Working in a Skate and Scooter Shop, I was the person people spoke to if they were hosting a youth event anywhere in our city. If a new skatepark was opening, or if there was a youth involvement initiative, they'd reach out to the local skate and scooter shop for help with organizing a competition or workshop.
A couple of scooter moms saw an opportunity to create a business where they'd position themselves as the go-to organization for any scooter-related event in our state. They did an exceptional job securing contracts from the government and local councils.
However, they weren't scooter riders, so they'd come to me to deliver the lesson, workshop, or competition.
It started as pocket change for me, but eventually, they needed a certain level of reliability that prompted me to ask, "Well, what is that worth to you?"
I was astonished when they came back with $250 for a one-hour workshop.
Imagine that – 10x my hourly rate at the time. And if they were paying me $250 for an hour-long workshop, how much were they earning? This realization broke my worldview.
How can people work 40-hour weeks and barely make enough to survive when one can literally earn $250 in an hour?
I realize now it's nowhere near as straightforward as that, but at the time, I was mesmerized by the opportunities. It felt like everywhere I looked, regardless of what I did, options were materializing. Almost as if the business gods were smiling down on me, and the universe was bending to my will.
I didn't recognize it then, but looking back now, I can't help but see all the interconnected opportunities that kept me afloat through the years of entrepreneurship, even if many of them occurred before I became a full-time entrepreneur.