The journey

My origin story

I’ve always been intrigued and wanted to do something; create something. Create content or a business.

Growing up I did two things: created my own account to review companies/ businessess and started my own YouTube channel. This was when I was a teenager.

So this entrepreneurial mindset isn’t new. And in fact, I remember sitting on a playground; talking with my friend in school. I wanted to create my own business but I did not know how – or what. At the time I thought a physical store was the only way. Little did I know…

Last year I took the leap. I created Herquill.25 on Instagram. I learned a lot:

• Content Creation
• Brand Management
• Canva
• Traffic management

Things like that.

Yes I created it spontaneously. Spontaneously but because I wanted to be a copywriter, and then later a content strategist – and I needed a portfolio. This was the best way I could think of. I mean I did a little research on LinkedIn: what are other people doing and how can I stand out?

This is something I’ve continued to this day, this research: copy what other people are doing/ have done in the field you want to get into & do it in your own way. What spin can you put on it?

For me today it looks like researching degrees like Journalism and Social Media and research ways I can get those same skills in alternative ways.

Notably it looks like learning from my mistakes. I want to share my experiences and create posts to teach/warn people but balancing/walking this line of what would cross the line because my experience includes people who hurt me is tough.

Solution = NCTJ Media Law course

So I feel like you don’t need to get into debt to learn the basics. In fact I think it’s even stronger if you learn it on your own because:

• Failure is data, not defeat: Every ‘no’ is just information
• Your network is your net worth: relationships open doors money can’t
• Consistency beats intensity: showing up every day matters more than one big effort
• You are the product: your skills, your voice, your reputation – invest in them

Not to mention the fact that time will pass anyway so be intentional with your time. Choose activities/ challenges where you can really grow 🪴

So in sum, I’m glad I created these Instagram accounts. That I took the risk to create:

• A substack blog
• A Pinterest account
• An Etsy store

Ventures? Businesses? Things I tried but didn’t end up being successful. It taught me that your worth isn’t tied to whether something blows up; goes viral or sees significant traffic coming through

So my advice to you…

Start thinking with an entrepreneurial mindset:

What career would you like to have/ what’s your dream job?

What are other people doing?

• Courses
• Volunteering

Because it really just starts from there (at least for me). In other words, breaking down that umbrella 🏖️ goal into tinier goals. Think about it 💭 like finding the materials for that umbrella. You’ve got:

• Polyester
• Nylon
• Pongee
• Waterproofing Coatings
• Fibreglass
• Steel
• Aluminium
• Wood
• Carbon Fibre

So find your equivalent of the above