The FULL Story on How I Became a Full Time Entrepreneur

Key Concepts

• Freelancing and creative entrepreneurship
• Side hustling and saving income
• Building relationships and long-term value
• Taking calculated risks and leaps of faith
• The importance of a safety net
• Valuing your skills and setting appropriate rates
• The role of mentorship and collaboration

Early Influences and the "Steal Like an Artist" Book

The speaker credits her college boyfriend, Nate, a freelance graphic designer, with introducing her to the concept of freelancing and creative entrepreneurship. He gave her the book "Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon, which she describes as life-changing. The book opened her eyes to the possibility of making money from creative pursuits. This book is short and sweet and can be read in an hour.

YouTube and the First Consulting Opportunity

Inspired by the book, the speaker started taking her YouTube channel more seriously, developing a content schedule and focusing on SEO-friendly topics. She created a video reviewing an industry website, which led to an unexpected consulting opportunity. A man from Paris contacted her after watching the video, asking her to consult on a similar website he was developing.

Building a Long-Term Client Relationship

Initially skeptical, the speaker, encouraged by Nate, took the Skype call. This single call evolved into a three-to-four-year consulting engagement. She helped the client build their influencer marketing strategy, create a community of over 20,000 influencers, host events in New York and LA, and build a team of four people in the US. The client also had a large team in Paris.

Valuing Skills and Starting Slow

The speaker emphasizes the importance of starting slow and building relationships. She initially charged a low rate (around $100 for the first consulting call) because she lacked confidence in her skills and wanted to prove her value. She advises against maximizing rates immediately, especially when starting, and highlights the value of long-term relationships over short-term gains. She felt she needed to prove herself to the client and vice versa.

Transitioning to Full-Time Freelancing

After some hourly projects, the client offered her a full-time position, which she declined. Instead, she negotiated a 20-hour-a-week contract and hired a friend, Kelsey, to help her. This allowed her to leverage her time and provide an opportunity for someone else. She also worked a GM job with weird hours (5-11 PM or 4-11 PM) to supplement her income.

The Turning Point: A Personal Loss

The unexpected death of her father at age 51 in December 2018 served as a turning point. It prompted her to re-evaluate her life and career. She realized she didn't want to spend her life in a cubicle and decided to take a leap of faith and pursue freelancing full-time. She gave her employer a generous notice period and left her job in April.

Financial Preparation and Risk Assessment

The speaker stresses the importance of saving money from side hustles and not spending it frivolously. She had saved around $20,000 from her freelancing income, which provided a six-month safety net. She acknowledges that she wasn't making as much from freelancing as from her full-time job when she quit. She advises against waiting for the side hustle to surpass the full-time income, as it can be a difficult goal to achieve.

Calculated Risk and the Leap of Faith

The decision to quit her job was a combination of a calculated risk and a leap of faith. She did the math and estimated that with more time dedicated to freelancing, she could potentially outpace her full-time income. The death of her father reinforced the idea that life is short and that it's important to pursue one's passions.

Key Quotes

• "Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon is a book that "changed my life" and opened her eyes to creative entrepreneurship.
• "If you are making more than you need, stop spending money... Put that money in a bank account."
• "I think there is a part of it that just has to be a leap of faith or, or a math problem."
• "Life is short. So I wanna spend that time going for it and finding out rather than doing the safe thing."

Technical Terms and Concepts

• Freelancing: Working independently and offering services to clients on a contract basis.
• Creative Entrepreneurship: Making money from creative pursuits.
• SEO-friendly topics: Topics that are optimized for search engines.
• Influencer Marketing: A type of marketing that involves collaborating with influencers to promote products or services.
• Side Hustle: A part-time job or business undertaken in addition to one's primary employment.
• High Yield Bank Account: A savings account that offers a higher interest rate than traditional savings accounts.

Logical Connections

The speaker's journey is presented as a series of interconnected events. The "Steal Like an Artist" book inspired her to take YouTube seriously, which led to the consulting opportunity. The consulting opportunity allowed her to build skills and save money, which ultimately enabled her to take the leap into full-time freelancing. The death of her father served as a catalyst, pushing her to pursue her passions and take a calculated risk.

Conclusion

The speaker's story is a testament to the power of creative entrepreneurship, the importance of building relationships, and the value of taking calculated risks. She emphasizes the need to start slow, value your skills, and save money. Her journey highlights the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and the willingness to take a leap of faith in pursuit of one's passions.