HER JOURNEY: WHEN HIS PLAN, IS BETTER THAN YOURS

OH, HEY!

So, if you know me… you know I’ve been on this journey of full time entrepreneurship for close to 4 years now (and mannnn, has it been a journey). I get questions about how this journey has been for me and how I got to this point. Well, a little over a year ago I wrote an Ebook and recorded a video entitled, Her Journey: A Road to Entrepreneurship explaining everything. At the time, I just knew that my new revelations about “full-time” entrepreneurship were not only going to bless someone else, but give me the endurance needed to level up myself.

Well, I leveled up. But my business, not so much.

I tried everything. Building a team. Reciting daily affirmations. Changing my workspace. New Business Strategy. Finding my Niche. Consulted with a Coach. And still, I sucked as a business owner and my business was stagnant. Money was coming in but that wasn’t enough for me.

So, I did what I neglected to do for a minute – go to the source, the CEO of the business, God. Don’t get me wrong, I would always pray and consult Him – but very seldom did I wait and listen or even pray the right prayer (major key alert). I can also admit, I totally disregarded certain things He would say, because it wasn’t logical. But, honestly, when is purpose every logical?!

Well, let me tell you, He set me allll the way straight. Plain as day, He said “That wasn’t my plan”. If you could have seen the disgust on my face. I immediately wanted to check God, but then I remembered He ain’t the one. I kept listening. He said, “I gave you the vision, but you turned it into what you saw for yourself, not what I saw for you.” Listen, my disgusted face quickly turned. I reflected and said, you know what God. You’re right.

When He initially told me to go full time (winter 2014) and He gave me the vision for Erikka Yvonne & Co (which became EYCO Agency) – I was a full-time Marketing Assistant of Behavioral Health Professionals, Inc., a freelance graphic designer and aspiring brand coach. So, it only made sense for me to make that my business, right?! Well, that’s what I ran with, and as business was always coming in, I thought I was on the right path. Then, I remembered the original vision, it wasn’t about the agency. It wasn’t about being a millionaire. I wasn’t about having “popular” clients. It was about other creatives who were in the same position as me, who desired the “agency life” but were rejected because they didn’t have the “agency experience.”

Needless to say, I completely lost focus of this.

So here I am, with a business – I was never supposed to have, but doing things I was created to do. How sway? I went back to God asking, “So, what’s next? What am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go from here?!”

Again, plain as day He said, “Start over.”

I honestly, froze. Thinking to myself – there has got to be a better way to fix this. Starting over, can’t be the answer. Then fear and doubt began to creep in. I had questions…

Me: This is my main source of income… How am I going to make money? –

God: Trust Me, He said.

Me: But… I have bills.

God: Trust Me.

Me: But…

God: Trust Me.

Me: So, do I have to get a job now?

God: You’ve done it your way, now try it my way.

Me: But God…

God: Trust Me.

I can say, even after knowing my way didn’t work – I still debated on trying it His way. Fast forward, I had a conversation with a fellow designher and she asked, “How is business?” I said – Uh, I’m actually thinking about closing it. Of course, that started a whole conversation because she was in the midst of a transition as well.

Well, a few days later I said, okay God, I’m doing it your way. I’m completely surrendering to your will and your way… I pinky promise lol. Now even a week later, an opportunity came across my Instagram (you know I love social media) for a natural hair company looking to hire a freelance junior designer. I fixed my resume, did the design assignment and ignored the negative thoughts lingering in my head. To my surprise, a few days after celebrating my 28th birthday, I received an email that I was joining the design team for Aunt Jackie’s Curls and Coils.

I say all of this to say, my journey may be be like yours. But my mistakes don’t have to become yours. Trust HIM. If you find yourself at a point, like me, where you have to completely start over, Do it afraid. Yes, it’ll be terrifying. Yes, it’ll be uncomfortable. But, His plan is ALWAYS better than yours.

#keepstruttin