Where did the "Door 3" brand come from?

I’m sharing the story here because the name "Door 3" was chosen very intentionally. It has dual meaning that is important personally and professionally. 

The personal story is that my father was a teacher, and during the summers he worked as a handyman, carpenter, and painter. I would tag along with him as a small child, and he would often purchase lumber and supplies at Millard Lumber. At the time, the historic lumberyard on Millard Avenue was still standing, and at checkout, customers were directed to a specific “door” to pick up orders in the yard. Most of our supplies came from Door 3. Those days inspired my entrepreneurial pursuits & love of building projects.

The second meaning is the inspiration for my tag line, “What’s behind door #3?”

As we become overwhelmed, stressed, burned out, and even traumatized – our thinking becomes stagnant. Our vision becomes limited, often trapping us into thinking that we only have limited options – the current state and one alternative. Or perhaps two alternative, opposing solutions to a problem. 

I’ve struggled with limiting beliefs and thought patterns throughout my life and career, and only after making many, many mistakes have I been forced to develop a different approach - generating many potential solutions, testing them, refining them, and trusting the process to lead me to the decisions that align with my values. The question “What’s behind door #3?” reminds me to brainstorm, iterate, and change course when I feel stuck, and to help others get out of limiting beliefs and thought patterns by sharing these methods in strategy & planning work.