Many people dream of being their own boss. Imagine this: You are living a life on your terms. You have the freedom to choose what you want tasks you will work on. You can determine your hours, office location and employees. Its time to stop daydreaming about what could be and make it happen, sis. With enough planning, patience, and conviction, this situation could be yours.

Let’s face it — we’ve all experienced that job that drained the life out of us. The daily grind of working a 9-5, just to pay the bills is debilitating.

I was in that situation too. I had a four-year writing degree that I wasn't utilizing, and I was spending five days a week at a call center, wasting my potential.

I began my entrepreneurial journey with freelance writing while I was working for a local newspaper. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, so landing my first freelancing gig writing fashion and beauty articles for an online bridal blog, I had finally found something that I loved. Contributing to other websites has been such an amazing and fulfilling experience and I can’t wait to ump into exciting new projects.

As a self-affirmed “girl boss,” every day is different and that’s what I love most about it. Some days it’s just me and my laptop in my living room (AKA my office). Sometimes it’s a trip to the coffee shop to get work done, other days I’m learning from other successful entrepreneurs and writers, going to events, and meeting with mentors and networking.

So if you aren’t picking up what I am putting down, I am saying a great way to dip your toes into the entrepreneurship pool is to start a side hustle, sis. This is a passion you can do on the side, and if it’s something you love, you can hopefully build it into your full-time girl boss career one day.

Whether you’re a blogger, content creator, or any other kind of entrepreneur — I have a few tips and tricks for how to be the ultimate #GirlBoss.

First, we should start with what does it mean to become one?

The definition of a #GirlBoss is “a confident, capable woman who pursues her ambitions instead of working for others or otherwise settling in life.”

It was popularized by Sophia Amoruso — the founder of Nasty Gal, an online clothing site. She even wrote her own #GirlBoss book to help us all out. Netflix released GirlBoss series, loosely based on the story of how Amoruso became an online vintage clothing entrepreneur. When you think about it, her story could be anyone’s, and that’s inspiring enough.

Next, let's move on to some characteristics of a #GirlBoss. A bonafide girl boss boasts confidence — she is goal oriented; she has strength and resilience; she knows her self worth and practices self-investment. And, above all, she practices kindness, authenticity and honesty in her everyday life.

Now, on to some tips to help you get started.

1. Find Something You are passionate about

Searching for something you like doing. Sounds easy enough right? That’s pretty much all it takes to launch a new business, in conjunction with some initiative and planning – but the issue is, very few people know what they want to do with the rest of their lives. If you find yourself feeling lost or unfulfilled, ask yourself a few questions to help fuel you and uncover what you're passionate about. Try asking yourself things like, “What subject could I read 100 books on without ever getting bored?” or “What would I spend my time doing if money wasn’t an issue?” Once you have an idea, you can start to execute a plan of how to make your dreams a reality.

2. Have A Clear Vision

You can’t get anywhere in life without a clear vision. Why? Because without a clear perception, you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve. For example, how do you want your day to day to look like? Do you want to own your own business or work for a specific company or brand? What are your dream projects? Who are your dream clients? When you sit down to craft a well thought out vision, include all logistics, including who you want the specific clientele or audience to be, how you will brand yourself, how you will bring in revenue, etc. This will give you a clear focus and keep you from going off course.

3. Create Goals

Achieving success without goals or milestones is tough. From financial goals to growth goals, to networking purposes, writing down clear and precise achievements can play a big part in expanding your business. As always, be realistic with your goals, but don’t be afraid to dream big sis.

4. Work on Personal Development

Some of the most famous entrepreneurs spend a significant amount of their day reading and learning from the best. When I was young, I was told that reading would help me to broaden my understanding of the world and allow me to see things through someone else's lens. Reading these types of books help us to potentially see changes we need to make while still feeling good about ourselves. So, grab some self-help and entrepreneur books and get to learning and growing sis.

5. FIND A MENTOR

Learning from those who have been where you are and where you want to go is imperative to improving and learning as a girl boss. Entrepreneurship isn’t always easy and as we all know, success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to put in the work, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Find a mentor. Listen to their story and ask them for advice. They can be the unlikely ally you never knew you needed.

6. FIND A SUPPORT SYSTEM

I think it is essential to be surrounded by family and friends that support and uplift you. Nothing is worse than sharing your passion with someone who thinks it’s a waste of time or doesn’t care. Make sure you surround yourself with only the best people, who support you and your goals. And, if you can’t find support from your family and friends, join Facebook groups, meet up with local business owners or find different networking groups for entrepreneurs near you. Find your tribe and keep them close.

Ready. Set. Boss. Our daily email is pouring out inspiration with the latest #BlackGirlBossUp moments, tips on hair, beauty and lifestyle to get you on track to a better you! Sign up today.

Girlboss