Living A Free-Lance Life (4 Min)
My friends and family always ask, girl, what are you up to now!? So I figured I'd really put some thought into all the things I’ve mastered over the years. Here we go!
- E-commerce (Retail + Wholesale)
- Digital Marketing (Running Ads On The Web)
- Web Design
- Photography
- Writing
- Hair Braiding
While we’re at it, let’s add that I am also a Licensed Life Insurance Agent. There's great commissions to be made in this industry if you really put your mind to it but right now, I'm not too fond of going in that direction, but its always there for back up.
Before I break down how I monetize these industries, let’s talk about the pros and cons of being multi-talented and acting on them all at the same time.
pros
- You will always have the ability to switch careers or industries when things are going downhill with the other
- You will always have a source of income one way or the other
- You could build yourself an empire if you plan everything out carefully and strategically
cons
- The risk of burn out
- The risk of going broke not prioritizing your expenses/investments
- The risk of ‘appearing’ inconsistent
- The risk of not having enough time to stay up to date with trends in each industry to serve your clients/customers efficiently
They say the average millionaire has seven sources of income. Of course of that seven, I’m sure most of their sources don’t require physical labor (which is ultimately the goal) but do definitely require a great deal of maintenance and attentiveness. Working all your sources at the same time is tough but definitely possible. I would never suggest leaving money-making talents on the table because you think its too much to handle or you fear you might look crazy. There’s always a way. Here’s my strategy below:
E-commerce
If you’re reading this as one of my customers, you know that my Virgin Islands Jewelry Collection has been around for 8 years. I've added 2 other Collections since, Hey Island Girl & Little Moody Vibe, and the process is all the same. Retail has been my main source of income for most of these years and not much physical labor goes into it. I simply make sure I always have ads running online. This keeps traffic coming to my sites, and with traffic, comes sales. When those sales come in, I pack and ship them the very next morning. Throughout the day, more sales are coming in and I just repeat that process every morning. Now, local stores have always wanted to carry some of my designs in their stores, so cool, I created a wholesale company, no extra energy needed, just more products. All items still ship & deliver in the morning. That's 4 sources from one industry.
So, I have the rest of the day to play around. But because ya girl’s got goals, I've found a way to monetize my free time…
Digital Marketing + Photography
Using the skills I was forced to learn on my own in the beginning days while growing my retail brand, I now help other businesses with building their Websites and running Social Media Ads.
I became a pro at Digital Ads back before social media became flooded with businesses of all kinds. These ads brought me all the six figures in revenue I constantly speak about. The photography came about because I always needed nice photos for my products and of course the funds were not there to continuously hire a professional photographer. So first, I mastered the use of my smartphones and then invested in my own DSLR Camera. I save lots of money every year by doing my own photos, and now I earn by doing photos for other businesses! That's 5 sources.
I hope you’re seeing the trend of how I find ways to monetize my talents in the smoothest way possible.
Hair Braiding
Back in the day, when my first daughter was about 4, I had a really nice 9-5, but as a Single mom at the time, I needed extra income to get ahead. I frequently did my cousin’s hair with braided extensions as a hobby. A church friend of hers saw my work and asked to pay me to do hers the same way. I said sure! Well, that was the start of making an extra $300-$400 every weekend! That was about 10 years ago and I did take a break from hair braiding for a few years when I founded my Retail Business but, since the start of Covid in 2019, the demand for Hair Braiding was super high and so why wouldn't I tap back in to that..So I did. But I only offer one style in 3 sizes and I only take one client a day. That's 6 sources.
Writing
I blog! In the height of my entrepreneurial journey 2015, I got to a point where I started focusing on all the wrong things and I began to lose my creative juices. I took some much needed time to reflect and out came my first article. After writing “Wanting Too Much, Too Soon” and seeing how well it was received when I shared it on LinkedIn and Facebook, I figured I’d make writing a part of my journey. Blogging has surprisingly brought in some clients for a few of the services I’ve listing in this post. But it also has potential for other income streams such as affiliate marketing and guest writing. For right now, writing is my way to detox my brain and I have hopes that someone will benefit from what I put out. It has been a passion of mine since my ‘poetry writing’ college days. I simply re-birthed this talent and added a little executive flare and strategy to it. I'm well on my way to a seamless 7 sources!
All of this may seem like a lot for one person to handle, but everything is by appointment. My calendar is set up just the way I want it. I can never be over-booked or working outside of the hours I set for myself. That’s how I keep it all together, being happily self-employed, still setting aside time for reading/writing, going to the beach, and chillin with my kids, while monetizing all my talents.
Final Note: If you're thinking of becoming a multi-service freelancer, I want you to always remember that if at any moment you're starting to feeling like you're 'hustling', its time to take a step back and reassess your process. Remember, success is how well you perform during the process, then the amount of revenue you generate during this process, is simply your reward.
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