This blog post will challenge you in a way that differs from my previous posts. Entrepreneurship is not just about making your dream come to fruition and establishing financial freedom. Self reflection throughout the journey is the key to sustainability. I am going to discuss a few things I feel are important to keep at the forefront of your mind.
There will be uncertainty, so much uncertainty. Learning to trust yourself is apart of the growth process. Failure tests whether or not you really want it. Failure also reveals whether or not you have Grit, which I’ll get into later.
During 2016 and some of 2017 I was in a creative dead zone, struggling to rediscover what fueled me, when people didn't believe in me, after I started Black Davis Management. Looking back , although it was a very rough time it showed me that no matter what happens with Black Davis Management I was never meant to build someone else’s dream.
Are you able to embrace failures, turbulence and a slow start?
All memes aside, even though that one had a huge impact on my when I first scrolled past it. Now in September of 2018, I have had Black Davis Management for almost 3 years and my entrepreneurial journey has taken so many unexpected turns. As a professional digital marketer by day, you would think it would be easy to launch and maintain a marketing business, think again. When I moved to LA, from Silicon Valley, it was not easy, as my 2nd city completely on my own, it proved very hard to break back into the corporate world after working on my own business for a year. I had to truly hustle, swallow my pride and work at places like the post office until the right role came along because being an entrepreneur is mostly seen as threat to most people including employers, rather than an asset, despite all the job postings that say “entrepreneurial mindset”. By far this was the 2nd roughest time in my life, it showed me all you really have is yourself and drive to make it.
I came to a crossroads after being in LA for a while and seeing how the “entertainment” industry functioned. It’s cutthroat and almost impossible to make money from, when starting out, and that wasn’t going to work for me as a business woman, it just didn’t pencil out. So I decided to cut the talent agency arm of Black Davis Management and focus on what I love and am good at, digital marketing. I have to admit I felt like a failure for not seeing some of the mistakes I made, money and time I wasted when I started out but I can see now its all apart of the process. I completely redid my website and launched “Millennial’s Guide to Business” which was the first step in bringing the vision back into focus.
Reinvention is apart of the process
Now even after getting a few 9-5s in digital marketing in LA, I can still feel something missing. The roles I have been getting require so much of me and my time. This called into question whether or not I wanted to stay in leadership. Although leadership typically means more money and responsibility, which is the goal right? Wrong, I discovered the more leadership in the role the farther I am getting away from the marketing and the creative. I actually want to do the work and continue to hone my craft.
There will never be a perfect position but I believe there is a day job out there that will allow me to learn, network, exhibit my talents and leave room for my businesses. Yes, Businesses plural lol. This is where we turn right on the entrepreneurial journey. While working at an agency I realized my interest in building my own e-commerce business.
I have been managing e-commerce stores and their marketing for years now and I asked myself “why am I not doing this for me?” So in true millennial fashion, I went for it! I built 2 drop-shipping e-commerce stores from scratch on Shopify in 1.5 weeks. Athlexis.com and Alexandnolan.com represent reinvention of the same goal: financial independence, my love for marketing and establishing multiple streams of income. It’s hard sometimes to recognize your own talents, especially when you’re a perfectionist, and now after building 3 websites on 2 different platforms all on my own, I have to say I think I am pretty good at this tech stuff. At 28, I feel like I am just now realizing the meaning of know your worth and add tax.
Do you have Grit?
What is Grit? Well in my opinion it is the ability to reinvent, believe and never give up on yourself. I do not know everything by any means but I do know that I am meant for greatness. Greatness to me means the ability to live life the way I want to, take care of my family and see the world. Being an entrepreneur is the only way, for me, that I will achieve those goals so that means never giving up on my businesses. Despite the tumultuous and lonely road it can be, I truly believe I see the world in a unique way and that is what sets me apart. The closest people to you will try to discourage you, won't support you when you feel they should, or simply don’t get it but to me that just means I am on to something.
So what does this all mean, “Visionary or Masochist?” I think the answer is both because you have to be a little bit crazy to be a business owner. There are so many hours of work , research, stress and creation that people do not see but you can’t try to convince anyone. Your only responsibility on this journey is to yourself, never lose sight of why you started and make sure you are still finding joy in the work. In the words of the ever controversial Colin Kaepernick Nike campaign, “Just Do it!” There is never a perfect time to execute that idea, build that company or design that website.
I would love to hear your stories, feel free to chat with me in the comments or by email.