Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meghan Reed. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Meghan, 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?

I’m way happier as a business owner! For the first time in my life, I feel like I have true freedom and can use my talents and gifts in a way that really serves and impacts others on many levels.

Now let me say, there is much to be said about having a regular 9-5 salary job. And there was an exact reason why I stayed in corporate until I was mid-30s. With a salary position, there can be a firm sense of control over your money, as you know what you will have coming in. Which can take a ton of stress off your plate and allow you to fine-tune your skill set without the burden of wondering what your income will look like next month. Beyond the guarantee of cash, your time off can also have a bit of a harder edge as you truly can let some of the aspects of your job go.

I absolutely could have pushed it and gone on my own earlier with my businesses, but I’m not sure I would have had the emotional skill set to deal with ease regarding the additional layer of stress that you don’t learn in school or even in high-power corporate positions. In a salary position, it is, at the end of the day, someone else’s money or issue, no matter how connected you feel to your position!

A salary position always has a safety net, even if that can be a false reality (as someone who has lived through a lot of acquisitions and seen good people laid off from their jobs, you don’t ever have full control over your career path). And as an entrepreneur, that sense of security is removed like a band-aid being ripped off. When I opened both of my businesses in the same year, and only a month apart, I knew I was going to create something extraordinary. And with that goal in mind, I knew I would need to create so many plan B’s or fail-proof backups to ensure the experience always seemed calm on the surface. And that can take a lot of energy (and anxiety, ha!) on projects or scenarios that never see the light of day. There is so much to take in, organize, and prep just, so things flow at a normal level – let alone an extraordinary level.

However, I can honestly say that over the past two years of being a full-time entrepreneur, I have never turned back my thoughts to thinking that life would be better with a salary position.

And not every day has been roses. But once things truly become your problem from a sense of ownership, the problems feel less annoying. I’m not sure how to explain that the best, but even on days that feel really hard, once you have full ownership of the problem and control to fix it the way you know will be best for your guests or clients, it removes some of the anger you might have had in the past when things weren’t going your way.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Absolutely! My name is Meghan Reed, and I’m the owner of Camp Mill Pond, a historic log cabin vacation rental located in St. Charles, MO. Our cabin is unique, as it sits in the heart of Frenchtown, next to the Katy Trail, and only a short walk to Main Street.

However, what really makes it stand apart is that it is over 180 years old. It exudes all the charm of a cabin built around 1835, but has been updated with modern and luxurious finishes. I set out to create a glamorous retreat that didn’t lose the connection to the past or get too stuffy that you couldn’t relax. Camp Mill Pond is a throwback to the slow, easy rhythm of hot summer days and late-night secrets. This cabin is full of campfire inspiration with a touch of whimsy, connectivity to our historic area, and nature. My goal at Camp Mill Pond is to create an unmatched experience that allows you to slow down, have fun, and hopefully remove the noise of any stresses in your life.

We’ve been so lucky to have the most charming guests stay with us! Some are on their honeymoon or celebrating anniversaries; we’ve even had proposals inside the cabin! And beyond big celebrations, we have guests who come alone and want a weekend to self-reflect and take time for themselves. It is a blessing to give back to our community with a space that helps create a special memory or provides a deeper connection inwards or with others. I truly can’t believe I get to be part of creating a bit of magic in people’s lives.

I’m also the owner of M. Reed Studio, a boutique marketing agency where I serve small to medium size businesses with branding, strategies for growth, coaching, and creative projects, including website design.

My business has grown entirely from word of mouth, and I hear from most of my new clients how refreshing it is to feel like they have a true partner. From day one, my clients get access to tap into my unique skill set of sales, digital marketing, content creation for lead generation, and up-sell and cross-sell strategies.

I genuinely care about helping businesses keep up with the ever-changing marketing landscape and consumer demands of the new table stakes of business. My corporate background is heavily tied to marketing for large corporations, which has given me a breadth of experience in multiple industries and scenarios. I’ve helped billion-dollar companies rethink their approach to traditional marketing, including leading the pack with content pieces that drive traffic while also breaking records with webinars and podcasts. As a patent owner, I’ve led agile product development teams and been a key stakeholder in retail buyer meetings, including consumer and color trend data, pricing strategies, product launches, and new concept walk-throughs.

I usually deal directly with the business owner, which allows me to go deeper and help them discover what could be holding their business back. Everything is connected – so we get clear real quick on how we are going to unlock even more success for their business. With my services, they collaborate with me, a fellow entrepreneur, who can give them real-world advice, plus the action steps they need to help capture their goals from start to finish—allowing me to help them stretch their budgets for the biggest ROI.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

If you only have time to read one book ever in your life, make sure it is, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Originally published in 1937, you might think this book on business will be incredibly dated, but you’ll be shocked at how solid and inspirational his advice will be if you take it to heart. It has reframed my thinking and will be a required book for my kids as they age. I can’t imagine being a business owner and never reading this one.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that working up through a company and going after the big titles is how you make wealth or abundance. This is so far from the truth. In my opinion, this is a great way only to acquire a lot of stress and a little bit of money. After college, I believed the lie that how I was going to get to retire was by working my way up the corporate ladder. It wasn’t until later on that I started to see that, yes, I would make money, but it would never be the amount that would allow me to feel free and in control of my life. I would have to give up a large amount of my time and energy to create that, and what time I did get off would be recovering from the stress of that job.

Although there is no guarantee with being a business owner and creating abundance, I realized that I couldn’t live in fear of what might not work out. The big lesson for my own future success was internal reminders that I could trust myself to see it through. And that what I’m working on now isn’t about creating my own wealth. It is using my skills to help others create their own abundance and to see their own unique abilities.

Contact Info:

• Website: campmillpond.com | mreedstudio.com
• Instagram: @campmillpond | @mreedstudio
• Facebook: @campmillpond | @mreedstudio

Image Credits
Megan Gray | all other images are provided by M. Reed Studio