Before I say anything else, I want to applaud your entrepreneurial spirit. The pandemic wreaked havoc on women in the workforce, and I’m so heartened to see you trying to turn that into a business of your own. I believe with all my heart that entrepreneurship is the most effective way for women to achieve economic independence, and everything that goes with it.
(No, this isn't going to be where I try to sign you on to join my scheme.) Today, I am a success coach and a motivational speaker. I love making a difference in people’s lives and guiding them to become the best version of themselves. I am so very happy with my career, however, just a few short years before I became a success coach, I was in a pyramid scheme.
What if you could make your own dreams of success come true AND be a loving mother to your children all at the same time?Yes, it's not easy. Balancing a career and motherhood is a challenge for many modern-day females. Moms aren't only expected to be caretakers of their children; they continue to be subjected to gender stereotypes, and they take on so much unpaid labor while also being under a lot of pressure to succeed and be able to provide for their families. But it's not impossible. Let me tell you how I made it all happen.
For many young adult Americans, the struggle is real: the seemingly endless cycle of living from paycheck to paycheck, working multiple jobs to pay off debt, and all the bills piling up. This is something I myself had struggled with. Before I created www.itsemily.com, I was counting pennies and wondering how I'd put food on my own table. But I knew it wasn't the way I wanted to live, and I worked hard to make my situation better. Eventually, I turned my whole life around and made my first million at the age of 26. I often get asked how I made this happen. Well, to tell you how I did it, I have to go right back to where it all started.
Have you ever felt like you have to compromise between making money and pursuing your passion in life?Maybe it's led you to make decisions that weren't in full alignment with you really are—the true essence of your soul. Maybe you feel stuck doing work that no longer lights you up or that you feel aligned with?I know how you feel; I have been there myself.
We're living through an unprecedented time. It's scary, but I've been here. I started my career working for design firms in 1993, then added a side venture in the mid-90s, a custom kid's bed linen business that I ran for 10 years. In the late 90s, I added a second moonlighting layer (because who needs a social life in their 20s): smaller, then bigger interior design projects in whatever waking hours I had. In 2004, I got an opportunity from one of those side clients to launch my own interior design firm. It took a nagging gut instinct to make the leap, but I'm grateful that I said yes.
I was heading down a dead-end path to nowhere. One night in February of 2019, I came home from my posh bowling birthday bash to depleted funds and depleted ambition. Drained by the idea that after all these years of living on this earth, not only was I not happy, but I also didn't seem to be moving or growing in the direction I'd always envisioned for myself. Since I was always raised to make a difference and not put limitations on myself, why had I succumbed to my circumstances? Why was I leveraging my time with men for money? Was I only here on earth to be a sex fantasy prop that any man could pick up and put down at will?
Have you ever wondered what makes the risky business of entrepreneurship so enticing for immigrants? As an immigrant entrepreneur who also happens to be the child of two immigrant entrepreneurs, I've noticed that the mindsets, habits and values practiced by immigrants largely contribute to their overall success as entrepreneurs.
COVID-19's impact on the world economy was virtually impossible to predict and fully prepare for. Governments balancing citizens' immediate health and safety vs. their financial needs resulted in emergency regulations that have hurt businesses world-wide. Today, the cannabis industry is considered essential, but as we entrepreneurs know, operating any business is a challenge. The entrepreneurial spirit burns brightly in tough times as we constantly look for ways to survive and improve our business while overcoming hardships
I built my beauty brand, Frilliance, off of my YouTube following. At the time I launched Frilliance, I had around 500,000 subscribers. My other social media channels were not as strong as my YouTube following, so I leveraged that platform in particular both to launch my brand and leading up to the launch. Through my videos, I encouraged my subscribers to join the email, text, and Instagram for Frilliance. I didn't want to rely on my YouTube channel as my only way to market and sell Frilliance.
Since the controversial flood of the #blackouttuesday black squares on Instagram, newly-inspired social media activists have been grappling with how to contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement in a productive and authentic way. In addition to protesting, signing petitions, and donating to various organizations, social media has risen as an essential platform to share useful information and promote self-education.
Growing up, I always wanted to work in a profession where I could help people. My dedication to health, wellness, and helping others was instilled in me through my grandmother, who my family refers to as Grandma Clover. Hearing the stories of how Grandma Clover was always around to provide a helping hand to those in need made me realize my own passion for helping those experiencing sickness and pain. This is how I began my journey to become a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit nurse.
Since starting my entrepreneurship journey almost three years ago, running my own PR agency from all over the world, my weekends disappeared. I replaced brunch and lazy mornings with crafting media pitches, strategies, and research. Sure, I enjoyed my weekends and did fun things, but work was still a priority. When you are a business owner, the stakes are high, and taking a full day off (let alone two) seems wrong. There is always something more that can be done and life becomes an endless cycle of to-do lists. Then COVID-19 disrupted the world
I have a confession: I've never really enjoyed working for other people. Why? Well, for starters, I'm selfish. If there's a final bite of shared dessert on the plate, I'll eat it. If I go even one day without hitting the gym, I'm resentful. Once the coffee is made, I pour myself a cup of coffee before I offer it to my husband. I hoard time the way others hoard possessions. I'm selfish with my thoughts. I like to be alone. Sometimes, I stick my daughter in front of a cartoon just so I can hear myself think.
Organic growth has made all the difference for my company. Since its start in 2010, Fresh n' Lean has delivered more than 7.2 million organic meals that are free of pesticides, hormones, GMOs, and other additives. The business itself has grown organically, too, without the help of any outside capital.
Having a successful career and a happy home life can prove to be a difficult goal for a lot of working mothers, but Yale-educated and Columbia-trained plastic surgeon Dr. Lara Devgan proves that through determination, hard work, and a lot of organization, working moms really can have the best of both worlds.
You're exhausted. You've been at this project for hours on end, and nothing seems to be working. The copy is stuck. The title is a big fail. And for some reason, you can't think of one brilliant, funny, or even semi-not-cringe-worthy to say to your audience.
Fulfilling responsibilities in your personal life is already complicated enough, but for entrepreneurs who never seem to clock in and out of work, finding the time and energy to devote to loved ones, while staying on top of work responsibilities, can elicit an overwhelming feeling of guilt that quickly deteriorates your mental health.