A friend had asked me to guest blog on his finance blog a few months back and I decided I'd share the posts with you here.
It's some decent life advice & a little more about me.
(Apologies this has zero to do with dating)
Write about your experience as a millennial/female entrepreneur. Why you did it, challenges you have faced, and how you make it work.
What do you do when...you've just graduated college, can't find a job that doesn't make you wanna gouge your eyes out AND your students loans are due?
You get creative or you get desperate.
First, I was desperate. I took a job working retail that I vowed I would only do for 6 months while applying for "real" jobs. I desperately needed some $$ in the door to start paying Wells Fargo for my insanely expensive, out of state education. (PS if you are going take loans, do yourself a favor and go to a state school)
Anyways, at month five I had a $300 paycheck for 80 hours worth of work and I had to make a change. I had been promoted to a stylist during my short duration (thank you sense of style and people skills) so I emailed my best client and said, "I have to get out of here, do you know anyone who needs a personal assistant?" She replied a few minutes later, "yes, I think we could. Come meet my husband on Monday."
I drove 45 minutes to my clients house, stepped foot in the most beautiful home, chatted with my client and her husband for 20 minutes and before you know it, I had a new job. "Let's do 15 hours a week at $20 an hour...don't quit your retail gig."
First thing I did was drive to the store I worked at and hand in my notice. 15 hours a week at $20 an hour was $300 a week for 25 less hours of work. THANK GOD!
My first day on the job my task was to organize my clients closet. I went to the container store and as I was returning in the elevator a neighbor asked me if I was moving in. I told her I wasn't and that I was a professional organizer working on someone's closet in the building. She quickly exclaimed, "OMG I need you, do you have a card?!" I quickly stammered, "No, they are all in my car but let me write down my contact information and we can set up a consult for next week!"
A business was born and I hadn't even finished day 1! I quickly created business cards, overnighted them to myself, filed LLC paperwork and bam, my business was born.
I went from barely paying my bills to thriving in the span of 24 hours.
How did I do it?
Some would like to give luck the credit but that couldn't be further from the truth.
1. Work ethic. I worked my ass of at that retail job and I stood out as a salesperson, had I slacked and felt sorry for myself, I wouldn't have met my first client who gave me my start.
2. Timing. You never know when your big break will be so just keep doing things to push yourself in the right direction.
3. Thinking on my feet, always. When I first started my business, I had never organized a closet or professionally planned a party but I never let anyone know it was my first time. You learn by experience so I did everything to the best of my ability and just kept building on that. I never let my clients see my sweat and I always put 100% effort in. At first when my business had just taken off, my assistant and I worked every single weekend to keep up with the demand. You do what you have to do.
4. Positive thinking. I have always envisioned myself as a successful, entrepreneur who had the ability to create her own schedule and plan beautiful events. I never envisioned a life spent in a cubicle and thus, I haven't lived that life since my college intern days. You have to think and dream big. You are really your only obstacle in life.
5. Listen. People will tell you what they need. Listen to what that is and then learn to anticipate their needs before they realize they need it. Become an asset to your organization/client. The easiest way to achieve that is to listen.
January 20th marked five years of being a successful business owner. I am four months away from paying off a massive student loan 100%(this article is old so now you know, THAT SHIT IS PAID), I own the car I've always wanted, I live in a desirable location and I no longer live paycheck to paycheck. It has been extremely scary at times but there is nothing quite like the thrill of paving your own path.
To those of you who are thinking about starting your own gig - it's not for everyone. If you don't handle stress, rejection, and instability well - then stick with a more mainstream career. No path is better than the other. It's crucial to know your strengths and weaknesses and be honest with yourself. For example, I know I am not a morning person thus I avoid really early meetings. I'd rather work until 7/8pm than start my day at 7am and that is OK.
-----------
The second post I wrote for him will be up next week so stay tuned.
xo xo,
Elle
It's some decent life advice & a little more about me.
(Apologies this has zero to do with dating)
Write about your experience as a millennial/female entrepreneur. Why you did it, challenges you have faced, and how you make it work.
What do you do when...you've just graduated college, can't find a job that doesn't make you wanna gouge your eyes out AND your students loans are due?
You get creative or you get desperate.
First, I was desperate. I took a job working retail that I vowed I would only do for 6 months while applying for "real" jobs. I desperately needed some $$ in the door to start paying Wells Fargo for my insanely expensive, out of state education. (PS if you are going take loans, do yourself a favor and go to a state school)
Anyways, at month five I had a $300 paycheck for 80 hours worth of work and I had to make a change. I had been promoted to a stylist during my short duration (thank you sense of style and people skills) so I emailed my best client and said, "I have to get out of here, do you know anyone who needs a personal assistant?" She replied a few minutes later, "yes, I think we could. Come meet my husband on Monday."
I drove 45 minutes to my clients house, stepped foot in the most beautiful home, chatted with my client and her husband for 20 minutes and before you know it, I had a new job. "Let's do 15 hours a week at $20 an hour...don't quit your retail gig."
First thing I did was drive to the store I worked at and hand in my notice. 15 hours a week at $20 an hour was $300 a week for 25 less hours of work. THANK GOD!
My first day on the job my task was to organize my clients closet. I went to the container store and as I was returning in the elevator a neighbor asked me if I was moving in. I told her I wasn't and that I was a professional organizer working on someone's closet in the building. She quickly exclaimed, "OMG I need you, do you have a card?!" I quickly stammered, "No, they are all in my car but let me write down my contact information and we can set up a consult for next week!"
A business was born and I hadn't even finished day 1! I quickly created business cards, overnighted them to myself, filed LLC paperwork and bam, my business was born.
I went from barely paying my bills to thriving in the span of 24 hours.
How did I do it?
Some would like to give luck the credit but that couldn't be further from the truth.
1. Work ethic. I worked my ass of at that retail job and I stood out as a salesperson, had I slacked and felt sorry for myself, I wouldn't have met my first client who gave me my start.
2. Timing. You never know when your big break will be so just keep doing things to push yourself in the right direction.
3. Thinking on my feet, always. When I first started my business, I had never organized a closet or professionally planned a party but I never let anyone know it was my first time. You learn by experience so I did everything to the best of my ability and just kept building on that. I never let my clients see my sweat and I always put 100% effort in. At first when my business had just taken off, my assistant and I worked every single weekend to keep up with the demand. You do what you have to do.
4. Positive thinking. I have always envisioned myself as a successful, entrepreneur who had the ability to create her own schedule and plan beautiful events. I never envisioned a life spent in a cubicle and thus, I haven't lived that life since my college intern days. You have to think and dream big. You are really your only obstacle in life.
5. Listen. People will tell you what they need. Listen to what that is and then learn to anticipate their needs before they realize they need it. Become an asset to your organization/client. The easiest way to achieve that is to listen.
January 20th marked five years of being a successful business owner. I am four months away from paying off a massive student loan 100%(this article is old so now you know, THAT SHIT IS PAID), I own the car I've always wanted, I live in a desirable location and I no longer live paycheck to paycheck. It has been extremely scary at times but there is nothing quite like the thrill of paving your own path.
To those of you who are thinking about starting your own gig - it's not for everyone. If you don't handle stress, rejection, and instability well - then stick with a more mainstream career. No path is better than the other. It's crucial to know your strengths and weaknesses and be honest with yourself. For example, I know I am not a morning person thus I avoid really early meetings. I'd rather work until 7/8pm than start my day at 7am and that is OK.
-----------
The second post I wrote for him will be up next week so stay tuned.
xo xo,
Elle
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