Entrepreneurship has always been my passion.
From childhood forward, I was constantly scheming and dreaming up new hustles, from peddling bottled water to music festival attendees to planning, marketing, and executing a 6-year-strong sold out Christmas event that raised thousands in profit and for charity.
I started working at 14, as soon as I could get a work permit from my guidance counselor.
At my first job at Media Play, I was the youngest person to ever be promoted to “head cashier” status.
I worked in retail for all of my high school years, moving up to powersports sales & finance the summer I turned 18, and landing a promotion to “Head of Finance” when I was just 19 years old.
After my dealership closed its doors in 2009, I pivoted to multifamily leasing, networking with other professionals through Twitter’s #AptChat, generating my own leads using Craigslist, Facebook, and cold calls, and earning multiple performance and referral bonuses.
I attended Wayne State University on a full academic scholarship, working simultaneously as an accounting assistant/travel program implementation specialist for my university, and marketing assistant for a local developer and produce company.
After graduation, I was recruited to a full-time position as a property and project manager for the developer, a broad title with many hats that may be better summarized as “jack of all trades.” With no previous experience in construction, I was selected to head a $3.5m historical renovation project as the construction manager. In a matter of weeks, I learned to read blueprints, submit RFPs and review bids, and stand up daily subcontractor meetings, completing the project on time with less than a 10% variance from budget.
Amidst all of this, I sat for my LSATs, applied to law school, and received several scholarship offers, eventually deciding on Wayne State University, who offered me a full academic scholarship. I continued to work part-time as a property manager and graduate teaching assistant, had both of my kids, and graduated on time with honors in 2016.
“Content, but never complacent.”
After passing the bar, I was promoted to VP of Operations/In-House Counsel, with a brief sabbatical to start my own brick-and-mortar store. I closed the store to spend more time with my kids, and eventually left 80 hour weeks in favor of a remote position that has allowed me to attend field trips, class parties, and sports practices and games, but still deliver meaningful impact for clients ranging from expert witnesses to Fortune 500 companies.
I am a mom before all else, but I have loved every minute of teaching my kids (by example) that everything is a matter of how bad you want it, and how hard you are willing to work to get it. I have continued to pursue “side hustles” and freelance work alongside a full-time corporate job, while holding steady as the “Pinterest mom,” homeroom mom, and baseball mom with the end-of-season goodies. All of these things are important to me, and I take pride in being excellent at all of them.