About Molly
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
Hi there,
I’m Molly Gordon, citizen of the Universe, gardener, cyclist, knitter, paddleboarder, grandma, chief assistant to Bolivia the Wonder Cat, wife of The Charming Prince, and founder of The Self Employment Telesummit.
Photo by Dan Langley, May 2009.
Long ago, I regarded self employment as a scary world I would, I hoped, never have to visit. For one thing, the idea of being responsible for getting work every day terrified me. And then, too, the idea of being in business turned me off completely.
So, I became an idealist. 
I waited tables and volunteered on political campaigns and hotlines. I learned to drink beer and stay up late.
And then I fell in love with The Charming Prince, Miles Yanick, a self-employed architect. In the aftermath of the Seattle Boeing recession (1974-6), I helped him rebuild his business. Talk about busting through illusions!
I discovered that promoting one’s work was as important and as sacred as promoting any calling. I had an up-close-and-personal experience of the dignity (and slings and arrows) of making one’s own fortune.
Time passed. Alcoholism and addiction kicked my butt around the block and back again. The Charming Prince endured. And as I groped my way back to health, I knit.
I mean, I really knit.
I knit and smoked and read and drank coffee on the ferry every morning and evening. I knit in 12-step meetings. I knit at coffee shops.
I knit pretty much all the time. And eventually people started to say, “you should sell that.” And, eventually, I listened.
Thus was born Mollycoddles, a fiber art studio. For eight years I knit clothing and accessories both by hand and machine. I embellished the knits with beads, buttons, and embroidery. In short order, I made a name for myself, but I never made more than enough to pay for my knitting habit.
Showing off Mollycoddles before an arts event on Bainbridge Island circa 1995
I closed Mollycoddles on December 31, 1995, intending to make a living helping small businesses do promotion. After all, I knew how to get known, I just didn’t know how to turn being known into making money. But my clients had a different idea.
From the very first, my clients wanted to meet every week to talk through their business issues. They wanted help figuring out how much to charge, how to handle late payments, what to do when employees made mistakes. They had concerns about how to manage their time (what time?) and how to pay themselves (and with what money).
And the amazing thing was that I knew the answers. From the outside, I could see the very blindspots that had kept me from making money in Mollycoddles.
I saw how being too closely identified with my business kept me from seeing clearly. I saw how my fears turned into self-fulfilling prophecies because I had lacked the perspective to observe and disarm them.
And I saw how the way most business advice is written and spoken kept me from understanding and applying it.
That’s when I got really excited about helping self-employed people break through the invisible barriers to success. I knew that if I could share the realizations that were coming to me, a whole lot of wonderful people would be able to keep working for themselves.
And I believed the world would be better for it. Which leads me to this day and to The Self Employment Telesummit.
There are lots of programs and resources for small business owners, but precious few designed precisely for the self-employed. Seeing as I’ve made most of the mistakes one can make in self employment, I wanted to create an event that would shorten the learning curve for others.
Podcasting
But that’s not all. I want to change the context of self employment, to change the conversation from one of struggle and isolation to one of synergy and connection.
I know it can be done, and I invite you to be part of the change.
Warmly,
Molly
After a Dress Your Essence workshop with the fabulous Nicole Mertes
On the beach at Santa Monica, 1959. I keep this photo on my desk to remind me who I am.
In the garden. (Don't you love overalls?)
In traditional Andean mufti with Gregoria, Peru, May, 2007.
Taking a break in my favorite jams.
With Don Beck at Spiral Dynamics training, Boulder, CO, 2000.
At the certification workshop for The Work of Byron Katie (tm) in Ojai, CA. 2008
{ 3 comments }
What an amazing story! You’ve helped make this Monday a ‘Good Morning’ for me, Molly, and I am grateful and more inspired to WORK today.
Trina, I’m so glad you found my story inspiring. There are no straight lines in nature, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that life continues to throw us curves
Molly, I love your story, your spirit, and your contribution in putting this together. Thank you!
My favorite line from your story above:
“I discovered that promoting one’s work was as important and as sacred as promoting any calling.”
I’m all about helping others discover and promote their life’s work, their calling, as well.
Looking forward to participating in this telesummit (as my busy schedule allows) and getting to know you!
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