When I left an awesome full-time job to become a consultant, I felt both terrified and exuberant. I wanted a change in my life that would not only challenge me mentally and spiritually, but would afford me a life where I could call the shots and be in total control of how I spent my time. I also wanted to travel more and really live. I'd dedicated the first 10 years of my career to mostly work, and had never even really had an adult vacation or visited the places I'd written down in my journal as a child.
I took a leap of faith, built a steady roster of clients, faced failures, and accomplished major wins. I made and lost money. I traveled the world—some trips with clients, others solo.
Then reality hit. During slow months, I found myself among other professionals participating in what experts call the "gig economy", taking on work I never thought I'd even be open to doing. (Hey, when you have a dream but still have bills to pay, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?)
Whether it's about gaining financial freedom, having independence, reaching a savings goal, or getting out of a money jam, jumping into the gig economy—that 1099 life as I like to call it—can be a liberating way to become the boss you always wanted to be. The gig economy involves freelance work or side jobs you can do for quick cash, such as website design from a successful Upwork contract, a short-term blog writing gig from a Craigslist post, or Uber or Lyft driving during a holiday or game season. There are so many companies and opportunities to choose from if you're open-minded, willing to do the legwork, and are a bonafide self-starter.
Here's the real deal on surviving and thriving in the gig economy:
Know yourself and your limits:
GiphyI once signed up with a popular food delivery company, and it was actually an exciting and eye-opening experience. As an introvert, I knew I just wasn't comfortable driving strangers around. Transporting take-out was a better option because it was safer and involved less interpersonal encounters. I got to travel to different areas and places, learn about restaurant culture and customer service, and enjoy the convenience of weekly checks directly deposited into my account. Cons?
I spent lots of time waiting in my car for a delivery alert; the market was saturated in the area I worked, so I often only got delivers during unsavory hours or in areas that are not quite popular. (Oh, and there was that one time that involved a gravel-filled country road, several pitbulls, and a huge heavy box full of chicken and fixings that led me to take a few weeks off and reconsider ever delivering again.) Be sure you're taking on gigs that are a fit for your personality and skills.
Consider the return on investment:
Your skills and time are valuable. Be sure that whatever gig you're taking on is actually worth it in terms of time and value of the service you're offering. If you're designing a website, for example, calculate the cost per hour based on your experience and how much time it will take to complete. How does the project or gig enrich your life experience, career, portfolio, or resume? Do you feel safe, productive, and fulfilled? Will you earn enough funds to reach your goal or adequately pay your bills? Take these factors seriously, and consider them before pursuing or continuing to pursue a gig.
Closely consider and take care of your finances—especially taxes:
If you're in an industry that requires receipts for tax breaks, keep those receipts. Utilize apps where you can record, organize, and monitor things like receipts, time, mileage, food and other expenses related to the gig. Also, get tax help from a free resource offered by the base city where you work or hire a tax accountant or preparer. You'll need to be well-informed on properly filing taxes and managing your finances as a gig worker, otherwise it's just not worth the trouble.
Become super-OK with having to pivot and change activities and mindsets, sometimes at a moment’s notice:
At one point, I was doing deliveries, taking on editing gigs, and doing short-term consulting projects all at the same time. I was literally wearing three different hats, and I had to be able to shift in a way that was professional, fluid, and flexible. The gig economy can be very fast-paced and competitive, so having the ability to quickly transition into a different career mode or activity was key.
Keep balance at the forefront:
GiphyThriving in the gig economy involves lots of hustling and mental tenacity. Be sure that you are incorporating self-care in your schedule and that you are avoiding burnout by not taking on more gigs than you can handle. I had to deliberately schedule morning meditation and workouts at least three times a week simply to protect my sanity. I also needed to be in top mental and physical shape to do well at multitasking the gigs I'd get per month. It's awesome getting checks from more than one source but you have to maintain integrity, do quality work, and still take care of yourself.
Being your own boss and having multiple sources of income can be rewarding. Just know exactly what you're getting into and how it will benefit you in the long run. If you can focus, know your why, and get a great return on investment, the gig economy might be the ideal place for you!
Being your own boss and having multiple sources of income can be rewarding. Just know exactly what you're getting into and how it will benefit you in the long run. If you can focus, know your why, and get a great return on investment, the gig economy might be the ideal place for you!
Featured image by Shutterstock
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“During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been,” she says in an xoNecole exclusive.
Still, as Mandi worked to get to know herself and her needs during this new phase of life, she realized the home she’d purchased wasn’t a good fit. Overwhelmed by the echoing of her voice in the spacious home, she had a breakdown and called her cousin, who immediately suggested she lease the home and live somewhere else. “I woke up in my house, and I was like, ‘This is not it for me,” she says. “All those years, I had been accustomed to living a certain way [and] in a certain house, so I bought myself a house like [my old home]. But my family was not the same. Waking up in that house by myself, it highlighted the divorce. I was like, ‘Oh, no, we can’t do this. This is not it.’ My life has changed, so my choices need to change.” At that moment, Mandi became open to the idea that there wasn’t one set way to achieve ownership on her own.
“I feel so much better. I’m in a smaller place. My best friend lives a minute from me and I can walk to her house,” she tells me during a Zoom interview from her home one recent afternoon in early February. In the past two years, she hasn’t just been advising other people on varying circumstances, she’s also been healing herself.
"During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been."
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If supporters began following Nazanin Mandi because of her conventional beauty or the contagious, bright, white smile she often wears in many of her photos, that’s likely not the reason they’ve stuck around. Instead, she’s amassed a following based on her transparency about her own anxiety and depression, along with the encouraging messages of self-acceptance, gratitude, ambition, and humility that are often sprinkled into her social media posts.
In an era where looking at Instagram photos of models can often lead to feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, Nazanin Mandi is determined to be more than eye candy. She’s food for her follower’s souls, too.
Since being recruited to model while dining at an In-N-Out at 10 years old, Mandi has worked in many areas of entertainment. The Valencia, California native has modeled for brands such as Olay, Savage X Fenty, and Good American. As a teen, she sang at Carnegie Hall and auditioned for season 1 of American Idol, making it all the way to Hollywood before producers disqualified her for lying about her age. (Mandi was 15 at the time, and contestants had to be at least 16 years old.) Mandi has acted, too, including appearing on Disney’s That’s So Raven as a teenager and on the BET+ series Games People Play and the Prime series Á La Carte in more recent years.
In recent years, though, she’s also expanded her professional goals outside of entertainment, too. After becoming a certified life coach in 2020, Mandi launched the membership platform You Bloome in 2022 with the hopes of providing wellness services to others, including her self-published gratitude journal. “I wish I had access to something like You Bloome earlier in my own life,” she writes on the company’s website. The actress, who has been forthcoming about her struggles with anxiety and depression, has never had a life coach, but credits therapy as a tool that “really, really saved me and it laid the foundation to who I am becoming.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
"I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself."
While she’s always had a nurturing personality, Mandi says her interest in becoming a life coach was inspired by the women who would message her for advice on social media. “I would answer them back. It really sparked a fire within myself to help people,” she says.
You Bloome currently has three membership tiers, ranging in price from $2.99 to $39.99 per month. The highest tier offers a motivational text message twice a week, two live, group coaching sessions per month, and more. “We get emotional. We cry. We laugh. It’s really beautiful. I’ve built close relationships with my members through this. It’s been inspiring both ways,” Mandi says of the sessions. Still, the founder says she hopes to take on more motivational and keynote speaking opportunities in the future with the hopes of impacting as many people as possible.
And, she’s hoping to do all of this while continuing to explore a career as an entertainer.
At this point in her life, Mandi says she’s gained enough perspective on modeling, music, and acting to realize what she wants to prioritize moving forward. “We are going full force with acting,” she says, noting her goal is “to book a series regular or a film that impacts my career and the world.” She plans to continue to model, too, but has no desire to pursue music.
“I don’t want any part of that because I know what that life entails,” she says. “I don’t want to tour. I don’t want to do any of that. That is not where my heart is at.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If you ask Mandi, she’ll tell you she feels most comfortable in front of a camera, but she’ll also admit that she’s recently experienced a lot of imposter syndrome when thinking about her acting career. “I think it’s a fear of not succeeding,” she says. If anything, she adds, she’s harder on herself now than she’s ever been. “There were distractions before. There’s no distractions now,” she says. “I’m putting pressure on myself for no reason.”
This is where the life coach’s own personal healing comes into play. Mandi says she’s learning recently that “slow progress is still big progress at the end of the day.”
“Currently, I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself,” she adds.
Still, one of Mandi’s strengths is that she doesn’t feel the pressure to limit herself to just one passion. From working as a life coach to pursuing acting, she has given herself grace to explore all other dreams.
“We can be allowed to be many different things in this lifetime,” she says. “As people, our identities are allowed to expand. Don’t put us in a fucking box. I cannot live that way anymore.”
For more of Nazanin, follow her on Instagram @nazaninmandi.
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Featured image by Solmaz Saberi
This will prompt you to dig a little deeper to find out more about the girl who is a multi-hyphenate and earned two major nominations before even making it on the big screen.
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xoNecole caught up Hailey as season 3 came to an end and was surprised to learn that although they may be completely different people, her real life is mirroring what's going on with Jukebox in Raising Kanan. "I really made the epiphany season 3." She continued, "[Jukebox] just wants to be seen. She works so hard, she's a really sweet girl. She has a beautiful spirit and she just wants people to see her—to see how hard she works. I feel that right now. I'm like, please just see me. I know you love Jukebox...but there's a super cool girl in here and she's got a lot to say. A lot to contribute to the world artistically."
She even delved more into her background, telling us about the extensive training and hard work she's put in to get to this point. "I started training when I was 9. I trained in acting, singing, and performance." She further explained, "I did my first job when I was 12, so I've been doing this for awhile. Performing is what I love. I've always said I wanted to be Beyoncé when I grew up...I'm really blessed to have the resume and the background that I do."
The latest season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan has come to a close but in true fashion, Hailey is still hard at work. Her first single "Drama Queen" is out now and her debut album will be released on May 3. It's safe to say that Hailey is having her moment. One can't deny that she's worked hard for it and we can't wait to see what's next!
Watch the full interview below.
Hailey Kilgore AKA Jukebox on 'Raising Kanan' Talks Broadway Background
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