Messy Success Episode 27: Multiple Income Streams with Erika Mills | Elizabeth Henson Photos

Messy Success Episode 27: Multiple Income Streams with Erika Mills

Questions Answered in this Episode

  • Self-care for entrepreneurs is so important. How can you make it a priority?
  • What is FOWOT and how can you avoid its pitfalls?
  • What’s the best advice for someone who wants to start a business?

Listen on iTunes

Show Notes

This week, I’m speaking with Erika Mills, a wedding photographer and multi-passionate, creative entrepreneur who you will love getting to know. In this episode, she shares tips and tricks for running more than one business and squashing the fears you might have about having multiple revenue streams.

Don’t Let FOWOT Get to You

“I definitely had FOWOT: fear of what others thing. This goes into what kind of personality I have. I totally was scared of what people would think. But even when I launched my photography business, I was scared.

I had a fear of how I was going to balance one more thing, because at the time I worked during the day, I worried what my boss would think if he saw me sharing this on social media.

But honestly, my excitement and the vision of the potential for where it could go, I realized that I would rather say ‘I tried this,’ rather than ‘I wonder…’.”

Keeping It All Organized

“I am, by nature, an organized person. I’m very Type A. I appreciate lists. It’s something that comes naturally to me. There are things that I have learned because I’ve always worked for small businesses since high school. I’ve been so fortunate to work for small businesses that allowed me insight into their back office: how did they manage employees, how did they run books. If you’ve never worked for a small business, it can be really hard to grasp a lot of those concepts.

For me, staying organized means prioritizing what needs to be done that week. Time blocking is huge! I only work on one thing from 9-1, another thing from 1-4 and from 4-8, I don’t work on any business.

Another thing I do is I keep separate email accounts for each business. This way, I’m not distracted when I’m working on photography, by someone asking about hair.

I use the notes section on my phone, which talks to my MacBook. That way I can put my phone on silent and put it away, but still have access to the notes on my MacBook. Having electronics that talk to each other is essential.”

Tips for Self-Care for Entrepreneurs

  • Take a look at your budget and see exactly what you’re spending your money on. Is there anything else that you could cut back on to make room for self-care?
  • If you say you don’t have time, investigate how much time it would really take out of your week. Many self-care things don’t have a huge time commitment.
  • What is your hurdle? Figure out what it is and come up with strategies to make self-care a priority.

You can do it. You just have to start.

“There can be more, there has to be more. YOU CAN DO IT. If you don’t have the support system or a circle of people cheering you on, you need to get a new circle. Successful people will never talk down on someone else being successful, because they’re so excited that someone else gets it. You can do it. You just have to start!”

Takeaways

  • Don’t be afraid to try a different revenue stream, you can have more than one.
  • Stay organized and prioritize self-care.
  • You can’t be successful at any business if you don’t start!

Important Links & Resources

Instagram | Facebook | About Erika Mills:
Erika is a firewife, boymom, encourager and believes wholeheartedly you’re never too old to start something new. Based in Virginia Beach, she is a photographer for those who believe in the legacy of love stories and is lucky enough to use her talents to remind people of all the good days. When she’s not running one of her businesses, you can find her and her boys near the sea catching sunsets and sand crabs. Erika loves Sunday dinners with her large family, a good cup of coffee, and traveling to Disney with her crew!

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