The low-down on what you should know about taking the leap into entrepreneurship that no one tells you.
By Nickira Celeste

There is a lot of talk these days about becoming an entrepreneur or leaving your full-time job to start a business out there on the internet. Just a quick google search can lead you to a week’s worth of articles and step by step guides on how to never work for anyone ever again. While it sounds super sexy and after you read those articles you feel super inspired, there are a few hard truths that you need to know before stepping into a purposeful professional life.

Some people stumble into their career paths. I’m not one of those people. I KNOW that the beauty business is in my blood. It’s my God-ordained purpose to use cosmetics as a vehicle to help change lives. After years of working to turn my passion into my career, I have learned a few things along the way that I think you should know:

And honestly, nothing worth having is. You have to have a certain level of tenacity and determination to step into the unknown and not exactly have a step by step pathway laid for you. Laying your own foundation in a career can be one of the hardest tasks to face as a professional, but I can assure you is the most rewarding experiences you will have spiritually. If your heart and soul are drawn to a certain career path or project, you must listen. Not many people get to combine their work with their true desires. Do yourself a favor and go for it. Do it knowing that it’s not going to be easy. Do it for yourself. Do it for your soul! It's about enjoying the journey. The highs and lows... ALL OF IT!

2. ***Seek Inspiration, NOT Duplication***

Look for inspiration from people who have done it themselves, but create your own path. I know it’s easy and not as complicated to just blatantly copy someone, but it’s actually lazy and unattractive to your targeted audience. They won’t want to support a lazy creator. The key is to gather information, do your own research, but make it your own. Add your own special sauce on what you’re creating for yourself. Individuality equals longevity and who wants to be known as someone who bites off of other people’s hard work. Create your own blueprint and have fun with the process. And who knows, the blueprint you are creating for yourself could be the same blueprint that the next entrepreneur takes tips from to build their brand. (create your own blueprint).

3. ***Have Your Muscles Ready to Work***

Wheewww chile, this is where I had to check myself. I like to think of characteristics and personality traits as muscles, you have to work on them to help them become better. This was one of my weak areas in my journey to turning my passion into my career and becoming a creative entrepreneur. Just like the muscles in your body, you have to train them to get them stronger. My trouble area was discipline. Don’t get it twisted, I’ve always had enough discipline to get things done, but I had trouble getting those things done quickly and efficiently. I realized that my disciplined muscle was weaker than my creative muscle or my courageous muscle. Take an assessment of yourself and see what areas you can strengthen within you? The more you work on yourself, the better you will perform professionally.

Change is hard for anyone because you are forcing yourself to switch up a routine, not knowing the result. I’ve struggled with this myself, but I had to constantly remind myself of the high probability of a better outcome. Your ideas will evolve, the state of your emotional wellness may be revealed and you will learn from past mistakes to make you a better person. Your business will change you personally and professionally, but for the best. Don’t be the person who resists the change because it will come back around to teach you the same lesson. Instead of trying to resist the change, know that there is something that you need to learn that requires a change. Welcome the change and I promise you will see the tide start to turn in your direction.

5. ***Negativity Isn’t Invited to the Party***

I’m not going to hold you, this one can be hard. You may have to change behaviors, bad habits, thought patterns, or distance yourself from a friend who doesn’t believe in your vision. It’s scary but needed. This may not be revealed at the very beginning. Often this is something that you realized needs to happen right before you reach a point where you are about to be launch onto the next level. You will soon see that clearing out the bad energy solidifies your entrance into that next open door. Negativity is going to block you from moving forward PERIOD. How can you evolve when you’re still focused on what happened last year or how you felt about something when you were a child. What is a level up when you have the past holding you down. The past is in the past for a reason. You have moved on and there is so much more to tackle ahead of you. Do yourself (and me) a favor and cut off the fat in your life, so that you can consume the protein. The muscles that you are building need that protein to grow strong.

It’s simple. You deserve the life you envision for yourself. I strongly believe that God wouldn’t give you dreams of your future without making it possible for you, BUT you have to put in the work. “Faith without works is dead”, which means you have to faithfully do the work in order to receive the blessings. You have to want it bad enough to #gogetit honestly. When you work hard on your goals, the success that comes after is going to be so worth it. When I was in high school, I ran track and my favorite event was the 400 hurdles. While I was running, I had to pace myself around the track for 400 meters while jumping hurdle after hurdle. I also had to focus on keeping my breathing intact and not losing my form. This was one of the most difficult events to run, but I loved it because the feeling of accomplishment I felt once I crossed the finish line was so satisfying. No matter if I won or not, I always felt proud of my performance because I always gave it my best shot. That same feeling I got from finishing my race is the same feeling I get when I get a project done. When you work hard on something you love, it makes success so much sweeter. You owe it to yourself to give yourself the best of any and everything.

So no matter what path you are following, know that if this is your passion, you must follow it. You won’t be able to get away from it even if you tried. There are so many things to learn while pursuing your passion professionally, so have fun on this journey of not only discovering your professional life but yourself.

Nickira Celeste, is a writer and beauty entrepreneur located in New York City, who loves cooking, exploring the city and trips to Sephora. You can find her on Instagram @nickiraceleste.

6 Things to Know Before Turning Your Passion Into Your Career