I moved to Los Angeles and started over in September 2021. When I mean started over, I mean I legit came with practically nothing. Other than my experience and skills. And I’ve been rebuilding myself, my business, and brand since.
I went dark on socials for a couple of months as they were some of the hardest times I’ve had since I’ve started my entrepreneurial journey. Going from building a 6 figure business to doing uber eats to barely pay rent is a tough pill to swallow.
Since September, my girlfriend and I have both begun to grow into the city. She got a job. I’m slowly building up my business again. Our apartment finally feels like a home. I’m consistently creating content like I love to do. After 3 months of really hitting the gas on content and social media, I feel like it’s time to break down what I’m doing ad what I plan to do to hit my goals and beyond. Really just to explain to y’all who have been tuning in where the hell I’m at. I appreciate y’all.
I was listening to the Inside of You podcast the other day (totally recommend), and Tom Welling mentioned the struggle or impossibility rather of being in both survival mode and creative mode at the same time. By that, I took it as, when you are focused on survival. Eating. Paying bills. Surviving a pandemic. Dealing with death. You can’t really have the space to be truly creative. Honestly, that’s where I’ve been. Probably from October to February. It’s been a struggle to not only get by but especially to be creative.
Starting in January, I decided to be proactive and push through. That’s been paying off tremendously, but even still, I’m dedicated to changing my income situation. So that’s my first goal.
STABILIZE INCOME
What I learned this past year is that my creative ventures are not yet ready to stand alone and support me financially. I wish they were, but they just aren’t. After many side hustles and attempts to try new things over the past year, I’ve officially swallowed and been excited about the opportunities in real estate marketing.
I’ve started a real estate marketing business in now 3 different cities. I’ve learned so much. I even created a course on real estate photography. Los Angeles has proved to be difficult to get going in, but I truly believe that in the next year my life is going to change financially because of the work I’ve put in the past 6 months.Â
I took the time to make my own business legit. With building a website. Research. Marketing tactics.
I also teamed up with three other real estate photography companies to cover my bases.
I have no idea what’s going to work out. Truly. My business could blow up or one of the teams I’m a part of could blow up. But I know with four opportunities to make money at over $100 an hour will bode well for me.Â
Once I did UberEats, I realized that making $20-$30/hr just does not cut it. A full day of work would put me around $200, and I would be exhausted!! I no longer had the creative energy to put into Youtube or music. I quickly became miserable.Â
I needed to be able to make more in a shorter time. It was the only way to find a balance where I could also be happy and creative. On top of that, I needed to be making $4000-$5000 a month MINIMUM to pay my bills, save and re-invest a few bucks into creative projects.
Luckily, March was the first month where I’ve been able to create that amount of income since moving to Los Angeles. A huge relief that immediately was followed by a wave of pressure for April to go as smooth. All signs point to that April will be even more successful, and if things go as planned, I’ll probably make more and more as the year goes on. Which I am incredibly excited for.Â
GET INTO THE GREEN
Before I left for Los Angeles, I was on my way to financial freedom. Paying off debt — credit score on the rise etc. But I’m definitely back in the red. I’ve got to get into the green before I can truly move forward.
For me, this means:
- Paying off my $1000 credit cards
- Paying off my one collections payment
- Saving $10,000 emergency fund
These three steps are of utmost priority to me.
While I’m completing these tasks, all of my spare time will be focused on:
- YouTube: I’m still finding what I love the most about YouTube. I’ll keep trying different things to figure out where I fit best. But in the meantime, I’m focused on teaching, my series, vlogs, reactions, and anything else my brain can create.
- Creative Survival Guide Courses: CSG is still in the beginning stages, and I learned an incredible amount from my first course. I’ll be taking those lessons and making future courses bigger and better. Super excited about the possibilities here. It’s so much work, but I do believe it will be worth it for others and myself.
- Music: Music is so hard for me to focus on when I’m struggling. I need creative space to take the time to make the music I love. So I’m really focused on working hard to give myself that space. I believe at the current rate — I’ll be able to put out some of the best music I’ve put out starting this year. Fingers crossed.
- Podcasts: I need a little more stability before I can focus back on interviews / talking to others. I believe these will crank back up this year. But for now, I’m holding off until I can do it the right way. They are coming, though!
- Acting: I believe acting is a piece of my puzzle. I’m currently really focused on my health and physicality because I believe it will help my ability to thrive in this realm. And it just helps my mental. I’m currently auditioning, and once I am more stable financially, I’ll be taking some classes and pursuing acting more intensely. Super excited for the possibilities here.Â
With the goal being to grow these platforms first, eventually to the point of supplementing income. I’ll always invest what I can into these ventures because they are my passions. At some point, I’ll be forced to decide if I want to focus solely on them or not. This could take many more years. I’m prepared for that.
THE FUTURE
I think the future of my brand, creative ventures, and the channel is ultimately laid out in the above. I may take some breaks here and there, but ultimately, know these are my focuses. If I take a break, it’s only to gear up for something larger. Or to push the boundaries.
Ngoc-Linh and I both believe that Los Angeles is home for us for the considerable future. I won’t dive into detail, but here are a few things I’m thinking:
- Purchasing A Home in LA in the next 3–5 years
- Either getting my own commercial space and/or a large creative space in my home that helps me create better and collaborativelyÂ
- On the side, get into real estate flipping, Airbnbs, and/or creative spaces.
- Family
That’s my rough plan for now folks. Would love to know your thoughts. Any feedback helps.
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