So, I have a secret…
For the past year, I’ve been working and running my business from home and it has everything to do with my fear of long-term commitments. I had an office in LA, however, when I moved back to the East Coast, I noticed a lot of commercial spaces in New York attempt to talk their tenants in to 2-3 year leases and that was scary to me. If you’ve followed my story, you pretty much know that I’ve done a lot of state-hopping over the last few years. I’ve lived in Washington, D.C, Baltimore, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, New York and Los Angeles and lucky for me, I just happened to fall into a career that allows me the flexibility to pick up and go when I want.
But back to this office thing…
So I worked from home, but my experience was that I couldn’t really get a handle on productivity amongst staff and contractors. Things that would normally take a few days to complete, would take weeks and it took hours of conference calls and emails back and forth to get everyone on the same page. One day, after reading about Yahoo putting a ban on telecommuting, and me actually sitting and thinking about my frustrating experiences, I said to myself, “I have got to get a handle on my business. This is ridiculous!” [By the way, Yahoo!’s reasoning for cutting telecommuting and work-from-home employees was to increase interaction in the workplace and productivity among other things, and although people were in an uproar, it just made sense.]
Now with my experience, I like to hire ambitious people, especially from small towns who may not have access to the opportunities that girls who live in big cities may have. Especially, because I am a small town chick and I remember wishing someone would give me an opportunity. But the reality struck real quick when projects started being delayed, that for some things, I’d have to start employing or contracting people that were local so that there would be more face-to-face interactions. I also wanted to start working more closely with my staff, get to know them on a deeper level than what the internet allows while increasing productivity through daily brain storming meetings. The Internet has given us the luxury to work with people all over the world, but you can’t manage an entire staff strictly online….or can you? I guess this will be my case study…
Anyway, I finally put my fears of those long-term commitments to the side and snagged an office space. But guess what, no one told me I’d have to decorate it. And put furniture in it. And all those other things!!! O-M-G! A whole ‘other headache at this time in my life. Jesus be a paint brush and an interior decorator!
In the next few weeks, we will be cleaning this spot up and making it feel like our home away from home while sharing pics from some of our normal work days in the office. A peek into the life of a blogger [or business woman (however you wanna label me LOL!)].
If you have any questions, pertaining to business, mistakes I’ve made, lessons I’ve learned or anything pertaining to business, blogging, etc ..I’m open to answer. I’m still learning and I am open to share as I continue to learn.
xo
You are amazing! Good Luck
I have learned in my business I am more productive at home. But I love the office thing to, just to get away at times
I think that is awesome! Congrats on your new office. I do find it hard to get a lot of things done when everyone is working from home. Having an office allows you the space to concentrate on your business. I am trying to transition to that point myself. Thanks for your insight…it has inspired me!
Sending you positive vibes have fun with it! I have the same problem – but will be doing the same thing in 6 months putting foundations down! You will do great!
Good deal! I want to start my own business doing Social Media for Non-profits. Any ideas as to how I can get my first clients?
@Alyssa Chester, I would start off by volunteering your services to a non-profit.
Office colours looking cute.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and putting yourself out there. 🙂
Congrats on the upgrade!!!
You´re a true inspiration Necole
Love this article!!! Looking forward to hearing more about your journey since I still manage my business from home.
Embrace the office life! That sounds major to me, sleek desks, wild paint colors, nice chaise lounges, a keurig machine, thats all I can think about. I really enjoy hearing about all your accomplishments and I wish I shared your courage. Please keep up the good work your site is one of four I visit multiple times a day.
As long as you own the building it´s the same thing. Greedy landlords pushed rents past good sense and forced prices to keep up with costs. Inflation is man-made in a capitalist´s world.
Congrats MAMA!!!
Mauve walls… perfect. 😀
Love the fact you are moving on up! I am in central, NJ and I am a freelance Photographer. If you are ever looking for one please contact me I am looking for a great oppurtunity to work with great people. YocelynPhotography@gmail.com
Oh that’s fab. I am also debating getting a studio space away from home. Nice selection of bold colors :o)
Necole:
How wonderful and unique is your brand! You seem to always have a tasteful spin & opinion on pop culture that appeals to our demographic as women, and I applaud your hustle gam love!
Now you say #NYC office… do you have a interior designer?
Im currently a college student with my concentration being in creative writing and psychology, and Im wondering what steps you took to creating your website, your blogs and what motivated you to do what you’re doing now and what keeps you going?
How do you monetize your blog and deal with copy writing issues? For instance: if you write a story on Necole Bitcthie that originated in a magazine, do you just mention the source it at the bottom like I’ve seen? Is there more to it? What about the pictures from that same mag? Are pictures from instagram public domain?
Also, If I am writing a paid/sponsored blog story, don’t i have to disclose that to my readers? Do I just pretend that all the opinions are just my own that I decided to write?
I want to make sure that I am doing it the honest way like you! I admire the image you have out there.
Random Side Note: I think of you like a Beyonce type, I think you have to pick the correct way to do reality television. If you want to go that realm. I know the money is great, but your brand is so untainted. I LOVE WHAT YOU’VE DONE!
Forgot to mention… I am thinking of doing a blog to accompany my store and online boutique.
Love this article. I always wished you would give more of a peek into your day to day life. Hope this really turns into a series. Xo, Lauren
I am absolutely loving your posts on your personal blog!! I’ve read a lot about how you began your business,and it is really inspiring how you started with nothing to create the Necole Bitchie brand. It makes me proud of you, and I don’t even know you. lol! Can’t wait to see the finished project of your office!!
I’ve just recently started interning for a blogger/ free lance writer and we are from Mississippi. Soon my boss will be leaving us for Atlanta. I’m still in my 3rd year in college and I have a passion for Marketing and PR. What advice do you have for people who are fresh out
Congrats Necole! Here’s wishing you well in your new endeavors. Don’t forget to keep us updated.
God Bless!
I sent before I was done. But my question what advice do you have for college students fresh out of college, trying to get jobs to do PR or work for someone helping them establish or maintain their brand? Because I’m so thirsty to try to make something shake!
@Arial, Be willing to intern or work for free!
I started reading your blog way and I do mean way back lol, lol even before you had the nice professional pictures done for the header. I have heard your stories of determination and decided to not only say “good job Necole” but to take your stories and apply them in my own life. To tell you the truth we kind of went along the same road when it comes to dealing with making some choices that were not right at that moment or going through struggles. I once told someone that I wanted to be the Necole Bitchie of gosepl, lol lol they laughed. I wanted to bring fun and inspiring stories to people but at the same time uplifting them to be better and to do more. I always said that if ever given the opportunity I would simply ask, how did you not give up when your blog only had a few views? How did you determine what time you would post certain stories? How do you know when not to post popular stories and how do you remove yourself from being bias in your publishing? Thanks.
I legit have been following your footsteps since i stumble onto you. I prayed for you to get an office, I remember reading a post about you moving around. And I always said why havent she grappled a space to do more interviews and have a space call home ( on a work level side.) The commitment of having office is scary especially with real-state being at high number for payment. But I believe you will conquer everything that comes your way. All you have to do is adjust. Richard Branson speaks of this in his book ( which I know you’ve had read ) An office space is that next best thing to growing your business. I wish you the best of luck and will be following the journey as you share here on your blog.
@Kareem ‘ Reem ‘ Rose, aww thank you so much! And yes, I have three of Richard Branson’s books. I really admire his business sense and non-traditional approach to running an empire.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve found that I’m more productive in the home office, BUT I also agree that face-to-face interaction is critical if you work in a team environment. So…of course, having the option to do both (i.e. spend a few days a week in the office and the remainder in the home office) is the best solution.
Best of luck to you!
@Kena Rogers, Thank you!
This is outstanding! Kudos to you Necole!
I’m a social media contractor, and there’s no denying that I get WAY more done when I’m out of the house. As hard as I try to make my home office work, it’s 50x easier for me to get distracted there! When I go into the office, I always accomplish much more. Coffeehouses are starting to get more and more expensive, especially when you sit there for a longer amount of time, you tend to keep going back to order more! But no matter where I go, it all remains the same– When everyone around me is working, it makes it a lot easier for me to work. It’s like unofficial accountability.
How did you gain such a large following? I think brand awareness is one of the hardest things to really get the hang of. How did you get readers to become avid followers of Necole Bitchie when you first started the blog?
Hi Necole ,
My name is Johnni and I’m an aspiring entrepreneur. I’m working on branding myself and my business I’ve started not to long ago. I’ve been back and forth with many career choices and even decided to advance my education by going back to school for my masters. However I just come to the conclusion that an average 9-5 isn’t for me. I had a few dreams and we all know life has a way of happening. I’m just wondering how did you get your blog and business up and running.
Livefancy.wordpress.com
Lj2fancy.wordpress.com
Best wishes to you Ms. Bitchie 🙂
Hey Necole!
I have a question that I’ve been wanting to ask you for the longest time. But first, I want to say that you are extremely INSPIRING! I have been following you since 2007 and can say that I’ve watched you grow your business. It wasn’t until I read your backstory-more than once-that truly got my antennas up about how you have been progressing in your business. However, my question is: When you finally settled into Atlanta after your aunt put you out, you stated that you were never going to turn in another resume and decided to move forward with your blog full-time. How were you making money to support yourself while you were working on your blog in the very beginning, until you started making money for yourself 6 months after you started?!? I always read stories of successful people that I admire-you’re one of them-and they never really mention how they were making money while achieving their goals(dreams).
I’m curious because I am in the same boat. I’m 28 going on 29, and despite my NUMEROUS efforts, I haven’t really gained any momentum towards accomplishing my goals of being an entrepreneur. Mainly because I’m stuck trying to support myself, my bills are high and it’s just hard to stay afloat, let alone run a business. I have a degree, but it means nothing these days, people still want to pay you $10/11 or less-it’s sad. Anytime I say, “okay, I’m just going to focus on the business and work this low paying job too until things work out.” Then life happens and I say, “Ummm, you need a better job because you have no extra money to do ANYTHING.” Any advice is desperately appreciated!
Thank you and God bless.
Hi @elle! Actually God really had my back during that time. I believe he was rewarding me for having faith. Once I got to Atlanta, and continued writing on my blog with faith that I would get money from somewhere, I was hired by Global Grind to kind of jump start their entertainment section at the time. Fuse also contacted me to blog for them so I was wrangling checks from 2-3 places while I waited for my google ads to kick in. About three months into it, I had enough traffic to attract an ad agency who began pitching my site for major campaigns with big brands and the rest is kind of history. That year I also collected checks from speaking engagements (I went out on a tour). I really was hustling but I was determined not to go back to a 9-5.
@Necole, Thanks Necole for your response! I can definitely understand that.
@Dee, To be honest it’s so hard. One thing I loved about the good ole days of starting out was that I could say whatever I wanted. Nowadays I feel like my voice has been snatched away. If I voice my opinion, there is someone who is not going to like it and that’s when I’ll be labeled bias…but it’s my opinion and I believe I am allowed to have one just as the number of commenters who comment on the site…but in reality when you grow and have a huge audience, no one wants you to voice your opinion anymore. They are scared that your audience will take on your opinion versus thinking for themselves. It’s really frustrating.
I determined my work schedule (the time I would post stories) by researching other blogs at first. I watched about 5 very successful blogs very closely every day for a month and was able to grasp their posting schedule and correlated the consistency of their posting schedule with their success.
As far as when not to post popular stories, right now..I don’t post on a lot of reality shows. Especially, the ones that pit women against each other. I feel it’s contradictory for us as bloggers to bitch about how we as women are portrayed on television and then turn around and promote it. It’s so contradictory and sends a mixed message. If you don’t like it, turn the channel…my approach is if I don’t agree with something, I just don’t post on it. I try to avoid posting on deaths (unless I absolutely have to), murders, killings and those type of things. It just brings a whole different energy to my day.
@Necole, Thanks for actually taking the time out to reply. I don’t know of another single person of your status that would do that. Thanks for being so REAL.
Necole,
I am curious if you had looked into executive suite office space, such as Regus, Davinci, Microoffice etc that comes fully furnished with everything you need and it is a shared work environment, minus the long term commitment?
I have worked in a Regus office before. What I found was they told me one price, and then they tacked all of these other expenses and hidden fees on which made it a little more expensive than I would have liked for the space that I have. The convenience was that you get a receptionist, the offices are furnished and it allows you to make a short term commitment.
how hard was it to hire employees? How does it feel for you to be in control of someone else being paid and eating? I want to have a business but have people depend on me and work for me is scary thought
It is very hard. There are a lot of people who want to work in entertainment, so you have to weed through the people who want to be there because they think it’s glamorous or want to meet celebs. You have to really find people who are willing to work just as hard on the days when it’s slow and you have to do tedious work like research or packing boxes or whatever the task is, as they would on the day they would have to prepare for a listening session with an artist or a celeb hosted event. The assistant I had for two years, she lived out of Jacksonville, and she was online every day helping me find stories, interacting with “Team Bitchie” on a messageboard and just being phenomenal for free. I hit her one day and said, “Hey! Do you wanna be my assistant”. The same for another young lady that works with me. I met her after I spoke to a group of young women at the WEEN Academy, she was one of the few that followed up with an email the next day. Afterward, I kept seeing her out on the scene, volunteering for networks like BET at their award shows, or doing correspondent work and I said, “Wow, this girl is a hustler”. So I called her one day out of the blue and offered her a job. That’s pretty much been the story of everyone that I have worked with, unless they were recommended by someone else that I know. As we expand, I’ll definitely have an opportunity to really go through resumes and interview amazing people. There’s so much talent out there!
Hey Necole..I am still waiting for that coffee date lol…but anyways an office is so legit…don’t be scared girl…I feel like I never want to take work home with me so I definitely don’t want home to also be the office…that’s my take on it