Overcomer Series with Lauren Gaige

We, the team here at Restored 316, are dreamers. We are doers. We are creative thinkers and get to work-ers. We are overcomers. We are launching a NEW blog series to feature YOU… Our fellow overcomer’s! We know you have a story to tell and your story just might impact someone else in a big big way.  So why don’t you come and share your story with us?!

To kick off this series we are starting with our own team members and this week I’m so excited to share my own Overcoming story with all of you! I hope this encourages you and pushes you to keep chasing after those dreams!

What do you do?

I create the most beautiful wordpress themes using the Genesis framework for the female entrepreneur who is either just starting their business or taking it to the next level.

Growing up, did you always dream that you would be doing what you’re doing now?

Oh my goodness no! Growing up, the one thing I always came back to over and over was that I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to work with small children and provide that fun, safe environment in a classroom while teaching them all they needed to know. Boy, did God know that that plan wasn’t the path for me. I’ve since learned, now that I’m a mother, that I would never ever have the patience for that. However, I can see teaching in my future to patient adults!

I was always a creative growing up and my most favorite creative outlet was photography so I always knew that I’d do something that involved creativity, colors, and something girly! Because y’all, my room was pastel purple growing up… I now hate purple but pink is my best friend!

What made you decide to “go for it” in terms of your career goals/ambitions?

The moment my husband and I got married, we packed up and started a whole new life in Austin TX. A year after we married we bought our first house, and shortly after we began the discussion of starting a family. However, at the time we were both working retail hours and rarely saw each other. We wanted to create the life that WE wanted versus running around working crazy hours, so we decided to take the plunge and I left my job, sold our house and moved into a teeny tiny apartment, and then six months later my husband left his job as well (I was pregnant at the time as well!)…. with no money in savings and no backup financial plan. Call us totally crazy but we simply said to ourselves that if we didn’t jump out now, we never would. So we went for it!

Did you face adversity? How did you overcome that?

You better believe we did! Try leaving your job with no money in savings and no stream of income… the adversity was great. The biggest adversity for us was that we barely had enough to keep the roof over our heads and food in our bellies. There were times we would have absolutely nothing in our fridge, no money in the bank, and we had no idea where the next meal would come from. But by the grace of God, we would receive a phone call from my mother in law to meet her outside and she was taking me shopping! Oh those days are so precious to me yet they were so so hard. I see now that God was trying to teach me to receive from others because one day I would be on the giving end.

Another time, I was at the grocery store with my 4 month old baby girl, and with strict instructions that I couldn’t spend more than $15. I get up to the counter and my card was declined even though I was under the budget. That was the only card I had so I told the checkout lady I would be back… not knowing what to say and my plan was to simply leave the store. The sweet lady that was behind me had a $20 bill in her hand and a gallon of milk on the conveyor belt. Within seconds and before I even realized what was happening she had paid for my groceries. All I could say was thank you and I kindly asked for the receipt. She probably thought I was crazy for asking for that receipt but the moment I got home that day, I placed that receipt on my refrigerator with a magnet as a reminder that God always always provided for us even when I felt like He wouldn’t.

A lot of women have these big goals & big ideas that they’d like to bring to life, what advice would you give them in terms of how they can make that happen?

Don’t let that dream in your heart die. Be determined and make persevering your only option. Don’t even make quitting an option in your mind. You know the difference between you and 98% of other Americans? Your mindset! 98% of people think about achieving their dreams but only 2% actually go for it. What percentage do you want to fall into? Be the overcomer!

What’s the biggest regret you have when it comes to your blog/shop/business?

Hmmm… I would say not slowing down and going after a bigger dream in my heart sooner than I did. When I first began this business I sold premade templates for an ecommerce platform. My heart was templates and having a more residual type of business model. Over time I fell to the demand of clients and took on way more custom client work than I ever intended. At one point I had a waiting list 1 year long… If you’re a designer heed my warning… don’t do that! This caused severe burn out, a lot of tears, and a lot of lost time with my daughter that I will never get back!

I wanted to continue creating templates/themes but because my work load was full of custom projects, I didn’t have the time for the projects that really made my heart happy and the time that I so desperately wanted with my family.

So I regret not doing whatever it took to follow my heart sooner. That said, I’m so so grateful I finally took the step back from custom projects and began creating themes again. It’s been a game changer for my family, and I’m happier and more joyful because I’m finally following my heart!

What’s been your proudest moment so far?

I’d have to say becoming a mother! I have a daughter who is 9 and a son who is almost 4 (OMG!) and these little blessings are the biggest highlight of my life!

And, just because we like our coffee around here, how do you take yours?

Iced (I’m in TX y’all!) cold brew coffee, cream, and 2 pumps classic syrup.