Three-hundred and sixty five days ago I decided it was time to slap the “what if’s” in the face and start walking my own path.
It was a hard decision, I remember the day clearly. After much debating and going back and forth on the pros and cons of moving forward with this decision and the possible consequences; at 5:46pm on July 15th 2016 I hit the “send” button on my corporate computer.
After quitting my 9-5, I took a well-deserved vacation. I’m not going to lie, it was nothing fancy, just doing absolutely nothing – and it felt AMAZING and oh, so weird. I didn’t spend any time on my computer, I rarely cooked and I binge-watched “Drop Dead Diva” on Netflix. 🙂
Going back to my decision of quitting my 9-5, the questions I often get asked are: “Did you have any clients lined up?” and “why did you quit?“. The answers are pretty simple: no, I did not have any clients lined up. At the moment, I hadn’t even reach out to my former clients to let them know I was available. The reason why? Disappointing others was the hardest part of this journey, however, after thoroughly analyzing the pros and cons and what my life could be if I went ahead with this decision, the amount of trust I had in myself and my abilities were just much greater.
[ctt template=”9″ link=”x6wcG” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Take a chance. You never know how perfect something might turn out to be.[/ctt]
What would I say to the 9-5 version of me?
I would say the same thing I would have told myself after graduating college and that I shared with ambinity: here. If you never take risks you will never know if your dreams could become your lifestyle. Better an “oops” than a “what if”.
What have I accomplished and learned these past 365 days as a full-time business owner?
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- Took a well-deserved break. Burn-out is a serious deal; and in order to recharge I needed to work less, relax more and do nothing for a while. It felt amazing and it was exactly what I needed right then and there.
- Reconnected with myself. Creativity was running low as life had evolved into routines that did not promote creativity.
- Reconnected with my family and friends. Old routines had me 100% focused on one thing and were making me distance myself from loved ones. Although I cannot say that I am the best at this right now; I am able to admit that I am making conscious efforts to correct this and I only hope that these people understand.
- Redesigned our website to look how you are enjoying it now. This was long overdue. As a business owner, one of the things that I had to reconsider was my digital image. For the longest time, I had focused on making others shine through their digital presence and I had abandoned mine. This time around was my time to shine and I had to take matters into my own hands.
- Changed my Instagram strategy. Clearly, our feed needed a grid strategy that matched our taste and we’re slowly getting there.
- I love you Mondays. For an unknown reason, Mondays have become my favorite day of the week. Reason being, it feels like a fresh start, creativity is on high, and I feel like I can easily conquer the world with a well-planned week and substantial amounts of coffee in place.
[ctt template=”9″ link=”wam54″ via=”yes” ]If you never take risks you will never know if your dreams could become your lifestyle.[/ctt] - Put systems in place. In order to be successful, Pink Studios needed organization and systems; therefore, I came up with a few several processes and discovered useful apps to help me run my business. Best thing about it? I am sharing all of those secrets on a blog series. Starting with: Accounting Apps that will Rock Your Small Business and Social Media Apps that will Rock Your Small Business.
- Time is money and you have to work hard to earn it. Say good-bye to splurging on shopping or eating out and hello to being a boss; a responsible boss. If your business model is on a per-hour basis; every minute you waste is money that you lose. Maybe I’m a little over-dramatic here, but this is what has allowed me to better structure my time.
- Slowly but surely, made my dream office closer to a reality. If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with pretty office spaces. Ever since I signed up for Pinterest, my #officegoals boards was one of the first boards I made. Now that I needed an office, I made sure to follow my dream. There are still a few things that I’d love to incorporate into my office; however, I am very happy with how it looks and the compliments we always receive when people arrive. If you want to steal some of my office products and decor, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorites below.
- Met María Elena from ambinity. Our similarities and work-ethics are too alike not to like each other. Fun fact: we both followed each other’s work on social media before meeting and actually realizing it. As she says, “tribes” are about inspiring, bringing positive energy and collaborating with each other.
- Media buying. Ran Facebook, Google AdWords and YouTube ads for several big clients. Went back to spending big bucks here.
- Built two and a half (one is not finished yet) websites. This one and this one.
- Female empowerment is the new black. Lately, I have become more aware of females starting their own businesses and my friend Janette is the best at promoting this. Recently she also quit her 9-5 to pursue her business Belleza Tropical full time and I couldn’t be prouder. Bottom line, if you are going to be an entrepreneur you need to surround yourself with positive people that also empower you.
- Began working out. Going from being an active person to gaining weight and feeling as tired as I was feeling; was without a doubt a new feeling to me. A few months ago I decided to do something and joined a gym and although I have not been as committed as I should be; the feeling that I am doing something for myself and my health is indescribable.
- Travel. For the longest time, vacations consisted of weekend getaways; now this year we were able to go back to my beautiful California and was also able to squeeze in Las Vegas, Nevada. #westsidegoals
- Took a course and passed! Today, I am proud to announce that I am an Evernote Certified Consultant. And, as far as I know, I might be the first one in Puerto Rico (still double-checking that fact). Pretty awesome, huh? If you need Evernote assistance or if you are interested in it, feel free to drop me a line. I’m your girl!
- Replace the 9-5ish for 24/7. Yes, being your own boss and working from home has its own perks; but if you want to be successful you need to hustle, work hard, weekends and late at night. Don’t get me wrong, it all depends on your industry and what you do; but don’t mistake the glamour of working-from home and being your own boss for slacking.
- Binge-watched #girlboss on Netflix and although I expected something different I enjoyed it. Next, I’d like to read the book.
- My story was featured as a Career profile on ambinity. #goals 🙌🏾
- I hate to break it to you, but, i feel as happy as a person could be. I feel 100% in control of my life, my business, my decisions, my finances and it feels amazing. Lesson learned here? Don’t ever compromise your happiness, health or your success. You can go as far as you set your mind to.
[ctt template=”9″ link=”43JdC” via=”no” ]Don’t mistake the glamour of working-from home and being your own boss for slacking.[/ctt]
What do I want to accomplish in the next 365 days?
- Since I was young, I enjoyed reading; however as life became more complicated this is something I stopped doing. Now, it is on my priority list to start doing this. Disconnect a bit and focus my energy on reading. Let me know if you have any recommendations.
- Increase projected revenue for next year by 30%.
- Bring two part-time team member on board.
- Become a digital marketing resources for small and medium-sized business owners.
- Increase local brand awareness for Pink Studios.
These past 365 days have truly been a roller-coaster of lessons learned; adapting to the pace, learning how to financially run my business, juggling multiple clients at the same time, setting up processes, among other things.
What are 3 things you have accomplished this year?
Have you considered quitting your 9-5 but need encouragement or advice to do so? Chat me, I’d love to talk more about it.