Don’t wait till you’re ready – The Jereshia Hawk Story

Alright, the school year is underway and you are settling in nicely. Between going to class and studying, you’ve mastered the art of being a…

Alright, the school year is underway and you are settling in nicely. Between going to class and studying, you’ve mastered the art of being a social butterfly and finding enough time to sleep. But then things start to change. You realize that you now have increasing financial responsibilities, and so you change your major from Architecture to Civil Engineering, after all securing a good job post-graduation is key. Right when it seems like you’ve got everything under control, things take a turn for the worse. You’re notified that you’ve run out of financial aid and need to come up with thousands of dollars to graduate in the spring. What do you do? Do you drop-out? Postpone graduating in the spring? Well, if you’re anything like Jereshia Hawk, you start your own business in order to raise the funds you need.

If you wait till you’re ready, you’ve waited too long to start

Hawk, who grew up without her parents, is the personification of determination. While in college, Hawk had been modeling and doing auto shows for Chrysler, and interning at a Fortune 500 company. However, when she realized she’d have to come up the funds to graduate, she knew this would not be enough. That is when her entrepreneurial drive kicked in. “I started my first online business called Love Struck and I sold clothing, shoes and accessories. I kept the business for 15 months, made over $50k running a business off my iPhone, whilst not knowing what I was doing and trying to juggle everything else. All the while traveling with Chrysler, still interning and studying engineering. [The experience] ignited a fire in me, I felt like if I could manage to do all of that, then I was unstoppable.” Little did Hawk know, Love Struck was the beginning of what would eventually become an exciting entrepreneurial journey.

While running Love Struck, there were many women who noticed Hawk’s success and began to ask for advice on how she managed to juggle everything and still attain at her goals. Around the same time, Hawk had begun working in corporate America, and quickly noticed the lack of women of color in positions like hers and at the senior level. This was unsettling for Hawk, but ultimately helped to drive her to start the Goal-Getter Group.  “I wanted to create a space for women to design and create success for themselves, even if they can’t get it in the traditional sense. The business I have now helps women who work a 9-5 start on a business on the side. I don’t believe anyone should live off one stream of income. We help you to find your gift, package it sell it to the world, and turn your passion into profit.” Hawk has a vested interest in helping women discover their own voices and build the confidence and authority needed to not only be an entrepreneur but a “bad ass player in corporate America.”

Hawk, a Coldstone Creamery lover and school supply junky, believes that success requires personal mindset mastery. In referencing this mastery, she says, “we see all these successful people and see what they’ve done, but there’s not enough talk about the personal work, the internal stuff that has to occur for someone to be successful. For me the challenge is unlearning and undoing what society has taught me, while being able to master who I am and what I want. Trying to build my mindset and unlearn all the limiting mindsets or lack of self-worth, it has been the most challenging but the most rewarding.”

In addition to the reward of gaining a new mindset, Hawk’s relationship with God has been a bonus in this process. “It’s crazy because the same month I started my business was the same month I found my church home. The relationship has been transformational, this huge blessing. It’s been amazing to see how God has been able to use me to go out and serve others. The more my business is growing the deeper my relationship with God has been growing. It has been absolutely phenomenal.”

Working a 9-5 job and running a successful business on the side might be stressful at times, but Hawk is motivated. Her motivation does not come solely from being fruitful, but primarily from the women she serves.  “Even when I only had one person [as a client] I never took that for granted. I get inspired by helping more women win. The entrepreneurial journey is an emotional rollercoaster. So, because of that I have a happy folder. I screenshot emails, Facebook messages and anything I have received from anyone who tells me how what I have done has helped them, and it helps me when I get down. Yes, it’s hard and it’s tough, but there are so many people who are being impacted so you have to get up and keep going. “

Ever mindful of the younger generation and future entrepreneurs, Hawk has advice she wishes they’d take into consideration. “You’re never going to be ready, but you have to be willing to do it afraid. People think they need to have more qualifications, more certifications, have to move, to get married, and its fear that holds us back. I don’t think we’re ever ready. If you wait until you’re ready, then you’ve waited too long to start. We shouldn’t focus on perfection but on progress.”

Secondly, when taking a moment to reflect on her journey Hawk wishes she had invested in herself sooner, and hopes that others do not make the same mistake. “A lot of women are super ambitious, capable and smart and we think we can figure it out on our own. I would’ve gotten more people on my team at an earlier time and invested in a coach, team or outsourcing. I would’ve done it sooner. Not having that support as a child, I always felt I had to do things by myself. I had to wake up and say – girl it takes a village to run a business. There’s no million-dollar business running with only one person in it.”

It’s no surprise that Hawk, who did not allow herself to be defined by her circumstances and went on to beat the odds, would be so passionate about empowering women and providing them with the tools to achieve financial freedom. Therefore, if you’re a woman who is interested in slaying your side hustle and collecting those coins, then the Goal Getter Group is for you!


Disclaimer: The views, opinions and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments, opinions on this website are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of M-Lifestyle and their affiliates. M-Lifestyle does not claim ownership of any images used, unless otherwise specified.

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