"In order to have development, one must make an investment" I remember when I first had big dreams of starting up my own business. It didn't matter what kind of business. I just knew deep down in my heart that I wanted to do something that I love and make some money out of it. I was 10 years old at the time. Today at 22, I was faced with an avalanche of decisions to make which sealed the faith of my young childhood dream. At the age of 10 (or perhaps even younger), I was fascinated about how people were able to make their hobbies into their professions and of course earn some money too. As a young kid, I did not have the privilege of getting monthly allowances. If I wanted money or anything that cost money for that fact of a matter, I had to do it the old fashioned way: working. Of course you would not imagine a 10-year old doing any type of labor because that would be considered child abuse and a number of other bad parental responsibilities. However, I did get introduced to the world of business at a young age doing simple and small things. During the holidays I would make small pizzas at home and sell them to my family members and neighbors. Looking back I cannot recall how they tasted like or even if anyone really did like them. What mattered was that people were buying them and I started to make money. I was so astounded by the fact that just by doing something like making pizza, I was able to make some money to buy whatever it was I wanted. You could imagine that by making small pizza alone and selling them to my own relatives and neighbors, I wouldn't make more than $40 so I had to go back and dream even bigger. Around the age of 13 I would do small chores like baby sitting, house cleaning and even car washes on the weekend to earn a little bit more money. When I got older, I became more fascinated and inspired by the people I was meeting who as you would expect were successful business owners. I started to write as young as the age of 14 and by that time it was a simple way of venting out. Because I had spent most of my time around older people and over-hearing conversations, my vocabulary grew and so did my dreams. What started as writing poetry evolved into writing stories and articles. My friends always found something so compelling about asking me for advice and actually found my advices to be pretty good (for someone as young as 17). Perhaps my personal life experiences and gifted qualities of writing made it possible for me to say the right things, at the right time. I started to write blogs and articles in hopes of sharing my knowledge with the world; writing up advice columns and articles on love, relationships, health...you name it. Even when I was doing what I loved, I wondered what my life would be like if I actually got paid for what I was doing. I could have only imagined how lucky everyone else who had the opportunity to make their dreams into their careers were. A few years ago, I was scouted to be part of a big business who really started that spark again to write and this time actually get paid for it. I was in love, and I still am because it was in that moment when I realized everything that I have been dreaming of for so long was actually coming true. 2 years later the idea of starting my own business this time in writing, came alive again. I started a small business doing publication for clients and big companies, which included reference letters, curriculum vitae, articles, speeches and much more. I had a lot of support from my loved ones, which was really amazing. Despite my experience in the business world, and taking so many IBM courses and classes, no one really did prepare me for what I have encountered next. Every new-bee who enters any field whether its business, arts, sciences knows that if you want to land a stable job, you have to get yourself out there which means the first years usually involves shitty and low wages and long work hours.
Eventually all of that pays off and you would be amazed to see how much progress you make. After 2 years of struggling to get clients, my business was up and running and I was no longer seeking exposure or mediocre paychecks, I wanted to make some big money so I did. I found myself faced with situations where people I loved wanted me to work for free. Even worse was having friends tell me of how unsupportive and a bad friend I would be for not wanting to help them out. What no one did realize was that I too was part of the consumer-producer world and if I ever wanted to keep what I had worked so long and hard for I had to keep a certain standard in place. I lost friends, colleagues, clients and even family to business. I realized that no crash course or business plan would ever prepare you for the losses and not just the financial losses you would face. When you are new and especially young to the business world, people especially those you love could take advantage of the fact that you would be willing to work for free or at a low-cost. An ancient saying says "business and friends do not go together", and perhaps that might be true. But what I also learned over the years was that "If people like you, they'll listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you". An ambition and love for what you do is not enough to prepare you for the hasty choices you might have to make with time. If you do want to be a successful business owner, you would have to live up to your values and standards and remember your worth and that of your business. As selfish as it might sound, if those you love understands they would not ask for free passes and handouts, they would help your business grow. When you support a business, you support a dream.
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My name is Keyla and I am a second year university student studying social work. I blog about social media, lifestyle, health, beauty, love, relationships, career and student life-hacks. Leave a comment and give my articles a ❤️ or 👍🏻 and don't forget to share to show your support. 😘, Keyla Publication Dates
March 2018
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