I graduated from college in 2008 with a degree in mass communication. At the university I attended, mass communication students were required to do an internship as a part of our coursework, and I did mine the summer after I walked across the stage. Although I had worked at the student newspaper while in college, I really wanted to get into magazine writing. My plan was to do a semi-virtual internship at a magazine close to Atlanta and start working there after my internship was complete; while I was interning, I also had a part-time job at a domestic violence shelter.
Well, things didn’t go as planned. Contrary to what I was told, the internship did not turn into my dream job, and I couldn‘t seem to find a media position where I lived. Since I had a lot of down time on my job, I was able to read and do lots of research, and that’s how I came across freelance writing. I started my career with writing articles for magazines, newspapers, and websites. In 2009, I learned about copywriting, and although it wasn’t my background, I decided to give it a try and loved it! Ultimately, I decided to quit my part-time job to do the entrepreneur thing full-time.
I wish I could say everything immediately fell into place, and I instantly had a great income and all these clients. But, that wasn’t the case. Up until this year, I struggled with making the money I wanted and needed to make, and I struggled with people not understanding my vision and my purpose. Many times, I cried, I prayed, I wanted to give up, but I literally could not. There were times when I was really, really upset, and I’d get online and look for a job, and I even applied for a couple, but I always went back to my first love.
This year, I decided that I really wanted to kick things up a notch and make this my best year in business so far. Since I started on this journey, I had been a little afraid of really putting myself out there. Yeah, I’d post some things on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, but I wasn’t doing all that I could. Recently, I participated in a challenge with entrepreneur LaShanda Henry that made me realize I needed to do more to become the business rockstar I wanted to be, and I finally understood that it’s okay to let people know who you are and what you do. And knowing that has helped me tremendously.
Admittedly, becoming an entrepreneur has been scary at times, but one thing I’ve learned is that I can’t let the fear of doing something stop me from doing it. Additionally, I’ve learned that building a business takes time, so you must be patient if you want to be successful (and trust me, that has not been easy for me at all).
And one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that I always have to believe in me, and you have to believe in you. Even when it seems no one else does and when it seems no one understands your vision, you have to believe that it’s possible. And that belief will help you make your dreams a reality.
Jamie Fleming
Website: MochaWriter.com
Blog: ForColoredGurls.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mochawriter
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mochawriter
