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Fun fact about me: I have been working from home the majority of my employed life. I never envisioned myself as working from home and honestly didn’t know too much about it until it happened. I even used to point out to my mom the office I was going to have in the big buildings downtown when I grew up. 

Before college graduation, I was already in the mindset of looking for jobs. I wanted to get the experience applying for my first big girl job and maybe even have some options lined up once I had my diploma.

I had heard some pretty disheartening stories from friends that, after graduation, six months later, they still were trying to find a job.  Most marketing agencies typically require 1-2 years of experience before they will even look at your resume. 

This is my summarized story of how that Craigslist job turned into something much bigger.

Thanks, Craigslist

It happened by accident, carelessly searching through Craiglist listings one night when I stumbled upon a social media content creator position for a Seattle based agency.

I remember thinking it was a complete scam because really who posts agency jobs on Craigslist?!

But it wasn’t, and I got hired. 

I worked as a social media strategist for the first year or so, helping develop strategies for different clients in a variety of industries. I loved it!

However, I quickly outgrew that. Everyone who knows me may describe me as extremely organized – Type A even. I like to have a plan, and I’m not too fond of it when that plan changes. Which is why I time-block my entire week down to the last second.  On any given week my calendar looks something like this:

I got my first taste of workplace uncertainty and disorganization working remotely. Starting at a baby agency with little to no structure in place was kind of mind-blowing to me. 

I pushed for structure and was often caught managing my manager. Within six months, I was promoted from social media strategist to digital account manager overseeing the creation and implementation of new processes and procedures. This is where I learned to run an agency and have since been contracted to work with multiple agencies and business owners to get their operations down. 

What is an office job?

If you ask the majority of employed Americans, the idea of working from home probably sounds appealing to them in some form -because they don’t know how to get started. They wouldn’t know where to apply for jobs, what kinds of jobs are available, and how to translate their in-person skills to the online world.

I’m the exact opposite. I would be lost if I had to get an in-person job. The commute would drive me nuts and I’m sure I would struggle with the 9-5 five days a week thing. I doubt I would even know where to begin with getting a “real” job.

Since I’ve been working remotely since I graduated from college, I can’t even imagine not having this kind of flexibility! I’ve been able to drive from Oregon to Illinois (twice), fly to Hawaii and stay in a treehouse (what?!), and I’m currently in Florida.  I love being able to drag my laptop down to the beach and work for a few hours using the hotspot on my phone.

working from home fort meyers florida

I often get asked variations of the following questions:

  • How can I transition into a job that I don’t have to punch a clock for?
  • How do I even find a remote job?
  • Is it hard working from home and staying motivated?
  • What kinds of jobs are available for a work from home lifestyle?

I love talking about this because all I’ve ever known is working from my laptop. Where most people know how to find in-person jobs, I know how to find remote work opportunities. And don’t worry, I have answers to the above questions and more coming soon!

“I’m never going to be a business owner”

That is an exact quote I’ve said before. Boy, was I wrong.

I left the W-2 life in early 2019 when I decided to ditch the agency and go out on my own. Not only could I help more people, but I could work with the clients I wanted to work with. 

Within six months, I was fully booked with clients – primarily because of knowledge of all of the different digital marketing parts. More importantly, I love being able to use my agency background to help small businesses get some leverage without a crazy budget.

My heart has always been with small business owners (there are many in my family). I knew that the clients I wanted to work with were going to be primarily small business owners. Because of this, I didn’t want to build out an agency model that would inflate the prices of my services. My goal is to make the same tactics that larger companies use available to small business owners. 

Working remotely opened the door to many opportunities for me, a lot of that being the ability and flexibility to travel. Stay tuned for more tips on working remotely.

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