Year End 2017 : Stop Discrediting and Discounting My Experiences

I view 2017 as underwhelming. I have not received the full-time position that I wanted after one year. Even with the ITIL certification and landing the second training request money, 2017 hadn’t lived up to my high expectations. I did not want to live this kind of year again. I like grow but with some sort of tangible results.

I spoke with someone this past Friday and she told me to stop discounting and discrediting my experiences. I wasn’t simply an Amazon bestseller but a bestselling author. She was right. I had accomplished a whole lot of things which I didn’t deem extraordinary;, but if I was still receiving book royalties after Expand Your Personal Brand was published in May 2017 then that meant that it was a success. There were many books which weren’t being published.

With eBay, I didn’t sell as much as I did in 2016 but I sold over $2600. In 2018 I will still sell on eBay but will look at private label and drop shipping. I liked selling physical products and was thinking about doing Merch by Amazon. What I learned this year with eBay (well, everything) was not to over-rely on one income stream. When I started seeing something decline, find another income stream.

Rise is my 2018 because next year will be a way than 2017. Although I am going through some trial and tribulations during this first week of 2018, I am at a point where I feel that I will not only rise from the ashes like the sphinx but I will soar like an eagle personally, professionally, and financially.

Keep your eyes peeled right here to witness everything!

Carla

eBay Adventure – Two Months In

                I have been selling on eBay for 60 days and have experienced every single imaginable incident (happy customers, unhappy customers, fraud). I have managed to sell nearly $2000 worth of items and have learned so much about how to operate a store, how to properly price my items, how to market myself and my store, stand up for myself against people who abuse eBay’s buyer protection program and the fraudsters who want to make a buck off of you.

                I have learned early on that my customer only wants to buy shoes so I have stopped uploading clothes. Instead, I have placed all of my clothes on Depop and started marketing that online platform. In addition, I have learned the importance of taking a copious amounts of photos, answering customers’ questions and shipping the items the same day I receive payment. Initially in the beginning, PayPal held onto my money for 21 days. Now if I ship on Monday, I receive my money two days after the customer receives her merchandise. This is big when I need the money to pay bills!

                Another thing that I have learned is how to properly price things. I have learned that the hard way ($177 in insertion and other fees during my first month). I have reduced or increased my price to sell 17 items in two months. In addition, I have leveraged social media namely Instagram and Blogger to generate awareness for my store. I have blogged eBay Adventure just to chronicle my experience as a newbie eBay seller trying to declutter her condo; and, the people love it. I am genuinely happy that so many people love reading about my journey because I have learned a lot along the way. Furthermore, photographing the blog post and uploading it to Instagram has spread like wildfire. Instagram enables me to share on Facebook and Twitter so I have three major social media outlets. Moreover, I have an eBay Pinterest board and have been on Periscope and Snapchat showcasing my latest additions. Overall, I must say that I have gotten some sales based on social media and blogging.

                Finally, I have experienced some bad things which happens. The bad customer and fraudsters have taught me not to believe everything that someone tells you on YouTube. The YouTubers will tell you that eBay always protects the buyer; however, that has not been the case for me. I offer no returns and promptly ship all merchandise.

I do have new sales goals for this new 30-day cycle. They are to move $1000 per week and to start working on devising my new fashion line. Now that I have gotten the hang of eBay and online selling, I am ready to take this to the next level.

Visit my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure – No Happy Returns

                I just received a return from a lady who said that her feet were too big to fit into my shoes. My store said no returns. Also the customer never said that my merchandise was defective. I consulted with eBay and the company said that this customer was not covered under buyer protection. That saved me $100. I admitted that after around 2 months on eBay, I never received a return. What I did not know was that when a customer requested a return, it automatically went to PayPal. I checked my account and saw that negative number. The minute that I denied the return, my profile returned back to green. That was crazy but the return taught me something new about selling on eBay.

Visit my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Insight: The Day before My Birthday

Insight (noun)

1.       The power or act of seeing into a situation: penetration

2.       The act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively

This is my last day as a 37-year-old. This year has been one with a lot of tribulations, some I’ve never experience before now. Honestly, though I’ve come out on top, I never want to ever repeat this cycle ever, ever again. What I will do in my next year of life is travel more. It’s essential to move beyond DC to grow personally and professionally. 

Year in Review 2014

This year has seen the greatest change since arriving in Washington, DC. I have transitioned from the public to private sector and am studying for my third project management certification. In addition, I have applied for more prestigious fellowships and positions testing me. Even through the adversity, I refuse to remain stagnant else I would die personally and professionally. Although the change has been great, I have matured emotionally to handle everything coming my way. In 2015, I see myself earning my PMI-PBA certification and most importantly, experiencing the biggest and brightest future ever!

What the PMI-PBA Pilot Deadline Has Taught Me

                I have just completed my PMI-PBA pilot certification Excel verification spreadsheet documenting all of my projects. I am moving on this application faster than my PMI-ACP certification application because the PMI-PBA pilot program has a deadline. It forces me to push through all of the mess that I am dealing with currently. After passing my PMP exam in June, I started studying for the PMI-ACP certification in July. However, with all of the craziness that I experienced for the past 11 months stopped me. There was never a prolonged peaceful time period so I never established a rhythm. This pilot program forced me to keep going regardless of the chaos. Right now the chaos is constant yet the PMI-PBA pilot program deadline is August 4^th. August 4^th is going to come and go whether or not I’ve completed the application or have taken the test. Understanding this, I’ve decided not to let work and people further obstruct me from my certification goal. I will not only submit my PMI-PBA application but will sit for the certification exam and pass it this October. I have bigger dreams and taking the PMI-PBA certification exam is the first step. I will use this experience to prepare for the Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) exam this fall. Furthermore, clearing the PMI-PBA exam liberates my time and energy to revisit the PMI-ACP certification exam with a renewed mentality. By then I will be able to push pass the chaos and confusion and will even be out of my current work environment.

Not Waiting on Forever

I’ve just learned that the DC Fashion Incubator has delayed its pattern making course from June 22^nd to July 6^th. Immediately I pay Bits of Thread $30 for its pattern making tutorial because I am not waiting around for the Incubator to learn as much as possible of the fashion industry. It’s bad enough that the organization has delayed the textile class two weeks because no one has any money during the middle of the month. I do and arrived there last Saturday on the 18^th. On top of this I receive an email saying that the June 1^st textile museum plan has been nixed and that we’ll meet back at the classroom. Correction: The newbies will be meeting in the classroom because I’ve already attended orientation.  Besides I live near DuPont Circle and the Textile Museum is right there. The museum has a free day and I will partake in all of the demonstrations to learn more about clothing. In addition, the X2 bus that I board will be full on the 1^st of the month.  While riding the bus back from the classroom home, someone says that the homeless man smells like ‘cold piss’ which is one for the record books! I refuse to subject myself to that tomfoolery until June 8^th. Moreover, until all of the other classmates, I have the book and will have at least ½ of it read by the eighth. Also I’ll get the textile kit this week since I’ve budgeted for it.  I’m not waiting for non-paying people and the DC Fashion Incubator to straighten themselves out, I am going for dolo! And it doesn’t stop with purchasing the materials and attending the pattern making tutorial.

            This Tuesday evening I will attend the Nana clothing summer event at Bits of Thread.  Until seeing this announcement in the DC Scout newsletter, I didn’t know that Bits of Thread sewing fashion line clothes. Well, why am I learning how to sew if Bits of Thread can do it for me?!  I draw my stuff and throw them a couple of bucks and be done with it!  Next week I’ll attend a Georgetown fashion show accumulating more exposure plus ask Bits of Thread more questions about its rates because it they’re reasonable then I’ll have them sew my designs for 2014 Cleveland fashion week because this is business. My clothes will be at the tenth annual fashion show just you watch; and no one is getting in the way of that!

Taking PMP Preparation to the Next Level

            I have completely written down all of the project management process definitions to improve my PMP score.  Doing this has helped me learn what each process does.  It’s truly a learning experience because there are some things that I’ve forgotten.  I have seen these definitions while taking the practice tests.  Monday I will write down all of the project management subsidiary plans and baselines because I know that these will also improve my score.  Furthermore, I will create my own practice tests. I might even do something with the flashcards because I have not used them.  Even though tomorrow is Memorial Day, I will spend my holiday working on career improvement. No days off because June 27^th will be here before I know; and, I will be prepared.