Welcome to the first post in my new series Creative Chat! This is where I will be interviewing fabulous females all about their journey and their biz!
Let's meet our first boss babe, Nevica!
Tell us a little about yourself, your business & why you started it!
Hi There! Iβm Nevica. A dreamer, believer, and entrepreneur. I love life and want to get as much out of it as I can. Which is why I wanted to start my own business! My current 'title' is Business Strategist & Coach, but to be honest I am starting to dislike titles more and more every day. You kind of just make one for yourself so people can understand what you do. But you are so much more than that title. So I'm not sure if I will stick with that. I currently help creative entrepreneurs grow their audience & attract their dream clients. I started my business for myself and for others. For myself because I wanted the possibilities and lifestyle that come with being your own boss. And for others because I want to help other business owners make more money so that they can live the life of their dreams.
What made you jump into the world of entrepreneurship?
I was dreaming about owning my own business while I was still in college. But I got a job offer making good money so I took it. It did not take me long to realize I was not happy even with the money I was making. I was not ok with working 40 hrs a week doing something I didn't enjoy. Itβs not for me. In college I realized that there were people just like me running their own businesses and living their dream lives. Similar to what my dream life is: doing something I love, having freedom, time, money, and traveling the world. For some reason it didn't completely kick in that I could do this and should try to make it work until a year into my full time job. Something just switched inside me and I knew it was now or never! So I just started. And once you start, that's when the magic happens.
What is your favorite aspect of being your own boss?
The freedom. Freedom means different things to different people. For me it's the ability to make choices. I get to decide who I want to work with, what type of work I want to do, how I want to work and more. That doesn't mean being your own boss is easy and doesn't require structure, it's the complete opposite. But I am the one who gets to decide how I want to do things. And that is so important to me.
What inspires & motivates you?
A few things but the absolute main people that both inspire and motivate me are my parents. To think of all the sacrifices they had to make to raise my brother and I blows my mind every day. To work so hard to give us everything we needed and wanted. To make sure we were always in a good environment with good people. Not to brag at all but they really did a great job with the both of us. We know that we are capable of anything, even all of the things we never had because of them. I have never had to deal with anything close to the things they went through growing up or while raising us. So anytime things get hard and I want to give up. I just think of all they went through to get me here and how I owe it to myself to make their hard work worth it by making my dreams come true!
What has been one of your struggles within your biz that you overcame?
Definitely finally charging for what I do. I was working for free for a while. I was taking too many clients on for free at once that it was hard to do the work. Also they weren't ideal clients so I wasn't happy doing the work and it would end up taking forever. (Remember I still have a full time job, I just became certified as a business strategist so I had been taking classes, + trying to grow my business). I kept thinking I had to reach working with a certain amount of people for free before I could charge. But it just wasn't going to happen with the limited amount of time I had because of my full time job. I finally stepped back and told myself I KNOW I can help people. I KNOW I can solve problems for them. And I KNOW I can help them grow their businesses. So why wouldn't someone pay me for that? My mentor Tara Gentile gave me a lot of confidence that I was ready also. So I finally started pitching to people and they believed in me enough to pay. And sales started to be made. The older I get the more I am realizing everything is about having that mindset switch. It's easier said than done but once you have that mindset switch that you can doing something, nothing is going to stop you.
How do you balance work & home life when working from home?
I don't think I should say "lol" in an interview, but this question kind of does make me laugh. I struggle with this every day. As I mentioned before right now I am working full time and I am trying to grow my business. This basically takes up 95% of my time. The people closest to me know and understand what's going on. They know I am working my butt off to make my dreams come true and that it requires sacrifice. The word sacrifice is SO big to me. I love the quote "If you don't sacrifice for what you want, what you want will be the sacrifice". (Unknown) It is so true. My big picture goal is to have a business that allows me to have more time to spend with the people I love. Because at the end of the day that is what I think is most important in life period. So in order to have that, I have to sacrifice that time with them right now. And I am so blessed to have a family, boyfriend, and friends who understand that.
What has been your biggest accomplishment thus far in your journey?
Honestly, just starting. This was just an idea in my head for WAY too long. I was scared to start because I didn't think I had a right to teach people what I know, or thought why would anyone listen to me? Or even worse thought what will the people I know think of this?! They will think I'm crazy, silly, stupid, to have this dream. So the fact that I was able to get over all of that and just start this is something I definitely don't celebrate enough. It is a big deal to put yourself out there and express your thoughts. You are putting yourself in a position open to criticism and failure. So I am really proud of myself for starting!
If you could offer some advice to females wanting to start their own businesses what would it be?
Similar to what I said before but JUST START. Don't let ideas stay in your head. Write out what you want to do. Then write out all the little steps you need to take to make it happen. We are all human, all made of the same bones and flesh. Everybody has struggles, hard times, and insecurities. It's the people who decide to start and continue that will make it. One step at a time you can make your dreams come true. Just take the first step.
Anything else you would like to add?
This sounds morbid and I know people say it all the time but it's the truth. You could die tomorrow. If you did would you be able to say you lived your life the way you wanted to? My dad died when I was 17. What bothers me most to this day is that he didn't get to do all the things he dreamed about. So feel the fear and do it anyway. You and your dreams are worth it. But you only have one life, so make them happen now.
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