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Dream Big – Become Your Own Boss

Photography by Tom Buck

What I’m Wearing

BaseBall T-Shirt – FOG x Pacsun (similar here)

Ripped Knee Skinny Jeans – ASOS (click here)

Chamber Backpack – Allsaints* (click here)

Platform Oversized Sneakers – Alexander Mcqueen (click here)

When I was younger If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said that I wanted to be in a boy band, a pop star or an actor, y’know something that every kid dreams of being. This was often met with the scoff of adults who would then reply with ‘no really, what would you like to be’. This kind of attitude tears me apart inside – yes we can’t all be in a boy band and we can’t all be actors but closing these doors for children or young adults before they’ve even attempted to explore their dreams is not the way forward. I’ve always been a dreamer and I think it’s really important to our self-development as individuals so I just wanted to talk a bit about my journey and help answer your questions on becoming your own boss.

You Can Shop What I’m Wearing Below

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Evaluate your current situation 

Fast forward to now, after 3 years of working for other people in the fashion industry I now work for myself, I am my own business, it all depends on me which might seem like a lot of pressure to some people but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I live in central London and make my living by creating my own content that I upload and share with likeminded people. I don’t come from a super rich family and even when my parents were still together I was never handed anything on a plate. I got my first job at a local Chinese restaurant when I was 16 and worked there throughout college, I worked at the Student Union bar during University to help fund my studies etc. I think the first thing you understand from working is that you’re giving hours of your life away for very little money in exchange. It’s fine when you’re still studying or in your parents care but when you move out into the big wide world and you’re still earning £7 an hour, -with the current price of housing/renting let alone bills, clothing and everything else on top of that, £7 an hour just isn’t going to cut it.

When I was working for other companies I felt undervalued, that I wasn’t being used for my abilities and that what I was doing wasn’t appreciated or even going towards any actual progress within the company. We as young adults have so many ideas and skills, viewpoints on situations that the older generation don’t even think of. I knew that I loved blogging and a couple of years ago I would say that my dream would be to do my blog full time. People would laugh at me and people still ask ‘how do you make money’ but when you think about it bloggers are their own publication and more trustworthy than a magazine, anyone can do it and it all depends on your determination. How badly do you want to be your own boss?

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Make a plan and be prepared

Whether it’s blogger, a clothing brand or any other idea you might have you should always make some sort of plan or prepare yourself for the worst.  I blog simply because I love doing it, it’s something that I’ve always done since college so it just seems natural to me. Make sure that what you’re doing is for the right reasons and make sure you’re prepared to do it for a long time – possibly without getting paid a penny. For example before I quit my job at Net-A-Porter I saved up enough money to live even if I wasn’t getting paid, I also had a steady income from regular brand collaborations which came after 4/5 years of blogging. You have to take into consideration your outgoings, rent, food, travel and stuff like that because ok you might have an amazing clothing brand but if people don’t know about it, they aren’t going to buy it and if no ones buying your clothes then you can’t pay your rent. There is a huge risk in starting your own business or going full time with a hobby but if you’re in your twenties it’s the best time to do something like this, if you’re unsure of what you want to do in life or simply enjoy doing what you do then take that leap of faith. The worst thing that could happen is that it could go wrong and then you’re back at square one but at least you can say that you tried.

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When is the right time?

Like I said before, prepare yourself and make sure you feel comfortable with your business. It’s never going to be easy and it’s a big step to take a chance on something like this so only you yourself will know when the time is right. I gave full time blogging a lot of thought until one day I just woke up and said to myself, todays the day. I called my mum and she was on board with it which made me feel a whole lot better about the situation, if your family and friends are in support of your business idea or decision then it gives you a better feeling about everything.

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You can do anything

Career-wise and in life in general, we’re often taught to categorise ourselves due to experience which to some extent I agree with but also disagree with. However this leads people to believe that they’re not worthy of a certain job or are ‘not ready’ to do a certain task. I believe that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it and personally I’m not one to sit around waiting for things to happen.

Anyone is capable of anything, if you put in the hard work, live and breathe your business and it will all pay off in the end. We all learn from our mistakes, change and grow everyday, It’s important to take risks and have fun at the same time. If you’re not having fun in your current job and have a business idea, start thinking about it, plan it and just do it in your spare time. If you believe in yourself and your ideas then you can make your dreams a reality.

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I hope this article has given you a bit of inspiration and helps you to get your ideas/business off the ground, I’m not saying I’m an expert in business, self employment or blogging. I’m still learning about everything, all the time but I do believe that you should be able to dream as big as you want and with hard work and determination your dreams can come true.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and if you have any questions at all just ask in the comments below – thank you for stopping by!