The old school mindset will make you believe that college education is essential to success. But this is not true. You can fully start your own business without a degree – and these three entrepreneurs are proof of that.
Read on as they share their secrets and top tips for success.
Meet Sarah Turner, a copywriter and copywriting mentor who runs a multi-million dollar business.
Image Credit: Officialarahturner.com
Sarah Turner is a medical copywriter and copywriting mentor who runs a multi-million dollar business with 16 employees and continues to grow. And no, she doesn’t have a higher education.
Here’s what she had to say when I spoke to her about her entrepreneurial journey:
Her success so far
“When I worked exclusively as a freelance copywriter, my biggest year was $303,000—it was mind-blowing!”
Sarah never thought that she could earn so much.
Today, she runs a copywriting course, community, and Write Your Way to Freedom mentoring program for those who want to get into copywriting. (Confession: I was one of Sarah’s first students, and her copywriting course helped me build my own six-figure freelance business.)
“We have almost 4,000 students who have gone through the program,” she says. “We are also a multi-million dollar business, which also amazes me. But I firmly believe in what life gives to the giver.”
Why did she become an entrepreneur
Sarah says she started her business from a very dark place.
“I was in debt, struggled with severe anxiety and depression, and drank too much. I was in a hot mess.”
Her desire to travel and work from anywhere ultimately motivated her to take the first step towards entrepreneurship. That, and she wanted to pay off her debt.
“Despite the fact that it was difficult for me when I started, I had a suspicion that I needed to be my own mistress,” explains Sarah. “I’m a hardworking person and I was willing to reap the rewards of my hard work rather than hand them over to the company.”
Read more: How to get out of debt on your own
Problems she faced in the beginning
Sarah says most of the challenges she faced as a new entrepreneur were due to her mindset and financial stress.
“It was really hard for me mentally. Therefore, taking on work with clients was nervous, scary and intimidating. I felt like an impostor and my self-esteem was in the toilet. Overcoming the mental barrier of showing up in front of you every day was a challenge.”
Sarah also put off getting the basics for her business, like accounting software and an LLC, simply because she couldn’t afford it.
“Slowly but surely my mental health (and my bank account) improved.”
Sarah’s advice on starting a business without a degree
Sarah is a firm believer that degrees are becoming obsolete, and you definitely don’t need them to start a business.
“You really just have to figure it out, keep your promises, keep showing up, build your reputation, expand your network, and slowly but surely you will get your way,” Sarah says.
“Unfortunately, we don’t ask ourselves, ‘Should I get a degree?’ It’s just what we think we should do no matter what. And when we don’t stop to ask ourselves if this decision is really the right one for us and our goals, higher education can cause huge financial damage.”
Read more: Are graduate programs worth the money?
Meet Divine Bunch, the real estate copywriter and serial entrepreneur who quit her 9 to 5 job during the pandemic.
Image Credit: Divinewritingagency.com
Divine Bunch is a real estate copywriter who has pretty much been an entrepreneur since birth. At age 7, she started a banana dessert business (along with an email address and a “business loan” from her mom that she had to repay).
She also did administrative work in her mom’s business at age 8, started babysitting at 14, and built a semi-passive income business by age 15 when she had the bright idea to start training and vetting other teens for babysitting.
But she didn’t start her copywriting business until the pandemic hit in 2020.
Why did she become an entrepreneur
Divine’s first wake-up call was made in February 2020.
“I had a job at a grocery store. So we were considered indispensable workers, and they were hard to work with. I was unhappy.”
Her second wake up call came in April 2020 when her father died of stage 4 cancer.
“After that, I went in a spiral. I skipped shifts because I was too depressed to pick up the phone. For several shifts, I just cried in the back rooms,” she says.
“My father’s death hadn’t become real enough for me yet, so I didn’t really know why I was crying. He served in the army, so I told myself that he was just on another business trip.
Devine worked up the courage to start her own business in June 2020.
“My work took up most of my life and I felt like I would rather die than come back. So I didn’t.”
It was then that Devine stumbled upon Sarah’s Write Your Way to Freedom program.
“Within a month of taking the course, I had my first client, and two months later, I nervously started promoting myself,” she says.
Problems she faced in the beginning
Mind Devine was her biggest hurdle in starting a business without a degree.
“I did everything afraid. I was afraid that I was too stupid to achieve anything. I was afraid that I was too young, too weird, too big or too small in many ways,” she says.
“But one of the most beautiful things about being a business owner is the forced personal growth. Since my whole life depended on my success, I had no choice but to bet on myself, even when I didn’t really believe in myself.”
Her success so far
Devine’s original idea for success was to make enough money to feed himself every month.
“I live in a cozy neighborhood where my monthly expenses at the time were only about $1,200,” she says. “I achieved this goal in three months.”
Fast forward to today and Divine has a steady $5,000 per month.
“I also see constant growth to the point where I hire and train writers, researchers and SEOs to join my team.”
Devine’s advice for starting a business without a degree
Divine has two important tips for those who want to become an entrepreneur without a degree.
“Remember that your mind can be your strongest asset or the biggest obstacle to your dreams,” she says. “Keep doing scary things that you know will get you where you want to go.”
She adds: “Stay on some things a little longer than you think you should — like a class, a networking event, or a new system. It will pay off, I promise.
Read more: 25 highly paid professions that do not require higher education
Meet Freddie Goins, a real estate broker with over $20 million in sales.
Image credit: goldstreetrealty.com
Freddy Goines is a 25-year-old real estate broker with over $20 million in sales. He co-owns Gold Street Realty in Ocala, Florida.
And confession: he is also my cousin.
I specifically wanted to highlight Freddie’s story, because for many years our family was worried and worried about the fact that he did not have a diploma. Many adults in his life begged him to finish college (all with good intentions), but Freddie was determined to forge his own path to success.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs have similar stories, so I want to share it.
Why did he become an entrepreneur
Freddie got a real estate license and started working for Remax at the age of 21.
“My business partner Kyle Lambert and I had a successful team at Remax, but we started thinking about what the next season of our career would look like.”
Starting your own brokerage company comes with a lot of risk and overhead, but Freddie and Kyle were determined.
“Our aha moment was when we realized that the cost of operating a brokerage was only about 20% more than the amount of money we gave Remax each year from our commission allocation,” he says.
“We realized that the opportunity to spend an additional 20% per year to build and grow a company could potentially bring in income significantly higher than we could earn working for someone else.”
Problems he faced in the beginning
Freddie’s biggest problem from the beginning was the mental discipline to keep showing up and working hard every day, despite feeling like he was working for free.
“When you start a company, especially a real estate company, you have to be prepared to be without income for several months,” he says. “We had to adopt the mindset that we were ‘paying our dues’ and that our future selves would be grateful to us for staying on course.”
His success so far
Fast forward to today, and Freddie’s business has experienced a series of record months, both in terms of sales and growth.
“Our initial goal was to have 10 agents with the firm within one year of opening. But we reached this goal in five months,” says Freddie. “Now we are on track to have 30 agents for Gold Street Realty by 2023, so we will triple our original goal.”
Freddy is also proud of the culture they create.
“We are all young, ambitious and we have an office in the city center with a great view.”
Freddie’s advice on starting a business without a degree
Freddie’s advice is twofold: know your numbers and focus on “IPAs” (income generating activities).
Knowing your numbers means financial readiness. Freddy and his business partner set up a six-month emergency fund for their business before going on their own.
“These savings gave us the confidence and comfort we needed to spend every day working on the things that matter most, instead of thinking about how we were going to cover our expenses each month,” says Freddie.
IPAs are focused on growth, not employment.
“Let’s start with the fact that time is of the essence. Every week matters,” says Freddie. “Delegate busy work and focus on what will help the company’s financial growth.”
He adds: “If you have no one else to rely on, then take care of your IPAs first, and after 5:00 pm, move on to other tasks.”
Read more: How do you know that you are financially ready to start a business on a permanent basis?
Summary
These three self-employed people are proof that it’s possible to make your dream come true – regardless of your education. So don’t let No having a degree prevents you from starting a business. If you’re willing to work hard, it can certainly pay off.
Featured image: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com