Lovejoy Workshop | A Husband's Perspective

A Husband’s Perspective

Hi, I’m Lincoln, Jessica’s husband, nice to meet you! As we begin the launch of Lovejoy Workshop, I feel compelled to share some of my thoughts on this process thus far. As well as some thoughts on Jessica, the person behind the vision. So if you are interested in hearing the perspective of the husband, read on!

Jessica and I have known each other since high school and have been married for 14 years now. Over those 14 years we’ve lived in three apartments and two houses, had four kids, and we’ve both explored a variety of careers.

When we got married, I was still studying entrepreneurship in college and Jessica had finished a double major in marketing and business management. We both have always had a goal of building a business and over the years we’ve kicked around a TON of ideas, some good, some not so much! By the way, did you know we purchased a booth spot at the Oregon Craft Bazaar nearly 10 years ago? We brought our vinyl cutter to the event and made custom signs for people while they shopped. Who would have thought that 10 years later we’d be building on that concept?!

Lovejoy Workshop | A Husband's Perspective | We've Always Believed

But I digress. I suppose my point is, we’ve both always believed that we should always be open to new opportunities, preparing for them, and seeking them out. Then when we see an opportunity that fits, go after it with full intent.

I think it’s safe to say I know Jessica better than anyone else on this planet so I’d like to share a bit about who she REALLY is, which will in turn, describe why I believe that she will be successful beyond even her wildest dreams.

Positive Outlook

First, she’s the most positive individual I’ve ever met. She sees the good in people, sees the good in the world, and sees nothing but a positive future. Her positive outlook on life is contagious and it gives me hope amidst all the craziness happening in our world.

But it takes more than a positive outlook to be a successful business owner. It also takes tenacity, determination, confidence, an incredible work ethic, and the vision to see the big picture. I could go on for pages on each of these traits but I’ll spare you. I WILL say a little something about determination and work ethic though.

When you think of someone who has a strong work ethic, what characteristics come to mind? Someone who works 80 hours a week? Well check this out, Jessica somehow has managed to build multiple businesses (including her graphic design and party styling company Modern Moments Designs), raise four children, and manage our family… every day, every night, every moment, for the past 14 years. How has she done this you might ask? (I honestly don’t know, ask her!) No really, she somehow finds time in the day and hours in the week, all while never missing a beat as a mother, wife, sister, friend, daughter, and aunt. Despite her busy life she always has time for friends.

Lovejoy Workshop | A Husband's Perspective | The Wilcox Family

When I think of work ethic, I picture Jessica waking up at 3am and running downstairs to design something that was keeping her up because she needed to get the design down on paper. Staying up until the early morning designing and working on her business. And using every minute of the day effectively – she’s often working away in the passenger seat while I’m behind the wheel driving to a soccer game. I believe her work ethic is a direct result of her vision and confidence in her dreams. She REALLY believes anything is possible. It’s more than a cliche to her, it’s reality.

Like I said, I could keep going but I’ll move on to the experience of working on creating Lovejoy Workshop…

Sheer Determination

I mentioned that she believes anything is possible. Well, the result of that is she doesn’t hesitate to take on challenges even when it’s not clear how they will be accomplished. This is how I define determination. I’ll give you one example.

Before we began this adventure I was not very experienced with woodworking, neither of us were. Jessica believed we could build all of the furniture for the shop by ourselves. I initially was hesitant because that’s my nature, but I believed that together we could figure it out. And we did! It wasn’t easy, and we made mistakes along the way, but we stuck with it and by the time that sixth table was done, we had created a process that had cut down the time it took us to build a table from one table in two days, to three tables in one day. Determination is what got us through the youtube videos, trial and error, and challenges of learning to work with wood.

And it hasn’t just been woodworking that we’ve had to tackle. It’s also been WordPress, lease agreements, legal requirements, insurance requirements, HR, payroll, Oregon liquor control licensing, landlord requirements etc. Turns out there’s a lot of work that needs to happen to open a business!

Lovejoy Workshop | A Husband's Perspective | Small Decisions

There were thousands of moments where she could have given up along the way, where making a small decision would have made things easier, but at every step of the way, she met each challenge with positivity and determination. I believe success is in the series of small decisions we make each day, and the ability to make the right choice when no one would notice either way.

I’m sharing this with you because Jessica is the reason I believe in this business 100%.

Skeptomistic

My nature is to be “skeptomistic”, which I define as skeptically optimistic. By nature, I look for the risks, the things that could go wrong, the obstacles, and the challenges. I’m more numbers oriented and less creative. This is why Jessica and I balance each other out, and why I love working with her. Many couples, even happily married couples, have a hard time working together, but we somehow balance each other out and work well together.

So I’m looking forward to continuing this adventure we’ve embarked on together. And I’m happy that she will be sharing her creativity, her vision, her positivity, and her love, with all those who visit Lovejoy Workshop. Because if there’s one thing this world needs more of, it’s love! Our hope is that you come to a class at Lovejoy Workshop, have a fantastic experience, and leave with a piece for your home that will spread love and joy in your family.

To learn more about our journey, check out our About Us page on our website.

6 Responses

  1. You are a wonderful couple we love so much. Wishing you both the best best. Wish we could have more time together.

  2. Linc, I loved reading this. Thank you for sharing these insights and loving Jessica every day. You two make an awesome team!

  3. I wish you two and your family more happiness and success than you can imagine.
    All my love and best wishes,
    Kari

  4. Wow! Hard to put into words how beautiful this post is! I am so proud of both of you! Love you both and those adorable children!

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