Update: Becoming My Own CEO Keeping it Real || My Story

I cannot believe it is freaking 2018 guys.  It doesn't seem like I resigned nearly 3 years ago, but here we are 3 years later and we're not living in a Shelter somewhere.  We made it!  I'm sure you didn't expect for me to say that but these past few years have been far from easy.  Very rewarding but not easy at all!  We've moved, had marital issues and even the kids struggled here and there.  It's been a hard ass 3 years but there were SO many lessons learned + even more struggles than I care to share but I will share a few.  Why?  Well I read a Blog Post over on ChasingDenisse.com about what it takes to become an Influencer Full Time.  And it made me realize that what my life may be perceived as from the outside could possibly make others who are interested in working for themselves think it's easy.  It's NOT.  So, while there have been many who have shared their "truth" about being a Blogger/Influencer, no one will have my story.  Here it goes...

In 2015, I resigned from my job as a Director of Sales & Marketing because I just had this overwhelming feeling to give more time to my family.  Loved my job but I was miserable thinking that Nannies had raised my children for the majority of their childhood.  Amazing Nannies (Sandra if you're reading this, we still love you!), but it wasn't ME.  The first few months after I resigned, I worked with a Manager to assist me in getting paid opportunities.  At the time, I was making MAYBE $600-800/month which was literally a fraction of what I made working in the corporate sector.  After a while, I realized that I couldn't afford to pay a fee to a manager when I was already bringing in so little.  Then came the real work of bringing in the money myself.  First thing I had to change was doing so much Natural Hair content because my hair was suffering.  Not because of bad products but your hair takes a beating when you're styling + manipulating it with new products almost weekly.  I had to get creative because my income was still helping to pay bills so the first thing I did was start incorporating my family more.  Whether it was styling my girls hair, sharing what brands we used around the house, what we ate, clothing... ANYTHING!  I opened life with my family up and the opportunities came in.  Notice how I say came in and not poured in.

Before Influencing Full Time (Natural Hair)

After Weekly/Bi-Weekly Natural Hair Campaigns- DAMAGED

Decided to Cut my Hair + Change Directions

Hair Began Flourishing Again

Leaving my job cut our household income in half because my husband and I almost had the same salary at the time.  It was damn hard especially living in Northern VA but we didn't want to move the family.  There were months where I had to call the Auto Loan company and ask them to push that month's payment to the end of the Loan Term.  I can't even count how many months our rent was late or how many payment plans we had to set up to keep our cellphones or cable on.  Do you know how to make $50 last a week for a family of 5?  We do!  And in the midst of all of this, we battled with keeping the child support I received for Taylor + Gregory on time + current which took a toll on our marriage.  Where was the money?  Two Words.  Net 60.

Getting paid from brands is an entirely different process than getting paid from a Corporate job mainly because it's not predictable.  The contract says they will pay you in 60 days which is already a hurdle if you need the money NOW but that's your problem, not theirs.  60 days comes + you still haven't been paid so this is where it gets sticky.  I once had a brand rep tell me that the 60 days didn't include weekends because she doesn't work weekends.  After payment was made, I had to stop working with that brand for over a year + only resumed working for them when I knew I would be dealing with a more honest rep.  I've had brands wait until the last day and THEN send the check.  Sure, late payment penalties can be added to punish the Brand for the late payment but that doesn't change the fact that your rent was due on the 1st!  These are the hard lessons I had to learn early on and no one ever shared this part with me.  Talking money + payment in the Influencer world is so hush hush unless it's to brag.  No one ever wants to share the nitty gritty and so you learn as you go.

We Know Dark Days, We Know Hard Times...

With time, came growth and with growth came more money... HALLELU!  My husband and I both saw the value in me being at home so going back to work was possible but a last resort.  There was a lot of pressure on us to figure out a better strategy + that's when I realized that I had to put my skills to work for my husband.  First, I helped him realize that he should be making WAY more at his current job.  That man is a dedicated worker, almost to a fault... he deserved.  With my encouragement, and his work ethic, he negotiated an increase that replace 50% of my previous income.  SCORE!  For a while, that did the job.  It was like a band-aid.  It wasn't long before we realized that we needed even more money if we wanted to elevate our lifestyle at all.  Nobody wants to struggle forever!  So, I became his head hunter and began applying to jobs for him and sending emails left and right.  All he needed to do was show up to the interviews and nail it.  Teamwork literally made the Dream work.

We are finally doing well financially and guess what?  It's just about time for me to head back to the corporate sector because the family is also doing well.  Didn't expect to hear that huh?  Yeah, I miss doing what I did in the hotel industry and I've been wanting to go back for some time now.  If you follow me on Instagram then you probably remember the time I went back to work for a day.  LOL.  What can I say?  I have standards and they weren't met *kanye shrug*.  But come this Fall, I should be back in someone's office making a steady bi-monthly paycheck ALONG with having a nice amount of disposable income from Blogging.

I say all this to say that while none of this would've been possible without the support + income from my husband, it was still a struggle.  We did learn a lot from those struggles but I find it my duty to share the not-so-good since I do share the good with you all.  I've received messages from Single Moms who want to quit their job and "do what I do".  No ma'am, not with those babies depending on you.  Stack your money and make a solid plan before you take any action.  Not saying you need to spend a year on this but just BE READY.  And, that can mean different things to different people depending on your lifestyle and goals.  Health Insurance is expensive.  Retirement is expensive.  Kids heading to college soon are expensive.  So, I hope my personal journey sheds a light on the hard truths about Blogging + Influencing.   If you have any specific questions, ask them below.

Let's chat later. XOXOMCS.