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Simply put, I had nothing to lose.

I remember that we only went to the grocery store at the beginning of the month around 1 am and then at the end how we barely got by. Whenever something went wrong, I watched as my mother held back the tears, and I sat there comforting her with no real solution.

Feeling helpless as a child was something I did not want to experience as an adult. However, I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to escape poverty just yet.

So, as an 18- year-old adult, I stood at the register after grocery shopping and prayed that I had $80.15 in my account for everything because I had to survive until payday. I also remember dropping out of community college at 20 because no one explained how FAFSA worked, and I couldn’t afford to pay $2,000 for one semester out of pocket.

Side note: be sure to also check out our Freelancer Workshop where we reviewed transferable skills & how to monetize them before leaving our platform today. This can help you get ready to quit your job to.

I admittedly cried like a baby on my boyfriend’s shoulder, and then I went to work because I couldn’t afford to miss a day.

I went to school five days a week and worked 11+ hours a day, four days a week, and I still barely got by as a waitress and student. Then I thought two jobs would be the solution, but I quickly learned how overworking myself for $7.25 an hour would never be the solution for me.

It got so bad at one point that I would ignore my car when it made funny noises because I couldn’t afford the $60 for diagnostics. When I couldn’t ignore it anymore, I walked to work and carpooled to jobs that underpaid me, underappreciated me, placed me in hostile environments, exposed me to racism, and worked me like a dog for $12 an hour and no health insurance.

I... had nothing to lose because I never had anything to begin. The sad reality is that when you start where I started, you’re willing to sacrifice the $10 you have and bet on yourself. My situation felt unbearable, and I cried weekly about how depressed and broke I was. I was getting bills I couldn’t pay and drown in problems I couldn’t solve.

I refused to work a second job again; I barely had time for myself as it is. So, I sat down and started researching, and I learned about freelancing. I initially began freelancing through Upwork and Fiverr, then I hosted a service giveaway on Twitter, and within 30 days, I made my first $500 online.

I was hooked!

Immediately, I knew that if I could make an extra $500 in 30 days 100% online, I just had to double it every month, be consistent, & I’ll meet every goal I had.

So, that’s what I did!

• Month 1 = $500
• Month 2 = $1,000
• Month 3 = $1,500
• Month 4 = $2,500
• Month 5 = $10,000 + quit my job (lmao, 21 year old me was BRAVE)

Yes, you read that right.

I quit my job 5 months after freelancing and learning how to make money online and I never went back. So in November of 2018, I became fully self sufficient and reliant on my business abilities to support myself.

TO BE CLEAR... It was terrifying, but staying there forever, wasting my talents & never living up to my full potential in racist environments was even more terrifying.

But how did I build my business and work full time? How did I get this far? Keep reading because I’m going to answer this for you.

Side note: be sure to also check out our Freelancer Workshop where we reviewed transferable skills & how to monetize them before leaving our platform today. This can help you get ready to quit your job to.

10 things that helped me build my business 

1. I quit making excuses

I stopped talking about what I wanted to do, and I started doing it. I began submitting pitches, putting myself out there, & letting go of the idea that everything had to be perfect for me to succeed.

“Perfectionism kills dreams; I don’t think we say that out loud enough.”

- Tyllah Hampton, Owner

2. I quit wallowing in self pity & depression

I had to learn how to compartmentalize emotionally. It didn’t mean I didn’t experience depression or sadness, but instead that I had to learn how to deal with things at the right time. When I’m in work mode, it is not the time to think about my trauma or lack of resources. 

My only goal is to finish what I start and limit my distractions, including depression, until it’s time to address it. I prioritize my mental health, and I have mental health days weekly. However, I still had to work on positive thinking, controlling my thoughts & not letting my emotional turmoil ruin my professional life.I quit letting other people tell me what I could accomplish.

 3. I quit letting other people limit me

I’ll never forget my manager at a fast-food restaurant saying, “You’re never going to make 1 million dollars”. Although I haven’t, YET, I’m significantly closer than he is and what I was when he said this.

I’ve had many people doubt me, so learning to block them out and distance myself from small-minded people is vital to my success. We can’t afford to let the naysayers project onto us; only we can control our narrative.

Side note: be sure to also check out our Freelancer Workshop where we reviewed transferable skills & how to monetize them before leaving our platform today. This can help you get ready to quit your job to.

4. I set small, realistic goals to start

You don’t just start a business and start making $5,000 a month the first month. It takes quite a bit of work on your end, even to plan a horrible launch, let alone a successful one. That’s just the truth because you either research or wing it when you do not know. 

So, instead of winging it, I set long-term and short-term SMART goals & began crushing them one by one. You have to crawl, but you can walk, so give yourself realistic deadlines and time to develop professionally.

5. I asked for help when I needed it

I quit trying to do it all on my own. I had to understand that no one makes a million dollars alone; even independent investors have brokers and accountants.

At a minimum, there are four positions I now need to keep filled - a project manager, a graphic designer, a personal assistant, and a production assistant.

If you’d like a post on how I hire and what the process is like, comment down below.

6. Research became my top priority 

I quit trying to do it all on my own. I had to understand that no one makes a million dollars alone; even independent investors have brokers and accountants.

At a minimum, there are four positions I now need to keep filled - a project manager, a graphic designer, a personal assistant, and a production assistant.

If you’d like a post on how I hire and what the process is like, comment down below.

7. I made videos for myself when I was at my lowest so I’d NEVER forget what it was like to be at the bottom

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how to enjoy where we are right now. Amid stress and life going on, it’s so easy not to remember all the times you hoped to have made it this far.

Learning to enjoy the present is something I learned to do by remembering who I was five years ago because the only person I strive to be better than is myself.

Side note: be sure to also check out our Freelancer Workshop where we reviewed transferable skills & how to monetize them before leaving our platform today. This can help you get ready to quit your job to.

8. I learned to celebrate myself and ALL of my accomplishments

I used to downplay myself all of the time. I would minimize my accomplishments, and I didn't want to talk about myself much. I used to think that people just weren't interested. Oh boy, was I wrong.

But now, I am much more open to sharing my journey with the good & the bad. I've learned that it's okay to be happy and it's okay to be excited, even about things that others perceive as small.

9. I went to therapy so I could learn how to forgive myself for the mistakes I’ve made along the way.

This was the most challenging seven months of my life.

I addressed my childhood trauma, my parental issues, my shortfalls in business, my inability to forgive myself, and its toll on my relationships. Not being able to forgive myself meant I was dwelling on the past & what I lost; I wasn’t moving forward because I wanted to change the past. 

Letting go & forgiving myself for not being a time traveler allowed me to move on. That may sound crazy, but I held onto the idea that my mistakes were holding me back, but in hindsight, I can see how they were building me up and teaching me precious lessons to become a better woman - a healed woman.

10. Lastly, I accepted that no one was coming to save me 

 

I cold not accept this until December of 2020, because I could never understand why life had to be so hard for me.

It was one thing after another, and every time I got back up, I got knocked back down again. I was tired, outright exhausted & I didn’t want to keep doing what I was doing. This was the key; I had to understand that it was my job to change if I was unhappy.
If I wanted a particular lifestyle, it was going to start from within.

Changing my mindset changed my outcomes. I started closing deals left, and right, I made more money & my dreams started feeling like a reality again. I had become something I didn’t recognize, and I didn’t like her. With internal work, through taking internal accountability and being willing to change, I can say I’m not her anymore.

This is just my truth, the victim mindset I had wasn’t helping me or making me feel better like I hoped, so I had to change & take charge. I did everything before I thought I was ready because sink or swim became the motto..

I could talk your ear off all day here, or I can help you overcome your fears through my monthly webinars, interactive trainings, ebooks, courses, and freebies I give away. 

If you’re not sure what to start with, then start with a 15 minute discovery call & we’ll match you with services based on your needs.

Side note: be sure to also check out our Freelancer Workshop where we reviewed transferable skills & how to monetize them before leaving our platform today. This can help you get ready to quit your job to.