mass produced and are unique. Many of our medals come from Europe. We believe in the importance of preserving the tradition of Catholic medals by sharing each medal’s history and the stories of the saints and devotions they represent. Our company motto is “Rosa Mystica Medals are a channel of God’s love.”

Over the years, buyers have shared with us how one of our medals touched them or helped them through a difficult period. This reminds me of why we are in business. Yes, Rosa Mystica Medals puts food on our table, but at the end of the day it is about providing a product that can be a channel of God’s love.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

We sell our religious medals on Etsy, Amazon, eBay and our own website (www.rosamysticamedals.com). By selling on these 4 platforms, we are able to sell in all 50 states and in over 30 countries around the world. Also the different platforms give us diversification of client bases, and they promote our products because they make money when we make money.

A downside of selling on Etsy, Amazon and eBay is that they charge hefty fees to be on their platforms, to process payments and to collect shipping information. Also, each platform has a different software system. Some are easy to use and others are difficult. At the end of the day, I would say the platforms are worth the cost because they provide exposure to buyers around the world.

We do sell on our own platform which means we can tailor the website to our needs or how we want to present our products. Also, I do not have to pay platform fees for every sale. The negatives are we have to maintain the website, find a credit card processor, do our own advertising and find a partner where we can purchase postage. If I had my preference I would only sell on our own platform but then I would not have the exposure that the other platforms provide.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

For over 30 years, I worked in Corporate America for a variety of companies. The thought of working for myself out of my house scared me because I was use to the security of a paycheck, benefits and working with other people. In 2017 I was laid off because the company I was working for was failing. My wife, who sold replicas of Antiques Catholic Medals, suggested that I take her “hobby” and see if I could turn it into a full time job. This meant no paycheck, no company provided benefits and working alone out of my house. I told her I would try it for 6 months. Seven years later I am still doing it.

I realize that I like working for myself. This means I control my own calendar. Also there is a direct correlation between my efforts and the success of the business. Yes, I work alone but I make sure I interact with other people either at the gym or in ministries I am involved in. I now realize my fears were unfounded; however, I also realize I needed the 30 years in the corporate world to teach me the skills and discipline I would need to be self-employed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rosamysticamedals.com
• Instagram: rosamysticamedals