Working on My Dreams After 6PM: The Honest Truth About Building While Employed

A few years ago, I was in my senior year in college. I remember my teachers, family members, and coaches asking me what I planned to do after school. I knew at that time I wanted to be an executive assistant. I was on the side of TikTok where all I would see were these girls getting cute in their office attire, sitting at their big girl jobs, drinking coffee. I remember thinking in my head, that's going to be me. I'm going to get cute to sit behind the desk, maybe answer a few phones.

After college, I didn’t go into my career right away. I worked as a babysitter for a little over a year. Then I got a job at a dispensary (I live in Cali, so it’s very legal here). I was still praying for my big girl job — sitting cute behind the desk, no stress. I worked at the dispensary for a little under 5 months until I finally got my first big girl job!!

I was so excited… I went to buy a whole new wardrobe so I’d have clothes for work. Once I started working, I was just happy to have a job that was in my degree and to be out of the toxic environment at the dispensary. But once the excitement subsided, I noticed a lot of flaws at the job. I would sit around all day not doing anything. Like, nothing at all but reading 10-page contracts 🙁.

God told me I didn’t have to settle. I left that job and found myself at the current job I’m at now. I'm working in this beautiful office where I can dress cute and sit behind a gorgeous desk. I was just promoted to the executive position, and all I really do is input some data, answer a FEW calls, and then I have a lot of the day to myself.

I’m just so grateful for the job that God provided, because if I would have listened to everyone around me saying to find a job that gives benefits and stay there for years until you ask for a promotion, I would have been miserable. I get to wake up every morning and come to a job that treats me great and appreciates the work I put in.

I love my current job, but most days I sit at my desk or drive in my car thinking, there is so much more to my life. There has to be more than getting up and putting in time that you will never get back to a company that doesn't truly care about you. So I decided to start on my digital marketing journey.

Digital marketing, simply put, is any type of marketing online. For example, using Instagram to promote your fabrication company, or posting on LinkedIn to get traction to your seminar. These are both examples of digital marketing. I got interested after seeing it on social media and realizing I didn’t need much to get started — and I didn’t need a big following to do it.

Digital marketing is very broad, and I’m focusing on UGC creation (user-generated content). If you want to know more about this and how I got started, stay tuned because I’ll be sharing a blog with all the details. 😊

Since I started my side hustle, it's been hard to find the time to focus on it. After working all day and then driving home, all I want to do is kick off my shoes, microwave something random, and binge ‘Love is Blind’ like I didn’t have a to-do list. For the first month after deciding I wanted to start a side hustle, I would just procrastinate due to “lack of energy.” It felt like hard work to be at work for 8 hours, talk to customers, stay on your feet, then drive for an hour in traffic — and still find time for the gym, eat, and do all the other everyday things.

Can you relate to that after-work slump where all you want to do is rest, but your goals are calling?

One day I started to wonder why I wasn’t getting any deals and why my engagement went down. I realized that I wasn’t putting any time into it. I said I wanted to have a business, but I never took the steps.

Now I’ve implemented a system where I can get everything I need done for work, life, and the hustle. I started to work on what I could for my UGC projects — whether that be film ideas, scripting, editing, or putting projects together. I focus on posting my content during lunch or schedule it in bulk. That way, I stay relevant by posting at least once a day. If I don’t have any brand deals to send out that week, I like to schedule all my social content out on one day, so I don’t have to worry about it again.

Quick Win: Keep a “dreams” folder in your Notes app. Drop in ideas while commuting, on lunch, or whenever inspiration hits. It adds up!

I also designated Saturday mornings as my filming day. I take all the shots I’ll need for each brand I’m working with in that morning. I bring a change of clothes, the scripts, and a layout/structure for each video. The key is to have everything prepared so all you have to do on film day is hit record. When I first started, I was doing the script, background, and brainstorming concepts all in one day — and let me tell you, that was overwhelming.

If you’ve ever felt like you have zero energy left for your dreams, I get it. You’re not lazy — you’re just tired. But tired people can still build beautiful things. ✨

Have you started a side hustle after your 9–5? Or are you thinking about it? Comment below or message me — I’d love to hear your story.

And if you're curious about my UGC journey or want a peek behind the scenes of how I built my digital presence, stick around — the next post is going to be good. 💼💻

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