It's, uh, gone.

Yup. Donezo.

But I'm choosing to look at this as a falling forward type of thing, not a falling down or failing kinda thing. (Although failing is an integral part of success, so it may as well be a failure, especially since I have more to build on now.)

I began thinking back in June/July 2022 that it was near time for a rebrand, where I wouldn't be hiding behind a company/brand name. Instead showing myself for who I am, for everyone to see. Then between the following November and January, it became more and more apparent that it was time to move on to other things and along the way say goodbye to Starlight Mentoring.

It was an emotional decision to make, what would people think of me?! Would I just be another statistic? Having my business fail within 5 years of its inception? (Jan 2019) Would people point and laugh at me that I never actually turned a profit? (And compared to how much I spent barely earned any money at all...) That I didn't make it like I said I would?

But I knew it had to be done. I wouldn't stop being a mentor, rather I would keep mentoring people, coaching them, and helping them. But I would be showing myself as I am, with no brand name to lean on or hide behind. Some of my mentors have been instrumental in me taking the right perspective to move on strong from here. Just earlier today from writing this one of my mentors mentioned that it wasn't a failure and that I had gained a wealth of knowledge in how to do and how not to do things in business and in mentoring. So, it's a step in the right direction.

It's still not easy, I get to now learn how to close down an LLC, I get to figure out what to do with the hundreds of business cards I have, I get to determine what to do with my Facebook page, I get to leave behind an email that had my name @ my business webpage, among others still. But I get to learn from all of that as well, and even though I have to do all those things, James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, mentions that using the word "get" instead of "have to" can be empowering, and it is.

Anyway, that's what happened to Starlight Mentoring. There's many lessons I've learned in the past 4 years from having this business, and many more to come!

For now, I'm excited to move forward in the entrepreneurial efforts that I'm building right now, as well as some more hobbies and of course continuing with How to Rewrite Your Stars; I really enjoy running the podcast! So, welcome to Benjamin Fincher Enterprises!

~Benjamin Fincher
Jan 2023