Career and business experiences are essential in every person’s life today. If you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, your career and business experience is what investors want to see. Your experiences helps them determine if they want to invest in you. When starting out, we can easily become discouraged. There are many unknown rivers and valleys of leaping from an employee status to becoming an entrepreneur, independent contractor and business owner. Here’s my story about how I got started.
My Story About How I Started My Career/Business
My parents worked for the government and retired with their pensions. They encouraged me to get a government job after my daughter was born. Having a government job created a sense of financial stability, benefits and pension. However, I did not want my career to end with a government pension. I wanted to learn, grow, and explore my options, before reaching the age of 62 (or retirement).
After my divorced, I raised my daughter as a single mom. Determining my purpose in life was very important. However, finding my voice as a single mother, was equally important. When I found out that I could not retire until I was either 62 or 65, I was very upset. It was not an easy pill to swallow listening to someone plan out my life before I could live it. Being place in an income range with limitations was very uncomfortable.
So, I decided to take a leap. Taking that leap required extra work. However, the knowledge, experiences, and growth I learned along the way are priceless. Every day I wake up enjoying my life, with no regrets. I started out in one of the largest social service government agencies in the USA. NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) – Family Independence Administration gave my family stability, resources and benefits. As the Director of the Office of Technology Based Training at NYC Human Resources Administration, I felt the need to explore more, so I resigned and never looked back.
Starting with a Side Hustle…
Many entrepreneurs start out with a “side hustle.” My side hustle was selling Avon… that’s right, I was an Avon representative. I sold Avon products to my co-workers, neighbors, church members, and my mother’s job. My sales pitch was a simple conversation and sharing the Avon magazine/catalog. Selling Avon part-time allowed me to explore a different career path of owning my own business. When my daughter was a little girl, my apartment was filled with Avon products and orders to be packed.
Its great to be recognized for your achievements. I received many Avon awards and the Avon Miss Arby statues. These awards enabled me to receive an interview in a NY Times article. My Avon side hustle was a great second income; I was able to refurnished my apartment, put my daughter in private school and put my entire paycheck from my government job in the bank. The joy I experienced from my side hustle was seeing people happy.
As a matter of fact, I went out of my way just to see their happiness. If there was a new Avon fragrance product, I shared it with my customers at work, my neighbors and church members. I even gave them free samples, with an opportunity to get more. Everyone loves to be acknowledged and recognized. So, during the special times of the year I acknowledged all of my customers with a small token of my appreciation.
From Employee to Business Owner
After many years, I took a leap and left my good government job at NYC HRA. I became a self-employed trainer and technical writing consultant. I conducted training and personal development for several government agencies including: NYC Small Business Services, Financial Information Services Agency, NYC Board of Education, Administration for Children Services, and NYC HRA. With an extensive background in technical writing, proposal writing, curricula development, and workflow designs; my experiences gave me the unique ability to interface seamlessly with government, corporate, non-profit agencies and small businesses.
There was an enormous amount of joy I received in my new career. Eventually I found it necessary to become a Certified Professional Coach and an Energy Leadership Master Practitioner with iPEC Coaching and the International Coach Federation. Now, I share my life experiences to support other women create the life style they desire.
Did you know that you could reinvent your life? Its never too late! However, sometimes we need to look within and see if there is some healing required from our past before launching a new business or new career. If you believe you are ready to heal your heart, find your voice and live a happy life, I can help you. I discovered the joy of living a phenomenal lifestyle and help other women do the same. Click here to learn more about Phenomenal Lifestyle.
Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit?
The entrepreneurial spirit was in me for many years. As a young girl, I watched my Dad as he sold lingerie, perfumes he purchased from the garment industry wholesale stores and saw the smile on his face as he talked about his side hustle with my Mom. My government job placed limitations on how I could be of service, to acknowledge and recognize people I see every day, including my job and community.
However, the internet enables us to reach out to people all around the world. I knew I found my passion and happiness as an entrepreneur, because I simply inhaled and exhaled the joy from the experience of serving others. It was the gratitude I experienced from the opportunity that they invited me to share with them and I simply kept repeating it. Social media enables me to stay in touch with family and friends throughout the USA and in my travels. Facebook also enables me to connect with you.
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