Moving and reinstating your business elsewhere!

Ok, so maybe I am jumping the gun, but my husband has been asked to consider a job on the other side of the states(blah), not sure if we are moving yet, but I am just going through all the thoughts of what it would take. Have any of you had an established business in one state and then had to start all over in another? How did it go? I am kind of bummed because I feel I have really started to establish a good reputation, and have alot of repeat gigs even after only being in business for a little over a year. I don't really want to move, but I will support my husband in whatever he decides(with my input, but I am not going to stifle his career).

Linda, (I know you are Lucinda) I am in the same boat, i am a military wife, I spend 1 year just trying to bill a "good will" and then when I am ready to harvest my hard work I have to leave, in my case I got to follow the "money maker" or the bread winner = my husband, I am so sad to leave the place where I feel so important for the community and every body calls me "the amazing face painter"
( I am the only one) but I am looking forward for my next country, and I am very clear in my mind how I am going to start over again(sad) but I think the experience is my super power (hope they are no many competitors in my area) but when you are good ( and you are not good you are AMAZING) there will always be a bunch little fans to follow you.

I had a very established business back home after 3 years. I moved in October from South Mississippi (near New Orleans) to northwest Arkansas and had to start all over again from scratch, because I gave my partner (who was continuing the business back home) our festival setup, tables, chairs, etc. I didn't feel it was fair to her when it was our decision to move, to have to buy everything all over again, especially when she had a festival a few weeks after the move!

It was sllllloooooowww over the winter. I did Google Adwords for the new area, added the new area to GigSalad, sent out letters to any and every business in the area. I ended up doing a few birthday parties during the winter, but not many and I was really getting discouraged. So I applied for every festival I could within a 100 mile drive and set about re-doing my entire setup. I decided to make my setup as easy as possible and bought pvc to make banner frames, new canopy, tables, etc. and new banners. Did my first festival in April and we were a hit! There aren't many face painters in this area and it's wide open so I take that as a great opportunity! We were "introduced" to the community through that festival and we're now almost completely booked up through Christmas. We just did some school events where we were paid our regular hourly rates (yay!) and we're hired by the brand new mall here to face paint at our hourly rates for their Freedom Festival.

So, just hang in there if at first it seems really slow and don't get discouraged! It will get better!