It Girl | LINDA NGUYEN
I am so excited to introduce you to my coworker Linda! Linda and I call each other coworkers because we both left our jobs in April of 2018. We became fast friends in 2017 and it is safe to assume that Linda has co-written lots of my crucial conversation via email. We all have those friends that are more like cheerleaders and sisters. I LOVE LINDA and I am excited to share her with you.
Name: Linda Nguyen
Age: 37
Pronouns: She/Her
Job Title/Company: Blogger and Photographer
Education Background: BA in Biology and Philosophy
In-depth Questions
Tell us a little about who you are.
I’m an ENFJ and Type 7. In other words, I love pushing you towards your goals and love chasing joy and bliss. I create content and take photos for a living. I run a food and travel site and also freelance, taking portraits or product photography.
2. What sparked your interest in starting your business(es)?
In 2015, I was laid off from my corporate job in marketing. I was applying for jobs and noticed an interesting theme at interviews. During the job interviews, they would ask me about the blog I never mentioned on my resume or cover letters. Multiple interviewers had Googled me and found my blog and were more interested in how I marketed and created content than they were about my last job. (To be fair, my last job was in the transportation infrastructure industry, so a total snooze fest.)
Anyway, I was presented two job offers when I decided to pursue working for myself. I was offered a full-time marketing job that would demand so much from my schedule including 2 hours of commute every day. Or a part-time job with health insurance that would only cover my rent. I asked my professional mentor if he thought I should take the full-time position and let it suck my life dry. Or, take a risk and accept the part time job, forcing me to hustle for the rest of my livelihood. He pushed me to go with the part-time job! He believed in me and my abilities. Before I was laid-off, he would try to tell my supervisor that my talents were being wasted. That was the beginning of my freelance and self-employment career. I juggled a part-time job and pursuing freelance gigs. I fully transitioned to working for myself full time in April 2018.
3. If applicable, tell us about your full-time job and/or any side hustles you might have.
I make my money with my blog mostly with sponsorships. Brands hire me to create authentic content to serve my audience. I have a small income stream by hosting ads on my website.
I also take portraits and marketing photos through my photography business.
Sometimes I’m able to get a higher rate for my blog sponsorships by highlighting my photography skills.
“I’ve had to learn to trust in abundance and not operate from a place of scarcity. ”
4. Who are you most influenced by?
I have so many heroes. I’ve been a lifelong fan of Oprah. I love Brené Brown for her work on vulnerability. My friend Jane Ko is amazingly talented in her content creation and business savviness. My late dad is probably my biggest influence in life. He was so curious and hungry for knowledge.
5. What was your first job and how long did you hold that position?
When I was in 8th grade, I was paid 5 dollars an hour for tutoring sessions with a second-grader. I tutored him on reading. My first W2 job was in high school. I worked at a high-end china and silverware gift shop. I can make a very professional looking bow for your gifts!
6. Can you share one of your proudest achievements with us?
I am proud I was able to treat my parents to a few small trips. They worked every day including holidays and weekends at a convenience store until they retired 7 years ago. One of my biggest fears was not being able to take them on a much-deserved vacation because their line of work wasn’t the safest. I was able to finally take them on three trips! It was my biggest dream achieved. Other proud moments include being voted Best Instagrammer in 2018 in the Triangle through WRAL Voter’s Choice. I had only been in North Carolina for a year and already found community! But the most satisfying part of my work is creating beautiful imagery for people of their families and loved ones that they can keep for generations.
7. What were your initial goals with your work? How have they evolved?
I’m still in the growth stage of both blogging and photography. I’d like to surpass what I’ve earned working for Corporate America. Maybe in 2021! Every year I grow a little.
“Don’t be so precious with your work.”
8. What do you think is the most important life skill you learned through your work?
Something I rely heavily on working for myself that I never had to do was networking. I’m an extroverted person and a natural networker but never had to reap the benefits of networking intentionally when I was in Corporate America. I mean, I got most of my jobs in Texas through my network but it was always accidental!
As a freelancer, a good portion of my livelihood is referrals from my network. I try to remember to set up coffee dates and friend dates with people I hardly know to keep that social ecosystem thriving. I also love serving my network with introductions whenever I can.
9. Where do you hope to be in five years?
I’d love to expand my team within the next year or two. Currently, it’s just a one-woman show over here. I’d also love to save up for a down payment on a home.
10. What is a typical day like for you?
On days I’m not on location, I wake up without an alarm. Depending on how late I go to bed (I’m a night owl), it could be anywhere between 830 to 1030. I drink coffee and catch up on emails. Every other day, I start my day writing my Morning Pages. Which is filling up 3 pages with stream of consciousness writing. And then I either work on editing photos or writing a blog post. I work until I get hungry for lunch. Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before. Then I either go back to editing or I peruse the internet for possible job leads! Then in the evening, when my partner is home from work, I make dinner for us. After dinner, if he’s playing video games, then I’m tinkering on my blog posts. Tinkering could include updating old blog posts on the blog, creating graphics for Pinterest, or scheduling out pins, tweets, Instagram posts.
On days I am on location for content creation, I usually don’t do anything work-related before being on location unless it’s answering emails and prepping my camera. Then I go shoot. And I might hang out in the area of the shoot afterward to create personal content for my blog because I like to batch my driving. Then, I come home and download my photos and back them up!
11. What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing your goals?
It’s hard to just pick one obstacle. When I moved to North Carolina my biggest obstacle was not knowing anyone. I’ve also struggled with maintaining healthy boundaries. And lastly, I’ve had to learn to trust in abundance and not operate from a place of scarcity.
12. What is the best piece of advice you have received?
I don’t remember where I got this first but the biggest thing that served me the best in my life is having an emergency fund. The bigger runway you have the more power you have in taking risks. I’ve left toxic jobs before without having anything lined up and was only able to do that because I had savings.
13. When do you get your best ideas?
When I’m driving, showering, cooking, or walking. Sometimes they disappear completely because I am not in a place to record down the ideas.
14. Can you share with us one time that you failed and what you learned from that failure?
I was creating content for a brand. I had a long checklist that I printed out. There was a requirement at the beginning that was not listed in the bulleted list, three words tucked away in the introduction. At the shoots, my brain zoned in on just the list so I missed out on an important requirement. I had done 10 hours of shooting already and didn’t notice that requirement. To fix my mistake, I had to reschedule shoots. Now, I have a system of re-writing my own lists instead of simply printing out whatever the brand gives me. I also find that lists written in marker instead of typed out lists work better for me on location.
15. How do you unwind?
Watching a movie or show with my partner. It has to be with him. I noticed when I watch shows or movies by myself, I tend to bring out my laptop and work. Occasionally, I’ll feel very relaxed while I cook. If I let myself relax, the chopping of ingredients and stirring can be very meditative!
16. Can you share a sacrifice you have made to pursue your dream?
I’ve sacrificed having work that rewards me in PTO, health insurance, and a predictable income. I also now often work on weekends because portrait photography is often done on weekends. What I gained was a sense of ownership and freedom I’ve never had in any other job. And also the empowering knowledge that I have been able to sustainability work for myself.
17. What would you tell someone else who is interested in entering your field?
Start right away. If you want to blog or be a photographer. Write blogs and take photos. It’s the only way to build your audience as well as your skills. Do it now and do it in public! Go live. Don’t be so precious with your work.
18. What do you hope people take away from your story?
That you have power over your life. It may take years to be where you want to be, but consistently showing up and taking small actions will add up to a new life. The metaphor that resonates with me the most is picturing yourself in a prison. The prison is whatever circumstance you don’t want. Then picture yourself on your hands and knees with a spoon, spooning yourself a tunnel out to a new circumstance. Ha! Is that too dark of a metaphor?
19. Anything we missed that you would like to share?
I love you, Danae!
