Blog Post #1: So I Took A Leap of Faith… (Pt. 1)
Everybody has been saying it these days-Some variation of “Just do it! Take the leap of faith! Post that content! Start that business!” And as much as I hate to say it, it almost is that simple. Take it from someone who literally has, and has had an excuse for everything- you will feel SO much better if you just go for whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, even if you just start small.
Now being the Type A baddie that I am, I would never do anything without planning for it extensively. I always have a plan for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. If you looked through my purse right now, you’d find a notebook with quick “brain dump” pages, my laptop with Notion, Sticky Notes, and Google Docs full of business plans and such, and honestly, as I’m sitting here writing this blog post I have a Post-It dry erase sticky pad stuck to my desk with notes on it for how I want to organize my thoughts. That being said, I spend a lot of time planning out how I am going to bring an idea to fruition.
(One of many lists and brain dumps I have)
So what does this have to do with anything? I find that my need to have a plan for everything does help me exceptionally, but it also makes it so that I have an excuse to not go forth with said plans. For example, for the longest time now I have been wanting to start a podcast. I have an entire planned out season and everything, and for whatever reason I keep going through my “to-do” list, trying to perfect small details, when what I should be doing is taking the time to sit and record an episode already. Thankfully, I am holding myself accountable and I am working on having this podcast up and running in 2025.
On the other hand, I think it is still important to celebrate the wins, no matter how big or small. One thing the people closest to me know, is that my biggest career goal in life is to open my beauty bar. If you know anything about opening a salon, especially the way I would like to do it, by building it from the ground up, it is going to take some money (that I as a 24 year-old student do not currently have). It can be discouraging, because ideally I would love to be able to get it up and running like next week, but instead of waiting around and hoping I’ll be able to fulfill that dream one day, I started thinking about what I could do to contribute to my income, as well as increase my audience for when that time does come. Let me give you a bit of a timeline:
High school (2014-2018): I so badly wanted to be one of the beauty guru girlies. Around this time is when I started my YouTube channel that I unfortunately did not continue with. I also went to a vocational high school, so I had chosen Cosmetology as my major.
College (2018-2023): I started at a community college that I absolutely hated, transferred to my 4-year institution (where I pursued a degree In Forensic Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice), and eventually got my Cosmetology license all in this time frame. I had also started working in a salon the summer of 2022 (but that’s a story for another day).
Present day: Now I’m starting to take my entrepreneurship journey way more seriously. It took some time but I am incredibly proud of myself for how productive I have been this year and everything I have accomplished so far. I have started the process of registering my beauty bar as an LLC, I have created all my social media pages for my brands and businesses that I plan to bring to life, I have business plans written out, I’ve found a recording studio that I like for my podcast, and I’ve finally taken the leap of faith to create my website and start this blog. All these items are steps to building my brand and gaining an audience for when I’m ready to fully launch everything. When written out it all seems simple, but I’m proud that I didn’t let myself get in my own way as I have in the past. If I had stuck with the YouTube channel I created in high school who knows where I could’ve been now? If I stayed at my salon, maybe I would have been a top-performing stylist eventually. But I am happy with my decisions so far, the only thing I wish is that I started sooner, and didn’t spend so much time thinking about what COULD go wrong. The main thoughts behind my self-sabotage were: “What if no one reads my blog?” And “What if no one listens to my podcast?” Truth be told, there’s something out there for everybody! Think about it- how many different lotion, lipgloss, fast food, or paper brands are out there? There are so many brands that produce similar products and they ALL appeal to someone. That’s how we need to start thinking about our own businesses. What makes you stand out to your audience? Something I learned at my old salon is that your people will find you. You are not meant to suit everyone, nor should you want to.
One simple thing someone told me earlier this year that has stuck with me is a very simple saying: No risk, no reward. Again, who knows what will happen in the future? I’m sure Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” was not expecting to score that $60 million deal with Spotify for her podcast. I’m sure Cardi B wasn’t expecting to become a multi-millionaire, grammy-winning rapper when she first started posting her clips on Instagram. You don’t realize who is out there waiting to support you, and you don’t even know it yet. So take that risk, bet on yourself, stay consistent, and just get started. We got this!
