I chose the job of receptionist at the art gallery and went back to New York. After a year or so there, I went to Christie’s, an auction house. During this time I was finishing my thesis and living alone on the Upper East Side. I was also volunteering at the Phoenix House, which was a drug abuse treatment center. I started a literacy center there because I always felt privileged and wanted to give back. And I explored getting my masters degree at NYU, the Galletin Program, where you create your own major. At that point, I was still at Christie’s and thought I would continue on the path of being an auctioneer specialist.
Then, my parents wanted to retire from their business and move. Times were changing and technology in the industry was quickly advancing. My mother asked if I would come into the family business. I had always said no, I would not do that. But my father was at the point of not being able to keep-up in the industry and couldn’t work a fax machine or a computer. So I decided to leave Christie’s and go into the family business as a trial, with my brother serving as a salesperson. At the same time I was also attending NYU and learning about business. I had a great teacher who taught me about management styles, and it opened my whole world in learning how to be a leader and manager. I was 25 and, in hind-sight, now recognize how young I was to take over a business. At this point, I had also met the man who was to become my husband. We just fell in love. He moved to New York in September, and in December we got engaged.
I was soon running the business. It was incredible in terms of experience because I was so young. At the same time, I had gotten married and started to have kids. It was a very stressful, hard time. I would lie in bed crying and would go to my parents saying, “I can’t do this.” My mom kept reassuring me, “Yes you can, we believe in you.” It was the early 90’s when I took over, and it was right when the stock market crashed. Fortunately, I was able to turn the business around by diversifying. I was concurrently going to NYU learning about business practices and applying it to the business. I was able to make it work financially and turned it around. In six years, while having children, I built the business back up to 12 employees. In retrospect, it was an amazing experience. I was able to succeed because my mom didn’t say, “We’ll shut it down.” She’s a very strong woman, who taught me to have a voice and not sit quietly in a corner. This has served me well.
Those were stressful times. My husband was getting his degree in architecture, and we were living on one income. I was working until 8:00 or 9:00 every night. The difference between doing business here and in New York is that if you’re not doing your job, somebody will take your business. This was very intense, and I was burning out. I realized I was leading the life my parents wanted me to lead, not the life I wanted. At that time we were living in a garden apartment in Brooklyn with bars on our windows. It was tiny and very expensive. After great thought, I sold the business to my now ex-sister-in-law. She was a business woman and recognized it was a good gig. I was desperate to get out, and my mom was very supportive of my decision. The life I envisioned for myself was to live in the country.
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