It was summer 2018 and I tried on a swimsuit yet again that didn’t fit my bust. No surprise there, but a small part of me was praying that it did. It wasn’t even that attractive of a swimsuit – I just wanted options.
Having a larger bust has been more trouble than it’s worth, and I feel like every time I try on a top or swimsuit, I’m penalized from something I have no power over. And being in a harshly lit dressing room didn’t help the matter.
Flash Back a Few Months
I had just gotten a new job at a company I was excited about. It was completely different than what I had been used to in the past. I went from a 10,000+ people organization to now 15+ upstart. I was excited to learn something new and be surrounded by people that thought differently.
But after a few months, I was still unfulfilled and wondering why. I had spent 10 years working post-undergrad and still hadn’t found my niche.
This new role was totally different and everything I had been hoping for after coming from a more rigid corporate environment. I had previously longed for the kind of flexibility this new upstart provided, but it wasn’t enough.
I spent some time really trying to understand why I wasn’t happy. And a week of deep thought, I finally came to the realization that I needed to be my own boss and take the reins in my life.
I wanted to dictate my own vision for once and no longer wanted to live out other people’s dreams.
But what in the world would I do?
I didn’t have the first inkling on how to start a business let alone any ideas I thought worthwhile to take the chance on.
Flash forward to that fateful day in summer 2018 after trying yet another swimsuit that didn’t fit my bust. And aha! The idea came to me.
I would create swimwear that fit busty women just like me.
Everything on the market that’s made to fit larger chests is the opposite of stylish or comfortable – picture this: you’ve just gone to your grandmother’s house, tore down her curtains, and wrapped them around your body. Would you want to wear that? I didn’t think so.
Enter the limiting beliefs and negative self-talk.
My mind immediately said, “yeah right, you can barely put an outfit together let alone create an entire swimwear brand. You must be joking”.
That went on for a few weeks but I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility. It excited me, unlike any idea I had before.
And honestly, I hadn’t done anything all that crazy in my life and taking risks is typically something I shy away from. I like stability and bringing home a regular paycheck.
But this…this was something I couldn’t easily brush aside. After weeks of thinking and trying to talk myself out of it, I knew I had to go for it.
And since that fateful day, I’ve been trying to navigate the world of fashion.
I was surprised to find out how dated and wasteful the fashion industry really is especially when we hear about the advancements in other industries (machine learning, cryptocurrency, etc.). Some of these fashion manufacturers don’t even have a website!
Nevertheless, it’s the motivation to be my own boss and help other women like me that have propelled me forward.
And thankfully there are communities out there of fashion designers and founders that lift each other up. I’ve leaned on those for guidance. It’s helpful to know that I can reach out to them for feedback if I’m stumped or needing a push in the right direction.
I want to give you an understanding of where I came from.
I have baby boomer parents that have worked for the man their whole lives. So, I’ve been raised to believe that you go to school, study and get good grades, finish college, and then work an 8-5 job until you’re ready to retire. It doesn’t matter if you like the job or not.
NOT FOR ME. That simply terrifies me. There is no way I can spend my time working for someone else with nothing to look forward to. To slog away at the mundane every day.
Now if you’ve been lucky enough to land yourself in a career that you love, more power to you. You are luckier than most.
That definitely wasn’t me. I earned my bachelor’s degree in finance, worked, and even went back to school to get my master’s in health administration because I wanted a different path.
At that time in my life, I knew I wanted something more but couldn’t put my finger on it. I would have never thought I would start a swimwear brand.
And when you hear stories about other founders that had business in their DNA and were selling candies to other kids in school, that definitely wasn’t me. It’s kind of laughable about the possibilities that as a kid you never even think about.
And looking back on it, I wish college had been more valuable and taught things that we really need in life outside of your basic accounting class.
I’m not sure about you, but the best things I learned from my higher education is perseverance and how to question what I read and hear.
These are the skills I carry with me every day.
I won’t lie, I’m terrified that this won’t go the way I want.
I’m terrified that Feel Good Swim won’t come to life the way I envision it. However, instead of letting the fear stop me as I would have even just a few years ago, I’m letting it speak to me. I’m letting it guide me to the light.
This fear is signaling to me that I’m getting out of my comfort zone and challenging myself. I’m growing as a person and that’s exactly how I want to flourish.
I’ve listened to countless podcasts and read all sorts of blog posts on entrepreneurship and learned three big things:
- We can do anything (well almost anything) – your goals simply take a bit of guts and problem solving
- Everyone is scared of what they don’t know
- Failure is inevitable – it’s just about how quickly we get back up from the failure that counts
I’m going to stumble and fall along the way – that’s basically the only thing guaranteed in this journey.
I’m willing to go all-in and fall as many times as I need to get Feel Good Swim on the map.
Life is short
All in all, I’ll leave you with words of wisdom that although they are pretty cliché, ring true: life is short. If you’re not happy with what you do every day, change it.
Create a side project, learn new skills, get out of there! Our life is made up of choices and these choices define who we are.
Get out of your comfort zone, move towards the fear, and do things you never once through you would.
“Everybody has a calling. And your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you were meant to be, and to begin to honor that in the best way possible for yourself.”
― Oprah Winfrey
Amber Rankin, the founder of Feel Good Swim, is on a mission to create swimwear that chesty women will love and adore. Being well endowed herself, she understands the pains of finding anything that is both attractive and supportive. Join her and other chesty ladies in arms on the journey to the best swimwear you’ve ever purchased.
Instagram: @feelgoodswimwearJoin the journey: https://beta.feelgoodswim.com/launch/
