My Name is Dawn. I’m a 37 year old dealer…..I’ve been a dealer on and off for over 14 years. I kinda fell into it while I was in between jobs….not something I ever intended to be….not something I ever thought…yeah, I want to be a dealer when I grow up. I never even considered it….it wasn’t one of those categories on those career pickers we all filled out in High School. But here I am and I’m pretty good at it if I do say so myself.

No, no, no…it’s not what you’re all thinking…..I work in a casino....gotcha though, didn’t I??? I used to get the biggest kick out of that when I first started….the inevitable question that’s suppose to define us all….”What do you do for a living?” “I’m a dealer” The looks that you get are hysterical. I don’t pull that too much these days, it’s not quite so funny anymore.

I live in Biloxi, MS….never thought I’d end up here. I dreamed of California and the Pacific Ocean….Florida and the balmy keys. I moved here in 91’ after I graduated from college with a degree in Biology….It’s amazing, I have a degree in Biology and can’t remember the genus, species of a rat…! Anyway, I like it down here…..at least I did until last August, 29^th. I’m going to go into all the Hurricane Katrina stuff, and there’s plenty of it. But I’ll tell ya….living though something like that, and I do mean living though it, (yes, I stayed) gives you a new perspective on things. I decided, after the shock of it all, that although dealing pays the bills….it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’ve always known that…but Katrina makes you remember that life is too short to get stuck in a rut.

Which brings me to, in a round about way, to how I started my own business. It wasn’t intentional…..it just kind of happened. I’d always gotten compliments on my creations. I decided to make a couple of extra bucks by making lanyards for the name badges we have to wear at work. I was always almost forgetting to bring it and my gaming badge to work, which was a big no-no. So, I figured I’d wear it around my neck. So, I beaded a lanyard. Then others wanted one, so I made more. Then I saw an ad in the Sunday Paper for a Arts and Crafts Show and I thought…hmmmm. That’s when I jumped in with both feet.

I had no idea what I was doing or getting myself into. Well, I’m 3 months in now and doing pretty well. I’m still way in the hole, but trying to make a name for myself in a very competitive area. I still have a lot to learn about what I’m doing, and I’ve made mistakes and learned from them too, but, I actually love what I’m doing.

Am I still dealing???? Yeah, for now, I need the insurance.