Real talk.
Being an entrepreneur is not easy. It requires lots of failing forward, like tears in my car after not booking a dream client but still prepping for a session that night. I want to make entrepreneurship seem like it’s all flexible lunches with friends and little hard work. The flexibility is an amazing perk but one that rewards all the grit required. I started this community to tell the real story I wish existed when I was trying to grow my business.
From multiple streams of income to focusing on one thing and doing it well, there are different entrepreneurship paths. I am not here to ever tell YOU what is best for you and what will be your safest option for success. But I can share my story and what opportunities I’ve said yest to that have been helpful to grow my business. The best thing is knowing you CAN help provide for your main business or extras for your family through additional income streams without making those your everything.
What I won’t do.
You won’t hear me saying in my marketing “are you ready to be a millionaire or retire your husband?” because those things, while possible, are not my goals and are not what most people are looking for. I also have strong feelings about not putting every “egg in that basket” so to speak because companies come and go but what I recommend you invest in is YOU.
What I am all about.
As an entrepreneur of 10 years my biggest advice is: build your personal brand and skills because that cannot be taken from you and it can and should evolve with you as we grow (or as the needs of our family’s shift as my season right now). If you want to learn valuable marketing and business skills to build an online business and personal brand with a community of people that will support you and help you this is an amazing opportunity (find products you love and a mentor you trust). Take advantage and be ready to learn and then utilize the skills and build your personal brand. At the highest my secondary stream of income was more than my teacher salary back in the day! That is definitely not nothing but I also never wanted to make it everything. There is a real opportunity AND I want to focus on primarily my own brand and photography business (especially in a season where I am launching in a new location), but I do not turn my nose up at other opportunities to earn. Earning on your own terms by sharing products you love and/or creating content is possible and a great way to add income without having to go to a location (this was always a huge draw for me as I did not want to pay for childcare to create extra income). You can press in or pull back based on life stage and choose when you work. It absolutely requires discipline and you must want to serve and love your customers (this is no post a link and make money- it is about serving people and offering value to others) making the time and of course your earnings will match your time and consistency. It is real work- it requires consistency and a desire to learn and be coachable but I am passionate about these opportunities because it is such a flexible, low investment way to gain transferable entrepreneurial skills. When I am asked about so many of the skills I have learned my honest answer is I learned that doing my side gig and used it to build my other business and I was able to earn and I learned. A huge bonus for me has been earning 15 trips (travel is my love language for me and travel with friends that does not come out of our family budget is a huge perk for me) the latest to Vegas and Bahamas with Monat and a service trip with Rice Bowls to Honduras with Oola.
I now offer what I wish I had years ago: mentorship. I added 1:1 coaching last year to my offerings. I offer 1:1 coaching and mentoring for creatives wanting to start a photography business- see what a recent client is saying here.
Here are 3 ways I have added additional streams of income. If any of them are intriguing to you reach out- I am all about real talk. Message me to ask anything or book a free discovery call to see if any of these options would be a fit for you or just chat your business goals? I love to collaborate with others on this journey!
Cheering you on, Roxanne
Comments Off on Entrepreneurship and multiple streams of income- let’s have some real talk.