SourceUP has been officially formed for over six years, but I have been doing this work for about eleven years.  In that period of time, I’ve grown our family by two more children, moved to our forever home, and worked alongside several companies to help them grow their foundation for sustainable growth.  I started the business working while my oldest son, Luca, slept or went to pre-school and continued to find flexible childcare options that allowed me to be a mom first.  That allowed me to build the business that I always wanted to have.  I had been able to maintain the business operations from my home office until Covid – we all had a lot of change during that period.  Our youngest was born during the height of Covid and soon we were all working or going to school from home.  That home office door with its plastic child proof lock was the only division between Christina, the business owner, and Mom, the boss of home life.  To three children ages seven and younger, there was no difference in my role at home.  This was the main reason for leaving my home office during that time and setting up shop at the COHatch in Broad Ripple.  It created the dedicated work time that I needed so I could separate work from family life.  As our team grew and the desire to host clients in our space increased, having our own office space was critical to elevating our ability to have vulnerable and intentional conversations with clients.  

The spring of 2023, I knew that our time at the COHatch needed to end, and we were ready for our own space.  One that we could customize and create the client experience from the moment clients parked.  After a few months of searching, I accidentally stumbled upon 6412 Carrollton Ave, affectionately called “The Yellow House,” located right in the village of Broad Ripple.  It allowed us to be a part of the fabric of the community: waving to the UPS driver, and seeing the same people walk by daily.  Our house was the physical creation of the business that I wanted to have.  It was decorated with love, thanks to my interior designer connections, and has been a location that I have been so proud of these last two years.  

The last six months have been some of the hardest in my life; grappling with the reality of mortality of my beloved parents.  Earlier this year, my mom, who spends a lot of time with us, fell and broke her hip requiring immediate surgery.  I drove to Pittsburgh to take care of her and my dad as we all transitioned into these older years for my parents.  They have long been fiercely independent and spry for their age.  After a second trip to Pittsburgh for Spring Break with our family, we returned home to a flooded basement which construction is only wrapping up now.  There were many moments this year that I kept asking myself “What am I doing?” or stating, “I am doing this wrong”.  I have spent this last decade trying to be flexible and still prioritizing my Mom role, but the reality was the business was dictating my family schedule.  The Yellow House was one facet of the additional work I was doing to create a wonderful space for our team and clients: maintaining its curb appeal and interior space.  But it had also created a lot more work for me to maintain outside of the typical work hours.  It had increasingly become a place that we didn’t need as much as five years ago when we needed separation from our home life (aka chaos 🤣).  

It seemed that as my personal life kept getting increasingly more challenging this year, the decision was getting very clear that letting go of The Yellow House was the first step to reestablishing some better working behaviors and reducing the workload so that I could be a more present Mom… just the way I started.  The decision was clear, but certainly not easy to make.  As we pack the office and make a transition to what is next, I feel heartbroken to dismantle something that I created.  It feels like undoing your work.  It also feels incredibly freeing to remove a large to-do from my list.  

The Yellow House has had a pivotal moment in the journey of SourceUP.  It allowed us to create and elevate our connection as a team, provide a safe place for our clients to communicate with us freely, and strengthen our partnerships with the strategic partners we need to successfully deliver our level of customer service true to our business model.  However, the location is not the reason why clients choose SourceUP; they chose us as a team.  I frequently give advice to owners, and this was one of the times I needed to step outside of myself and offer the same advice and grace.  

I have received a lot of comments asking where we will work and how we will operate.  And the reality is that I don’t know exactly how it will go.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know the ending of every story before it’s written?  Sometimes we must take the path to find the next best decision.  There are times that choices just aren’t presented to us yet.  I am using my core value in business ownership that focusing on people and myself is the best decision there is, and the rest will work into place.  I urge you to take the leap if you are struggling with something that isn’t working in your business, don’t wait until you are forced or the choice isn’t yours anymore.  Building a business for your season of life allows you to enjoy this fragile and adventurous one life we are given.  Here’s to the next chapter!