Meet Erin Chmelik of Tribe Creative Co. in Salida

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Chmelik.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Erin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
For a long time, I was going through the motions, walking the path that I thought I was supposed to take. I realize now that this was in part because of societal conditioning and in part because I really didn’t think I had the power to take life by the reigns and forge my own path.

For a long long time, I trudged through, taking corporate job after corporate job trying to somehow close the gap between who I was, what I wanted and what I was actually doing in my life. I didn’t think I had any option other than working jobs, pretending that I wanted to climb so sort of ladder to… what, I wasn’t exactly sure.

So, I let myself be miserable for many years, sometimes working jobs that had me at a desk for almost 60 hours a week with very little if any positive company culture to boot.

And I knocked on A LOT of doors. I even applied to get my Ph.D. at one point thinking that perhaps a life of education, research and writing was what I was destined for. Truth is I just wanted so badly to be out of the darkness that was my current career path.

Eventually, a light shone in. I was hired to work for an Australian company that had just opened an office in Denver. I would be their first Product Manager. A position that I was actually pretty stoked on. It was technical and creative and I was literally working on different things every day and wearing lots of hats.

Nine months in I was given the opportunity to go over to Sydney and work from their main headquarters for a year. Without hesitation, I said “Yes!” And that’s when everything really changed for me. I finally felt like what I wanted in my life (travel, new experiences, new surroundings) and what I had in life were starting to match up.

In the course of the next two years, I was living a full-time digital nomad lifestyle. Working from Bali, New Zealand, Malaysia, Colombia and absolutely loving every minute of it. It was a dream come true: minimal belongings, exploring new cultures and doing it all while working full-time for a company.

Eventually, I would find my way back to Denver in late 2016 to what I would describe as culture and lifestyle shock. I didn’t quite know how to live now that I wasn’t traveling from place to place every few months. And it was a tough transition, trying to meet people and feeling like my life ideals didn’t quite match up with those working a regular corporate job in the city.

But what was really troubling me wouldn’t quite come to the surface until early 2017. Turns out I had been lying to myself for a while. Using the mask of “I get to work from anywhere!” to justify my dissatisfaction with my work. And at the core of this dissatisfaction was the fact that I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore. I didn’t want my 40 hours a week to be 100% focused on supporting someone else’s dream and vision. I wanted to do my own thing.

Cue: major meltdown.

I had NO clue what that even looked like. I came from a family of people who for the most part support and encourage the “traditional” path. I had very few entrepreneurial role models and at the time very few friends who were doing their own thing.

But I just knew. I would never be happy if I stayed the course I was on and so I started taking little action by little action to try to figure out what my own path would look like. I knew I still wanted to be “location independent” and I knew I wanted to really feel connected to the people I was working with.

So, with my limited tech and design background, I started building websites for friends on the side while working full-time. I started putting aside every penny I possibly could, even driving Lyft for a period of time. And I began working on creating a website design business.

And here I am about a year and a half later. I ended up getting let go from my job – a major blessing from the Universe. It was clear it was time for me to go all in and launch my website design business officially.

I can honestly say I’ve never, not once looked back. Diving into running my own business has allowed me the space to learn (every day!), has put me in touch with some of the most incredible women-owned businesses and most importantly has allowed me to literally live a life I once dreamt of.

I now live in a small mountain town in Colorado called Salida. Where I have the most amazing workspace at home that I look forward to creating in every day. I go on lunchtime mountain bike rides, meditate down by the river and spend as much time as possible staring at the beautiful surroundings.

I have a pillow in my living room that I bought way back when I working 60 hours a week and miserable at my job. It says “Live the life you’ve imagined.” Even then, I knew there was more to this one and precious life. I have people come over who ask me “What is the life you imagined?” and every time I have to pinch myself when I get to say “This one.”

Has it been a smooth road?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. I worked a lot of jobs I disliked that made me feel like I didn’t fit in because I wasn’t content commuting an hour to and from work to sit at a desk all day, I didn’t care about promotions and climbing the ladder. But each and every one of these experiences was part of this journey. In their own way they contributed to the drive and motivation I wake up with every day that gives me the fuel I need to continue to cultivate an amazing lifestyle.

As far as starting my own business. There have definitely been struggles but I’d rather call them “learning experiences.” Whether it be a difficult client or figuring out how to pay yourself and manage your income and taxes.

I think the biggest struggle is letting go of the limiting beliefs that don’t serve you anymore when you make a big transition to something like working for yourself. I had to do A LOT of inner work to even believe that self-employment could be sustainable and abundant. But even so, every day I work on not comparing myself to others in the industry, to not putting down my skill set and rather believing that I have everything I need right now. And I’m exactly where I’m meant to be in my journey right now.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tribe Creative Co. – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My company is called Tribe Creative Co. We are a creative collective of women-owned businesses who support each other through referrals, collaboration, and community.

My expertise is in Website Design & Development but the partners we work with specialize in everything from SEO to Branding & Graphic design to Digital Marketing and Videography.

Tribe Creative Co. specializes in working with women-owned businesses or what we like to call “soulful entrepreneurs” who are out there serving their communities in a healthy and vibrant way. This ranges from life coaches and health coaches to yoga instructors and bodyworkers to personal trainers and healthy restaurants.

I created this business as a collective because I knew I didn’t want to be in this alone and I also wanted to support other women who were trying to do their own thing as well. It’s been amazing having these wonderful women to send clients to and know you can trust they are going to get an amazing experience. It’s also been amazing just to have different creative minds to bounce ideas off of.

Tribe Creative Co. was really founded on the principle that community and collaboration are 2 keys to success. I think what sets us apart is that we don’t focus so much on our offerings, we focus on creating a collaborative and community focused environment for ourselves and our clients. This can range from doing community events around optimizing your online presence to collaborating on webinars and blog posts.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
What I love about Salida, CO is that it is truly a community. Everyone supports everyone and you get to see that impact so much more when you live in a town where almost every business is a small business.

The reason I moved to Salida is that I could feel this amazing entrepreneurial spirit and that’s what I wanted to be surrounded by.

I also LOVE that the outdoors are literally out my back door. I can ride my bike to the mountain to go biking. I can walk down to the river and get my fill of nature so easily.

If there is anything I don’t love about Salida, its the lack of food choices. 🙂

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tribecreative.co
• Email: erin@tribecreative.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tribecreativeco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tribecreativeco/

Image Credit:
Bicycle images and desk (workspace images) Beth Johnston @yellowfeather

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.