Ever wondered what it takes to ditch the cubicle and become a full-time girl boss? Our Student Spotlight Series interviews our students who have made the transition from 9-5 to remote CEOs!
From what inspired them to start their own business, their favorite podcasts, go-to morning routine, advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, and so much more!
Today, we’re sitting down with our student Aleina Radovan, Founder of Aleina Creative Co! Originally from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Aleina gives us a glimpse into her online business journey…
Q: What type of online business do you own and what services do you offer?
I’m the Founder of Aleina Creative Co, where I offer branding and website design services to ambitious female entrepreneurs who have online service-based businesses.
It is my goal to bring my clients’ visions to life so that it’s not only something they love but also something their target audience will be attracted to!
“I launched on August 31st, 2020!”
Q: How did you discover the Bucketlist Bombshells?
In April of 2020 when I was searching for a career pivot because of COVID, I came across a Facebook Ad for a free masterclass on working online and traveling the world. After the masterclass, I looked up the Bucketlist Bombshells on Instagram, and I was already following them. I knew it had to be a sign!
Q: What inspired you to enroll in the Bucketlist Bombshells Academy?
I was inspired to enroll in the Bucketlist Bombshells Academy after reading their student spotlight features! I remember going down a rabbit hole of inspiring articles of other female entrepreneurs killing it in the online space!
Abby Louise’s highlight video of her working from Bali was what really inspired me to take the jump! It truly motivated me and I KNEW I could do it too.
“Fast forward nine months and now I’m being featured as a student success story. It’s so SURREAL!”
Q: How have the courses helped you to become an online business owner?
The Bucketlist Bombshells Academy helped me with everything for my launch and beyond! The Design Skills Course and The Tech Skills Course helped me develop the online skills that I needed. After going through both courses, I felt aligned more with the design and branding side.
The Work Online and Travel the World Course laid everything out seamlessly, from how to build your website to creating your client on-boarding process!
Q: What type of job were you working in prior to running your own online business?
Prior to running Aleina Creative Co, I was a full-time Event Manager at a boutique hotel in Los Angeles, California! I absolutely LOVE the events industry, but with COVID, the industry took a toll.
“I was temporarily furloughed in March and completely laid off in June.”
Q: How long did it take you to ditch your 9-5, and how much time did you dedicate in order to make it happen?
Because of COVID, I was temporarily furloughed from my job in March and I got completely laid off in June. When that happened, I dedicated 5-8 hours every single day working on the Bucketlist Bombshells Academy to learn and build my portfolio.
“The courses became my full-time job for three months!”
Q: What was the final push in your story to get you to ditch that 9-5 job?
My tipping point was COVID! I may not have voluntarily quit my job, but the fact that I lost my corporate job within a day really shows how “secure” corporate America is, doesn’t it?
“Although I loved what I was doing, the fact remained that someone else had control over my time, money, and positioning on the corporate ladder.”
Growing up, I was always attracted to the idea of being my own boss but I really had no clue how to get there. The thing I hated the most about working for someone else was asking permission for time off to go home and see my family back in Hawaii.
“I didn’t want to live a life where work took priority over loved ones.”
Q: How long was it until you landed your first client online?
I landed my first two clients pretty quickly! In the beginning of August, I started my business Instagram account to start connecting with other entrepreneurs in the online space!
I warmed up my audience to my launch date and within about a week, I booked my first two clients. Within two weeks, I fully booked out my month with four clients! I continued to book out the next two months after that!
“I received my first $5k within two months of launching my business!”
This crazy time of COVID has been such a blessing in disguise. A lot of my first clients were also new entrepreneurs who decided to start their own businesses given the world’s circumstances.
Q: What is your process for finding and landing clients online?
I find and land clients by being active on Instagram and Facebook Groups every day and by being super transparent with my personal network. I shared my story on my personal Instagram and Facebook and was blown away by the support I received!
“Out of my first twelve clients, four of them were from my own personal network.”
Whenever I off-board a client with their final files, I also welcome them to my referral program where I give an incentive if they refer me to someone who signs on with me.
Another way to go about getting referrals is tagging your clients in your Instagram Stories whenever you are working on their project. This helps gain exposure as many of them re-share the story. I gained one client this way!
Q: What has been your biggest setback and how did you overcome it?
My biggest setback was (and still is sometimes) finding a work/life balance. I absolutely love what I do so it doesn’t feel like work to me! However, I am constantly on my phone or laptop so sometimes it’s hard for me to put it down and set boundaries.
I’m also currently working on setting hours for myself! I’m such a night owl so waking up early has been a struggle for me.
Q: What’s the most challenging part about running your online business?
Currently, I don’t have a team. On top of my client work, there are A LOT of backend things I am constantly doing! I would say engaging on Instagram every day has been the most challenging. I love doing it and connecting with new entrepreneurs, but I burn out FAST after being glued to my screen 24/7.
“It’s my goal to hire a Virtual Assistant this year to help me free up some time!”
Q: Looking back on your online business journey, what is something that you’re most proud of?
In the beginning, I would constantly get stuck in my own head, resulting in not getting anything done. I quickly realized that done is better than perfect. It’s okay to put something out there that isn’t 100% if you can always tweak it later!
“I am most proud of my determination and drive to reach my goals!”
Q: If you could speak to your past self, what piece of advice would you give her?
I would tell my past self to follow my gut and that everything will be okay. In the beginning, I heard some comments of people doubting my business, which really made me reconsider my business move.
“I’m so glad I didn’t let the negative comments get in my head and prevent me from pursuing my goals and dreams!”
Q: How do you stay inspired and motivated to run your online business?
I stay inspired and motivated by seeing all the other successful entrepreneurs in this space. The learning seriously never stops!
“I have a goal to never go back to a 9-5 again, which motivates me to work on my business every day!”
Q: Tell us what a “day in the life” looks like for you now that you’re running your own online business!
Now that I’m running Aleina Creative Co, every day is different! I’m still getting into the groove of a routine, but here is what my typical day looks like:
I wake up around 9am. I tried becoming a morning bird and it has yet to stick – my creativity thrives at night! Around 10am, I walk for at least a mile on the treadmill or around the neighborhood. Then from 11am-12pm, I engage on Instagram and work on any backend tasks.
From 12-6:30pm, I work on client tasks. Then from 6:30-7:30, I engage more on Instagram when international clients are waking up and/or read a few chapters out of a current book. The rest of my evening is spent relaxing, eating, and Netflixing!
Q: What’s the best part about being your own boss?
I love being able to sleep in. I started to become critical of myself. However, I realized that since I’m the boss, it’s okay to sleep in every now and then as long as I get my work done!
“The best part about being my own boss is being in control of my time and being able to give myself raises whenever I want!”
Q: What do you love most about the work you do and the clients you work with?
I love working with my clients to bring their visions and goals to life! Seeing their reactions as the project moves forward and their testimonial at the end is so rewarding.
I work with other service-based female entrepreneurs, so we all have very similar life goals and live similar lifestyles. Since my niche is not industry-specific, I’m learning new things every day from real estate marketing, home organization, virtual assistance, copywriting, dessert gift kits, and more!
Q: What is your favorite destination to work remotely from?
I am a homebody by heart so nothing beats my home desk. However, I recently visited a co-working space in Los Angeles called Second Home and fell in love with their productive environment. It’s also the cutest, most tropical hidden gem in the heart of Hollywood!
When the world starts opening up again, I want to visit more co-working spaces since being around productive people really helps me stay motivated!
The only downside of my home desk is that it is right next to my bed and I’m often enticed to take a midday nap!
Q: What’re your favorite business tools that you’d recommend to other girl bosses? Why do you love them?
- The free version of Asana is amazing for client project management.
- For proposals, invoices, and contracts I use Dubsado. I love Dubsado’s automation features!
- I use Calendly for scheduling discovery calls.
- For planning out my Instagram content, I use Planoly.
- I love Flodesk because their templates make it so easy to create pretty emails!
- Loom is a godsend when I explain my work to clients. Since I’m not very good with copywriting, I love talking my process out over Loom!
Q: What is one of your favorite business books that you would recommend to another girl boss and why do you love it?
I’m currently reading Marie Forleo’s book Everything is Figureoutable and am obsessed! I didn’t know much about Marie Forleo until every girl boss quote I saw on Instagram and Pinterest was from her. The title alone attracted me as it fits my own motto I live by, “Done is better than perfect.” I like reading a few pages every day to get me in the right mindset!
Q: What’s your go-to favorite podcast that you’d recommend to other girl bosses?
- For manifestation, I love The Manifestation Babe Podcast by Kathrin Zenkina.
- I love Her Life by Design with Christina Galbato for inspirational stories.
- For business tips and traveling abroad, I love my group coach’s podcast The Laptop Lifestyle Podcast with Amanda Kolbye!
I love listening to podcasts while I do my client work. There’s nothing better to keep you motivated than hearing someone else’s success story!
Q: What is your number one piece of advice for aspiring Bucketlist Bombshells?
JUST DO IT! If you have a gut feeling that you can’t shake, your brain is telling you to go for it!
If you’re reading this story and thinking, “Man, this girl has it together,” just know I really don’t. I’m still figuring new things out every day!
“What sets all of the women on this blog apart from those who haven’t started is that we took action.”
It’s so easy to get in your head and not get anything done. But it’s time to take the leap! If you do a little bit of the course every single day, I promise every penny will be worth it!
