From a little girl, I understood the impact of loss when my dad died. I intrinsically knew from the beginning that life is short, that anything could happen at a moment's notice.
I believe that's exactly what gave me my resolve that I wasn't going to let a moment pass me by, that I wasn't going to ever wait to make my dreams come true, that I was going to take chances others wouldn't. So I went after everything I wanted from a young age, and because of that, I have lived a pretty remarkable life.
This is my story that I hope encourages you to go after all your dreams.
While working towards a BA in English/Writing and Theatre minor in Los Angeles, I interned at CBS studio’s The Bold And The Beautiful. At the time, I wanted to be an actress so naturally I did everything to forward that desire.
That led me to a soap opera acting workshop. Through a chance meeting there, I met my future boss and I was offered work at a marketing agency. Within a month of working there, the agency owner said I couldn't just leave to go on auditions - I had to choose between being an actress or a marketer. So I chose marketing, and little did I know that would be the moment I started on the path to entrepreneurship.
At this agency, I started writing copy for Hollywood studios and at my next agency, for Fortune 500 companies. Six years later, I had the copywriting chops and so I made a bold move. I wasn't happy at my job and intended on quitting, but one day I spontaneously quit after a last straw. Within a little over a week, I went freelance, and in just three years, I became one of the most highly paid and successful independent copywriters after building my first account with a global company to 8 divisions and 20 product lines.
While I was writing, I met my future business partner, and we co-founded a footwear line. The company ceased production the following year but paved the way for my next venture which took me to Thailand in exploration of my new line. At this time, my home - interior designed by an HGTV Design Star finalist - was featured in the OC Register by an editor who took an interest in my fashion designs and who featured a preview of my upcoming footwear and handbag line, TARLA Couture, in Orange County’s luxury lifestyle magazine, COAST.
My eponymous line launched and was featured on red carpets including that of the Emmy’s as well as on an HBO series, graced by starlets. Later that fall, I served as the only designer to be invited by the Italian Trade Commission of New York and act as a US delegate in one of Milan’s most prestigious fashion events and galas. Due to personal reasons (the care of my mom), I took a break from designing and pulled plans for an Italian produced fall collection, placing the line on hiatus.
I went from fit modeling for my own shoe line to fit modeling for clothing manufacturers while I took care of my mom. I booked the first go-see I went on with a denim client that hailed my posterior the perfect fit. Not long after I was flown in to a small Idaho town with other Los Angeles and New York models to help a well-known apparel company re-examine their fit. Thereafter, I worked as a live mannequin to clothing manufacturers in Los Angeles, who tailored their collections to my specific measurements and “assets.” And I continued to work as a Juniors and Missy fit model for well established denim, streetwear, contemporary sportswear, activewear, and outerwear lines.
I'd had two entrepreneurial ventures at this point, and I missed it. A few years later, the loss of my mother prompted me to really re-examine my life.
In 2017, I stepped back onto the entrepreneurial path. I realized the most important thing in my life was time. I'd had an illustrious freelance copywriting career but I still had traded time for money and worked on someone else's schedule. I wanted to be in control of the one thing I knew I could: my own destiny if nowhere else, then at least in terms of my career.
So I decided to expand my marketing background by learning how to create passive income using online and social media marketing strategies. It's something I had always dreamed of. I had a great basis with the copywriting, but I really knew nothing about how to make money online.
Now knowing the freedom this business offers, the freedom that can allow me to the live to the fullest so that I have no regrets, I teach other creative, heart-centered women how to do the same so they can step away from their corporate jobs and building someone else's dreams.
If this sounds like a life you'd love to create, text me by clicking here, and I'll send you my mindset and online business tips two to three times a week.
What is your motivation for being an entrepreneur?
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