A couple of weeks ago, in order to better understand the needs of everyone in our community we sent out a survey/form for people to pinpoint areas they need help with – so we could tailor content, training, and resources towards those areas of needs. When the results of the survey came in, we found out that almost everyone had a Money need – whether it was making money, keeping money coming, getting clients/opportunities or managing their money/finances.
So many creative women are in that state where they can’t seem to figure out how to start making money, or manage money. As a community of creative and courageous women, building one another up through training, stories, mentorship, opportunities and much more, we asked people who are figuring it out/who have figured it out to share their money making stories, lessons, and efforts a with our amazing tribe of women & creatives.
So this season we are asking creative women to share their Money Making stories and lessons so that we can learn from one another.
How did you start making money? How did you get your first freelance gig? What lessons have you learned about making money and keeping it coming? What mistakes do you see people making that you’d like to point out?
Encourage a sister by sharing your experience!
And yes, every money making story/lesson or struggle is needed, regardless of your current career stage- because we know that it all counts!
Today, our Kenyan sister, Annette Kariuki shares her story with the community:
My name is Annette Wangechi Kariuki. I am a third-year student pursuing Mass Communication in Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. I do online writing as a side hustle on campus.
Surprisingly, I had never figured that I would do it in the first place. My cousin knew I loved reading novels and she introduced it to me. She told me its a good venture for hustling, so I decided to give it a try.
Challenges and difficulties in starting out
There were a lot of things happening in my life. I was expecting my baby during that period and I had strongly decided to give it away for adoption. Sadly, I had contemplated to kill myself twice. My cousin strongly encouraged me to keep the baby.
The Heavenly Almighty has been my healing grace and strength ever since. I have not looked back and my faith has become stronger than ever.
Also, I encountered conmanship when I started doing online writing. I did several essays but the employer failed to pay me a dime. I felt so bad and frustrated.
On getting the first paying gig
I got my employer through networking with another online writer. Out of the two, only one was reliable. Funny enough, I had never done that line of writing. Then he gave me a task which I did so well that he liked it. This is how I got hired.
Income Growth since the first paying gig
Yes, my income has grown. It has! But at the moment it is slow. There are various lessons I have learned:
Patience – Do not be in a hurry to get quick results. Just wait and see the outcome it will bring.
Commitment – Show your all in any line of work you are doing. It will pay off.
Hard work is key in order to reap your fruits. Nothing comes easy. It has to be worked for.
Additional advice
My advice is that various communities should be educated on money-making opportunities. Moreover, Creative Girls Organization should come up with campaigns and initiatives to sensitize the public on ways to make money by involving the media. I believe the leaders of these communities should be included too. They highly influence the lives of those communities since they represent the people.
We’d love for you to share lessons and tips that you’ve learnt about money making with our community of creative women. Please reach out to us here to start sharing.