How I've Changed in 20 Years of Being an Entrepreneur

It's official: this week marked the 20th anniversary of my launching my marketing and PR firm. Though my business(es) has changed over the decades, my love of independently creating a path to prosperity has only grown.

The Backstory of the Accidental Entrepreneur

In 2006, I was married with a nearly two-year-old son. We lived in Orlando, and I was a Marketing Director for an investment firm.

I'd been increasingly unhappy with the work environment. My boss was a bit of a tyrant and had begun requiring employees to sign a noncompete that would effectively block us from working in the field or in our areas of competency for years.

One colleague refused to sign, and he was fired. I'd discussed it with my husband, and he supported my decision to not sign the agreement, knowing what the result would be.

The day came when my boss asked for my agreement. I told him I wouldn't sign it and that I was resigning.

I remember being so scared of what would come next. But as I looked for a job, I also stumbled across a MySpace (yes! MySpace) ad looking for someone to write a few press releases. This was something I definitely could do, so I applied, thinking I'd make a little money until I found my next job.

Well, that next job never came, and I'm so glad!

I carved a niche providing marketing and PR services to small businesses under the name Egg Marketing. When blogs and social media sprouted up, I offered those services as well.

Over the years, my offerings have evolved and zeroed in to focus solely on content creation for businesses. I've definitely fulfilled my childhood dream of being a writer!

Learning to Flex

One lesson I've learned since I've been here in Italy is that this work doesn't need to define me. Thanks to AI and the fact that American companies often don't want to hire someone overseas, my writing work has decreased.

I've opened the doors to learn new things. I've started coaching expats, teaching English, and training AI models.

I've found that I enjoy feeding parts of my brain other than just the creative writing part. I've also launched an herbal skincare line, Magara Botanica, that I'm very enthusiastic about developing. I love that it requires a completely different perspective marketing-wise, since my sales are completely local and word-of-mouth!

What's Next for this Entrepreneur?

In all honesty, I don't have an answer. I'm spending time delving into what brings me joy and what saps me, and the one thing I do know is that my future as an entrepreneur is going to look much different than the last 20 years.

I've proven to myself that I can successfully launch and grow numerous businesses, and for that, I pat myself on the back. I hope you'll continue to follow me to see what's next!