Becoming a Full-Time Creative Entrepreneur
Episode 365: Show Notes
Today we are talking about what it means to become a full-time creative entrepreneur. Scary thought? Maybe, but we’re here to tell you that starting your own business does not have to be the insurmountable project it is often believed to be. Yes, it can be riskier and less stable in many ways, but what we are going to tell you today is really going to surprise you, and hopefully encourage you to take the leap of faith toward becoming a full-time creative entrepreneur.
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Ultimately, our goal is for you to create for yourself not only a job but a sustainable income so that you can provide for your family while also enjoying the lifestyle you want. We share with you a bit of background about our early lives and how it shaped our desire to work for ourselves and talk about the different pressures and circumstances that influence your perspective on entrepreneurship. We also talk about getting to your success point ASAP, what you can expect in terms of free time as an entrepreneur and why this is all 100% within your reach. So, get ready for some encouraging insight!
Childhood Experiences That Sparked Our Desire for Entrepreneurship
While Abagail always had an entrepreneurial spirit, she did not feel like one until she was doing it. Emylee was the girl sitting at the end of her driveway selling all sorts of things to passersby. In elementary school, she started selling hair accessories to her friends, and this inclination is still with her today, spotting any and every opportunity to make money from something. She enjoys the competition and proving to herself and others that she can succeed at whatever she puts her mind to. Also being the first one in her family to graduate college, she did not really have a clear vision of what would happen after graduation and had to figure that out by herself. It didn’t feel right for her to go corporate either, so she knew pursuing her own thing was right. Abagail’s parents were in more “professional” positions and therefore she grew up thinking that is what it took to make it in life. Emylee’s mother inspired her to start her own venture and showed her the ropes around the basics of business.
Having Those External Pressures to Propel You Forward
Being an only child for a long time, Emylee had a lot of people supporting her and believing she could do whatever she wanted to. So, when she wanted to start her business, she had all the encouragement she needed. She dabbled in several different things before settling and finding her niche but doing her own thing was always what was best aligned with her personality. She never had a deadline, however, a timeframe in which a new endeavor would have to work out before she would look for a ‘real’ job. This was both positive and negative. Good because it gave her freedom, but bad, because it caused her not to have a real sense of urgency. It took three years for her get to a place where she was getting a solid enough income from these different pursuits, where it became a business instead of just experimenting with different opportunities. Even after deciding on photography – which is what she studied for – it still took a year and a half before she took it seriously. In her early years of being married, she also did not experience a lot of pressure to have to make serious money from her business, which put her in a comfort zone.
The Position You’re in When First Starting Your Own Business
There is usually one of two scenarios in which people start their own businesses: either you go into it with ease, knowing there is a backup plan, or you are forced into it and have to make it work. Abagail, having been laid off twice, fell into the latter category where it was a make or break matter. But then you also get those people who have full-time jobs doing what they went to school for, and yet they find themselves unfulfilled. It might be they don’t have the freedom they would like to have or they don’t like their work environment, yet, the income is reliable and gives them security. Abagail did not have that option. She worked in an industry that reflected the economy, in other words, if the economy took a knock, she would be the first to be laid off. Whether you can sense it coming or not, it’s a real shock to the system and it forces you to make new plans very quickly. She knew straight away that she would have to take herself seriously from the get-go if she was going to make a success of her own thing. Sometimes you are simply in a position where you are forced to show up.
Getting to Your Success Point the Quickest
If you truly want to create a full-time income, then you must make decisions that will get you to your success point the quickest, and we teach this in our programs: how to translate skills into goods or services. For Abagail, it was quite a linear process and although there were a few things to learn along the way (such as accounting stuff!), it really was about honing her existing skills into something real to offer. You get fed up building somebody else’s dream and eventually you just want to give your own dreams some priority. When Emylee realized that she needed to do what she knew best, she still didn’t realize that it could mean a full-time income. Part of her holding back was because she was fearful of the challenge it would be to really go for it and make something happen. Big dreams are intimidating and require us to step out of our comfort zones, so often it is easier to take the low-key, fun route. But when she raised her prices and learned more about selling, she reactivated that competitive streak and went into business-mode.
Expectations About Work and Free Time When First Starting Out
While starting your own business is hard work, it does not have to entail crazy hours, and you should have time for family and vacation. When we first started working together, we were certainly not overworking ourselves. We had plenty of time to live our lives, but we were doing enough. When we decided to merge our services, we created systems for accounting, bookkeeping, budgeting, paying ourselves and all that stuff – and this is the moment Emylee realized we were running an actual business. When you are just starting out, you may have some random clients and jobs, but it’s totally cool. Things don’t have to be perfect! People have this picture of what a business should look like, but the reality is often very different. You should not let this derail you, however. It’s better to start off and have something on the table than to wait for a perfect moment or a perfect product.
Having Your Own Business Is Far More Stable Than You Imagine
Many of us convince ourselves that having our own business would be too unstable and risky, and while this is partially true, Abagail and Emylee both have felt more secure in their jobs since doing their own thing. Since starting to work in their teens, this is the longest both have remained in the same position at the same company. So, what does that tell you about the stability of doing your own thing? They have a greater sense of control now than they ever had when working for other people. The thought of being a full-time creative might not even feel real because there is a lot of fear involved, but it might take less than you think. It’s about focusing on those essential aspects instead of thinking about the hundreds of little things. The best part? You don’t have to do this alone. We’ve created a program where we walk you through the whole process – send us a DM and let’s chat about it!
Quote This
Having a full-time job and having a full-time income are two completely different things.
Highlights
Childhood Experiences That Sparked Our Desire for Entrepreneurship. [0:03:20.1]
Having Those External Pressures to Propel You Forward. [0:12:03.1]
The Position You’re in When First Starting Your Own Business. [0:17:22.1]
Getting to Your Success Point the Quickest. [0:25:40.1]
Expectations About Work and Free Time When First Starting Out. [0:31:45.1]
Having Your Own Business Is Far More Stable Than You Imagine. [0:35:43.1]
And much more!
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
KEY TOPICS
Entrepreneurship, Childhood experiences, Stability, Risk, Success point, Comfort zone, Strategy Academy
