Something about rags-to-riches stories always rubbed me the wrong way. ‘Cause most online business journeys don’t fit that shiny (and predictable) arc. They’re pretty… normal.
Take my own story for example: I followed everyone’s expectations until I said “f*ck it” on Christmas Eve 2019. That was over 6 years ago, and in honour of my 6th Brandversary, I wanted to tell you the real story. From a nightmare internship that had me designing menus in PowerPoint (yes, really) to building a business that lets me own my weird, I’m taking a trip down memory lane. Whether you’ve been here since the very beginning or just started tagging along, here are two big reminders:
1) Sometimes all you have to do when you want something is send a DM.
2) It takes a village to build a business & keep it running for 6+ years.
SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS
✦ How regular beginnings get lost in rags-to-riches funnels
✦ When a nightmare internship led to starting freelancing
✦ Making less than an orange juice an hour (and other corporate red flags)
✦ Why it takes a village to build a business that lasts
✦ Redefining what "professional" looks like
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Mentioned in this episode:
✦ Joana Galvão, from GIF Design Studios
✦ Yevgeniya Davarashvili (Gigi), from One6Creative (get the Designer Business Templates I use here*)
✦ Alice Benham, Business Strategist (join me inside On It here* )
✦ Vix Meldrew, Online Learning Expert
✦ Xanthe Appleyard, from Oh Sierra Creative (sign up for LOTP here*)
✦ Ceels Lockley, Offer Strategy Coach
*some of the links above are affiliate links, which means if you sign up through them, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Follow & Connect with Eva:
✦ See what my very first website looked like
✦ Say hey on Instagram
✦ Check out my Website
✦ Get my Uncaged emails
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show
00:30 Why Rags-to-Riches Stories Feel Off
03:42 My 6th Brandversary & Six Years In Business
04:27 The Post-Grad Panic of a Passionate Designer
07:56 Rules That Didn’t Make Sense & Internship Red Flags
12:41 Quitting on Christmas Eve as My Gift to Myself
14:32 Toying with Freelancing and Finding a Mentor
16:53 The People Behind Six Years of Success
