I’m officially a full time entrepreneur and I still can’t believe this is a reality. This is something I knew would be my path and I prayed about this years ago. This was not an overnight decision, this is literally years of praying, working, trying, failing, listening to God, and now finally reaping the harvest of those prayers and hard work. One thing I’ve learned is that many people desire to be an entrepreneur because of the allure of working for yourself, not having to answer to anyone and being on your own time, and while this does come with it, it’s not just that but so much more! When working a 9-5, the company is already established, there are guidelines for your particular position that you follow, and you have a set schedule and once your day is done, it’s done. With entrepreneurship, you’re building your company from scratch and alone for the most part, there aren’t a set of standard guidelines to follow because all businesses are different and even if they are in the same industry, what works for someone else’s business may not necessarily work for yours – you are literally figuring it out as you go. And everyone knows that the job of an entrepreneur is never done, your brain is always going and going and you probably work more hours than the 9-5. It truly isn’t for everyone, but I knew a long time ago that this is so me! Entrepreneurship allows me the opportunity to pursue causes I believe in and create my own path and optimum schedule and work setting – plus make the income of my desire.
When I started college I was a journalism major. From a young age, writing was my thing and in high school I attended classes and programs for journalism. I remember wanting to own my own magazine. The magazine would have topics related to women and women’s needs, similar to Ebony and Essence Magazines. My sophomore year of college I felt a tug to go in another direction – social work. I had a desire to help people and at that time I wanted to work with children and families, or so I thought. Throughout my time in undergrad and graduate school for social work I was introduced to the many fields of social work and explored various areas that piqued my interest. I worked in foster care, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health, and child advocacy. I even did adjunct teaching in social work. Through each of those experiences in those fields I learned so much and felt like I served my purpose in those seasons. But none of those fields ever felt like my true match or fit, if that makes sense.
Someone recently asked me if I felt like I wasted time getting my degree in social work since I’m now leaving the field to run my own business and the answer to that is, no! Social work has literally laid the foundation for what I am doing through She Experienced. I needed to go to school for social work so that I could learn about mental health, about various racial disparities that impact our community like reproductive health, and how to meet people where they are! I needed to go to school for social work so that I could learn how to serve others and how to meet the needs of others. Creating She Experienced allowed me the outlet to pour into something I truly loved and enjoyed and also allowed me to return to my first love – writing. Through She Experienced I’ve been able to combine my love for writing and creativity and my desire to help women like me, thus creating my own path as a social worker. That’s literally everything working together for my good! Having my own clothing line was also a childhood dream, so now to be at a point where I’m literally creating and making my own apparel is also pretty insane. It’s all like a full circle moment and I couldn’t have planned this better.
I’m so thankful to be in this space and I owe all praise and glory to God. I hope that you will join me on this journey.
Thank you for being here,
