Boldness is not a trait that I feel I come by naturally. Taking bold action happens to me in weirdly unexpected bursts of action when I get fed up with the results that I’ve been getting. In those moments, I will do something, anything, to change my trajectory and take scary risks. Currently I’m in a moment like and it’s a very intense experience to go after what I want without explanation or apology. And, I thought that the topic of being bold would be a good one to share for those of you who are nervous about taking bold actions. I’m going to share two different experiences that I’ve had recently that are related to being bold.
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Let’s be clear, taking bold action is very personal. For some of you it could be jumping out of an airplane. For others, bold action could online dating, or even moving to a new town. You’re the boss of deciding what your bold action will be.
Creating an In-Person Event
One of the best things about working on-line is the flexibility in my days and manage my day to day dealings with people. By the time I quit my job at the end of 2014 I was burnt the hell out. I was working with over 600 people on their immigration related issues at any given time, managing student assistants, creating events, doing admissions, and the list goes on. It was exhausting. However, I did love a couple of aspects of my job that I soon discovered I was missing in my entrepreneurial experience: creating events.
I really missed working on events that were fun, connected people with other people, and helped me explore my town. As a blogger/entrepreneur I kept thinking about the best way to combine my interests in Colorado, personal finance, and events.
I figured it out! And on Friday, May 4, 2018 I hosted my first event here in Denver called “The Welcome Mat.” This is a series of events targeted towards newly arrived Denverites and current residents with the idea of sharing current residents’ expertise and helping new arrives transition into living in Denver a lot more smoothly.
During the fall I will host three events specifically with a personal finance focus as a part of this event series. Once I decided to do this the Universe helped me make it happen. Seriously, I’m so woo-woo.
The Universe connected me with…
- Free space-I ended up getting a free space that I can use for the rest of the year during the day or night! This is huge because I was looking for a space that had flexible times and was fairly well known. They even gave a bucket of complimentary beer for the event.
- Sponsorships-Umm…I’m going to be honest, I was a little intimidated about this process. But, I sucked it up and started pitching for sponsors. A little too late for the first event, but I was able to get a few sponsors!
- Authority-Building my expertise and brand awareness-This event is primarily for my Colorado focused project, but, I can share Michelle is Money Hungry as well. With each event I will be able to build my brand.
- Advice-As luck would have it, my friend Stefanie O’Connell was in town a couple of weeks before my first event. She shared how she pitched for sponsors for her upcoming Statement event and gave some incredible advice on the best way to approach sponsors.
Part of the reason I created these events was because I missed organizing events. The other reason is the following:
I was sick and tired of waiting for brands to come to me. So, I created a project that would allow me to approach them and make money.
If you’re a online content creator wanting to get in front of sponsors you may need to create an opportunity outside of your digital content.
The Lesson Learned
Taking bold action is scary but necessary for personal growth. Each time I take bold action I’m always amazed at how unnecessarily complicated I made it. When, all that I need to do was to get out of my own way. And, with each small win, now I’m comfortable repeating and tweaking my actions in order to be even bolder.
I now have six events that I will be working on pitching sponsorships, getting panelists, and organizing. I love seeing my vision come together and I’m really excited about it. It’s also a great way to grow my business related skills.
Asking for More
Recently, I had a writing client change the scope of work that they were having me work on pretty substantially. This client ROCKS, so I was absolutely fine with the change. And, they even made a point about being clear that writers would need to charge accordingly based on this change.
Right now my clients pay pretty well. Typically I’m now paid $200-$300 a post and I really enjoy the topics that I write about. Also, the organizations that I right for are fantastic. But, this new scope of work meant that I had to ask for more…and it was scary.
I was about to invoice for the largest amount of money I’d ever invoiced and I had to be unapologetic about it and bold. And, I had to be clear with myself about the value that I brought to that organization and the piece of work that I wrote.
- No one emailed me and said “What the hell? I can’t believe you charged us that much!”
- I felt so empowered.
- I couldn’t wait to duplicate this experience again.
Being bold is nerve-wrecking and slightly terrifying because you never know how things will work out. But, that’s also the reality of life. You just never know. For me, I just don’t want to regret not taking the risks that could help me grow and change my life.
What’s the boldest thing you’ve done recently?
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Congrats on the event and sponsorships! I think at one point I’ll be in the same position to ask for sponsorship. I’d like to do it for my youtube channel since I can’t monetize with Adsense, but I’m afraid with so few viewers and subscribers they won’t? Not sure. Anyway, congrats!!
Don’t overthink the page views, etc. Just start asking. You’ll be surprised who says yes. I’m really excited about the events and think it’s a nice balance to all of the other stuff I’m working on.