Q1:"How did you get started?"

December 17, 2014 marked my first anniversary as an entrepreneur and college drop-out. I invited friends to ask me about my journey. Here is the first of the series of questions and my response:

Q1:"How did you get started?"

Technically, I've been on the entrepreneurial path my whole life. I didn't know that, however, until I finally faced the fact that I had to choose between continuing to go to college and dropping out to concentrate on my entrepreneurial pursuits. I know a lot of people who put most of what life has to offer on hold because they want to concentrate on getting good grades in their general education classes (for example). I wasn't one of those people.

(Me being an Anthropology student in Spring 2011)

I started going to the University of Guam in the fall of 2010, and by the time fall 2012 rolled around, I was taking 12 credits, working during the day at the university and at night at a restaurant. I was also the president of a club at school, and we were planning to go to England the following year for a field trip. Long story short, that field trip never happened. I bring it up because the decision to travel to England was a decision I stuck to. It was a long-time personal goal, and I wasn't going to let anything or anyone take it away from me. 

(Me fundraising with the club Fall 2012. You can see quite clearly where my priorities lie.)

I didn't know it then, but my "England or bust" decision was a major turning point for me. With that decision, I began to believe that what felt impossible was actually possible, and, what's more, meant to happen. I also began to believe that it was up to me to make it happen. 

(Me, longing for more in 2013)

Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, it seemed (i.e. money loss, a car crash, getting fired from a job), for the rest of that semester, but by mid-spring 2013, I was was on track with my savings and doing research on how to find my way through the enormous Heathrow airport in London. It was also around this time, I think, that I started cleaning houses with my sister Michelle. We were cleaning houses from Merizo to Yigo, and it didn't take too long for me to figure out that I could make more money, faster, without the stresses of working a regular job, simply by cleaning other people's houses. Cleaning houses was easy for me, so I thought of some other things I was good at (house-sitting and babysitting) and started to advertise. I ended up house-sitting up until the day before I got on the plane! 

(My car, after a truck crashed into it in August 2012)

At that time, I was totally focused on making sure I had enough money to go to England, so I'm not sure if I had too many other epiphanies as I scrubbed toilet after toilet. Those came later. But it was clear, by the time July 2013 came around, that getting paid for what my work was worth was a lot better than being paid minimum wage, or even the slightly higher wage I was earning as a work-study at UOG. It turned out that I didn't just go to England, I explored a lot of it, and also spent good amounts of time in Ireland, Wales and Denmark for more than a month!

(England, July 2013)

(Ireland, July 2013)

(Wales, July 2013)

(Denmark, August 2013)

Apart from the fact that going to England was a huge goal for me (I literally felt like a failure every time a year passed and I still hadn't gone), I also had to get there for the sake of proving something to myself: I had to prove that I could do it. That I had control. That my goals could become reality. I knew that if I proved that to myself, I'd be opening up my  mental floodgates and embracing my potential!

(Me looking epic at Bodnant Gardens in Wales, July 2013)

THAT is how I got started.

Practical tips:

• List all the different ways in which you can make money.
• Choose what you will do (2-3 different streams of income is best) and advertise yourself! (At that time, I asked people to spread the word and also gave out flyers).
• Open up a savings account JUST for the goal you are saving for and put chunks of money away. Never keep your money on hand, unless you need it for something important (like gas or food). (I opened up a savings account in a bank I hated driving to so I wouldn't be tempted to go to there on a whim).
• When you do spend money, use cash as often as possible. It makes you more aware of your money leaving your wallet.
• Stay calm and focused when it seems like things are falling apart. It's all a part of the process--And it'll make a heck of a good story when it's over!