Today’s episode is all about being a multi-passionate entrepreneur. Nichole is a multi-passionate entrepreneur. She’s a wedding photographer, a small business attorney, and a podcast host. We talk about her journey to where she is now and also how to maintain creativity when you’re a multi-passionate entrepreneur.
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Download the Full Transcript of this episode HERE
Nichole’s Business Journey
First things first, Nichole shares with us her business journey. Ever since she was little, she always wanted to be an entrepreneur. She wasn’t sure where that would take her, but it was always on her radar. In middle school, she got her first DSLR camera and started photographing everything and everyone she could. That passion continued in college when she studied at Clemson. In college she got into wedding photography first by doing some styled shoots. She took some photos and created some flyers and put them everywhere and started photographing everyone who would let her. You have to listen to the full story on the podcast or read the transcript because it’s a good one!
Juggling Graduate School and Owning a Business
After college, Nichole went on to law school. But photography was always her passion project! I love her story because she truly makes stuff happen. When other law students were studying for the bar or doing mock trials, she was out photographing weddings & growing her business. During the pandemic, she started a new project called The Styled Event and even tried her hand at making flatlays. Oh yeah, and she also launched a podcast. She did actually pass the Bar Exam, and soon after started her job as a Real Estate Attorney.
Make Stuff Happen
Nichole’s story inspires me so much because she truly did just go out there and make stuff happen. As an entrepreneur, we need that kind of spontaneity. And I think we tend to lose a little bit of that as we get older. For me, when I first started out, I was doing anything and everything. But then later I let self-doubt and imposter syndrome get in the way. But when I’m able to push past that fear and doubt, that’s when my greatest successes happen. That is the true spirit of an entrepreneur. We need to be able to say “I have the desire to do this, and I’m going to make it happen.”
Trust Yourself
Nichole shares the story of how often as a real-estate attorney she thought of her business as not as important. And that fear held her back from going full time with her business. As business owners, we tend to sell ourselves short. We think the lawyers or the software engineers or the office managers are the successful ones. What would happen if instead we believed in ourselves and our businesses? What if you did show pride in everything you’ve accomplished and you actually trusted yourself? I think you will be surprised with the result.
Always Be a Learner
As a business owner, it’s so important to notice when things are happening that you want to emulate. Educate yourself and constantly be learning. I wrestle with imposter syndrome a lot. When I see someone being successful, I tend to put myself down and think I’m not successful. But one thing that’s helped me shift that mindset is to ask myself “what is this person doing that I admire? How can I emulate that?” and make it my own. Instead of putting myself down, I can use it as inspiration and motivation to learn more. I can choose to make it a learning experience and not a self depricating experience.
Maintaining Creativity in Business
Another pitfall to avoid in business is doing the same thing all the time. That’s what 9-5s are right? And that’s why we are in business for ourselves – to not have the 9-5 life! So how do you do that? I think it’s by staying creative. By putting some of that fire back into our spirits that we had as young people. And by continuing to prioritize creativity in business. Do more things that light you up. Do more things that you’re passionate about. One way Nichole does that is through her Styled Events. They’re epic! And now she’s also embarked on a podcast journey with the Self Starter Podcast.
The Downside of being a Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur
One of the downsides of being a multi-passionate entrepreneur is you might feel like you have a lot of projects to juggle at once. You might have a lot of unfinished ideas or abandoned ideas. But really, that’s what makes it beautiful and fun. That’s part of what makes multi-passionate entrepreneurs so successful. They try a lot of new things. And they have to get comfortable with failure.
Allow Yourself to Fail
When you do anything creative, there’s always a risk. There’s a chance it might not work out. I started one podcast in 2020 that I don’t do anymore. In 2018 I was going to learn a piece of music a week and that didn’t happen. But that’s not failure. That’s pursuing creativity and being okay with “failure.” The strength of an entrepreneur isn’t in how many times they haven’t failed, but in how many times they’ve failed and gotten back up. If you want to maintain creativity in business, you have to be okay with failure and with trying new things.
About Nichole
Nichole is a full-time wedding photographer and small business attorney for creatives. She also hosts monthly styled shoots at The Styled Event and is the host of the Self-Starter Podcast. She has a heart for helping other creatives thrive in their business, but most of all she believes in building a life centered on the people (and dogs) she loves so much. Owning a business gives her the flexibility and power to make the life she’s always dreamed of!
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Follow Nichole: instagram.com/_nicholelauren
Follow Christi: instagram.com/christijohnsoncreative
