<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" The road to success is rarely smooth going. Just ask mother of three Holly Bohn, 42, who initially chose a career in accounting for the security it offered. The creative soul was bored, but she saw opportunity in her bland office environment and made the risky decision to leave and start her own company sourcing attractive, inspirational and functional office essentials aimed at women (at affordable prices).\u00A0 Within a year, her firm, See Jane Work, had done more than $1 million in sales via her website. In 2007, she was approached by a major retailer to design and launch her own line of items. Excited, she laid out a small fortune hiring staff and ramping up production.\u00A0 Cue the economic crisis: The factories she had contracted with closed, and her deposits with them were forfeited.\u00A0She lost everything \u2014 her house and even her marriage, which cracked under the strain.\u00A0  She dug in and maintained\u00A0the website\u00A0until 2010, when the consumer-product firm\u00A0Advantus Corp. saw promise in her vision and acquired the See Jane Work brand. She now oversees new collections sold on her site and in partnership with Office Depot. Belief in your dream really\u00A0can pay off! Check out her how-I did-it strategies. Think outside the box. &amp;quot;When I started the site, I didn&amp;#039;t have vendors to buy from, so I did crazy things to create inventory. I&amp;#039;d buy candleholders and repurpose them into pencil cups.&amp;quot; Ignore your ego. &amp;quot;In 2009, I was approached by Advantus \u2014 and turned them down. I was too proud to tell them about the issues I was having with money. I realized my ego was in my way, and I called them back and explained everything.\u00A0They saved my brand and made me creative director. I had to be humble and work my way back up.&amp;quot; Grade yourself on a curve. &amp;quot;At the end of the year, I give myself a grade point average. Of course I make mistakes \u2014 everyone does \u2014 but did the good outweigh the bad? Yes. Don&amp;#039;t let one lousy day or one failure suck you down.&amp;quot; Make what women want. &amp;quot;We have many transitions in our lives, and my goal is to offer products that make them easier, like our metal caddy (above) \u2014 it can hold office supplies, utensils at a party or your child&amp;#039;s art materials. I create products that fit all stages of life.&amp;quot; Tune out negativity. &amp;quot;I had a lot of naysayers at first, telling me I couldn&amp;#039;t compete with the superstores. I never feared losing everything, even though it happened. I knew I could always get a job and support myself. Fear kills\u00A0more dreams than failure.&amp;quot;  This article originally appeared in the March 2016 issue of Good Housekeeping.    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/career/a37356/holly-bohn-see-jane-work/>