|
|
|
Crookston —
It's not uncommon for a person at some point in his or her life to reach a crossroads, a fork in the road that requires a decision that will likely impact the rest of the person's life.
Crookston native Amanda Svedarsky said she encountered something closely resembling a crossroads in her life a couple years ago. She made what some might consider a radical, risky choice at the time, especially since she had her son's young life to consider as well, and a secure "predictable" future ahead, if she stayed on the career path she was on at the time.
She was 28 in early 2008 and had accepted a position that paid her a lot of money to build a technology operations support team for millions of clients within a major financial services institution.
"I had financial security for me and my son, Aris, and a predictable future I could count on," Amanda recalled in an email interview with the Times. "So by all external accounts I was at the high-point of my career."
Internally, however, she said she was "extremely conflicted." Basically, she was having a hard time defining the "purpose" of her life, Amanda said.
Then, in October of 2009, she was forced to re-examine everything. A herniated disc in her back required extensive surgery that December. It forced Amanda "into the darkest point of my life – complete emotional, financial and physical destruction." Some might call it God, she said. "For me it was an awakening; but I knew in the depths of my pain that in order to heal, I had to be willing to give up everything and start over," Amanda said. "And so I did."
How, exactly?
Well, Amanda said she learned from existing in corporate America that a business can be built and/or run in a couple different ways. There's the more typical way, she explained, that involves a business model that strives simply to put "butts in the seats" and keep it running. It's the typical business pyramid, she said, with a top and a bottom. Or, there's the way she prefers: "You can tap into the internal passion of yourself and the skills of those within your network, and build a business model that evolves based on your talent pool." She calls it "organic growth" that's similar to a circle, "What I call a nuclear organization," Amanda said.
It's not uncommon for a person at some point in his or her life to reach a crossroads, a fork in the road that requires a decision that will likely impact the rest of the person's life.
Crookston native Amanda Svedarsky said she encountered something closely resembling a crossroads in her life a couple years ago. She made what some might consider a radical, risky choice at the time, especially since she had her son's young life to consider as well, and a secure "predictable" future ahead, if she stayed on the career path she was on at the time.
She was 28 in early 2008 and had accepted a position that paid her a lot of money to build a technology operations support team for millions of clients within a major financial services institution.
"I had financial security for me and my son, Aris, and a predictable future I could count on," Amanda recalled in an email interview with the Times. "So by all external accounts I was at the high-point of my career."
Internally, however, she said she was "extremely conflicted." Basically, she was having a hard time defining the "purpose" of her life, Amanda said.
Then, in October of 2009, she was forced to re-examine everything. A herniated disc in her back required extensive surgery that December. It forced Amanda "into the darkest point of my life – complete emotional, financial and physical destruction." Some might call it God, she said. "For me it was an awakening; but I knew in the depths of my pain that in order to heal, I had to be willing to give up everything and start over," Amanda said. "And so I did."
How, exactly?
Well, Amanda said she learned from existing in corporate America that a business can be built and/or run in a couple different ways. There's the more typical way, she explained, that involves a business model that strives simply to put "butts in the seats" and keep it running. It's the typical business pyramid, she said, with a top and a bottom. Or, there's the way she prefers: "You can tap into the internal passion of yourself and the skills of those within your network, and build a business model that evolves based on your talent pool." She calls it "organic growth" that's similar to a circle, "What I call a nuclear organization," Amanda said.
The organization is known as Angels & Emails LLC, which Amanda, the daughter of Dan and Vicki Svedarsky, launched a little more than a year ago. So where did she come up with the name? Well, the company's mission, to "Build bridges between who you are (Angels) and what you do (Emails) through products and services that provide clarity of image, efficiency of talent and tools, and the excellence of execution" brings it all into focus. Angels & Emails seeks to "Reinvent Yourself and Footprint" and help people "Find the light in your cubicle, your sense of purpose beneath your stapler."
With the economy hurting and so many people facing, mostly with no say in the matter, major career and life transitions, it's safe to say Amanda had a potential client base in need of her particular brand of services. Her initial focus was on providing services to those who who were suddenly staring down unsettled futures. Simply put, Amanda's venture would help people faced with major life and career uncertainties get where they need, and even where they want to go.
Angels & Emails is now much more than that. "Many global concepts" will be hitting the consumer markets over the coming year, she said. But some concepts are being produced right here in Crookston, too. A few months ago Amanda began collaborating with Barb Freberg, who created Angels & Email's first briefcase bag. Freberg then put Amanda in touch with Erickson Embroidery to produce her logo. Now, although a full-blown launch of her products is still in its "infancy" stages, Amanda said a product line of of totes, briefcase bags and yoga bags has been developed.
Collaborating with Freberg and Erickson Embroidery is "the inception of what I believe is going to be a revolutionary approach to business as usual," Amanda explained. "Consumers are starting to care WHERE products come from, and WHO is involved in the process – that's the Angels & Emails niche." She said she vowed never to "make my millions by exploiting another human being," which Amanda feels is part of "core human principles that we should all live by in business, beliefs and behavior."
You can learn a lot more by visiting angelsandemails.com. But if you want to see it all in person, including Amanda herself, she'll be exhibiting and selling at the Edge Life – Fargo Health & Holistic Expo April 16-17. It's at the Fargo Civic Center, located at 207 4th St. N. Expo hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
"This is just the beginning," Amanda said. "I am clear of my purpose at this point, but even that is a journey of reinvention every day."
