When I first told my family that I was going to be my own boss, they laughed. Then after they laughed, they shook their heads and told me all of the reasons why I wouldn’t be successful. In my family, I am known as the “ditz” who said weird statements that didn’t make sense or made impulsive decisions that worried them. But that’s who I am – I take risks, and they didn’t understand what jumping into the deep end without a life vest really meant. I knew that being a business owner was not going to be easy, and it was going to be a hell of a lot more work than a typical 9 to 5 corporate job. But I knew that I have never fit into a “normal” routine. My life is made up of choatic decisions that make my life harder from the get-go. But, that’s what gets my wheels turning. Do you still think that being an entrepreneur is about sleeping in until 10:00 am, working only 3 hours a day, taking trips whenever you want, and living in luxury? Man, do I wish some days.
Want to know what my typical day is like? 5-8 calls scheduled thorughout the day, 12-15 hour days (12 if I am lucky), caffeine withdrawl, lack of eating due to distraction, daily meltdowns due to stress, etc. So you may be asking yourself, “Why does she do it?” To answer that question, I am building a reputation. I work my ass off to show people that I am worth the price they pay. I go to graduate school to earn an MBA to show my team and clients that I am a manager who can lead and make a difference. I cry every day so I don’t have a meltdown in front of someone. Instead I take a moment and let it out, and reassure myself that everything is okay. I hustle, and hustle, and hustle every day to make it keep growing.
It’s almost been 2 years since I made the leap to leave the welcoming cushion of Corporate venture into a dark tunnel with no flashlight. I was on my own. But somehow, I never gave up and still haven’t. Because I knew that I had the guts, the wit, the drive, and the tenacity to keep going. But the biggest challenge as an Entrepreneur I struggle with every day is always being there for my clients. I have to step back and realize that I am human. I cannot answer every call, text, or email within seconds of receiving it. I have to be honest with who I speak with and let them know that I only have so many hours in a day and will get back to them as soon as possible. Listen, I don’t have an Adminisrative Assistant answering emails or calls for me. I don’t have a Social Media manager or Marketing Director running my content. This is all me along with the help of a team of amazing editors and writers that fit the fingers on my hand. That’s it.
We aren’t a fancy large corporation with loads of employees who can message instantly. We are a small team of 1 full-time entrepeneur and creative freelancers who share the same passion: creativity. We all make mistakes, and will contninue to fail as we go through this journey of growing this business. Not everyone I work with will like me, and that’s okay. As long as they take what I have to say, trust my knowledge and judgment, then the results will speak for themselves. I am human, a busines owner, a woman, a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, and an entrepreneur. I do my very best to make shit happen, and I do it well. I don’t sleep well, I don’t eat enough, I don’t drink enough water, and I don’t exercise nearly as much as I should. I am not perfect, and I definitely have stuff that I can improve on. As long as you can work with me on my flaws, I guarantee that you and I will grow together.
-E