Today I am hanging out with Alaina Kaczmarski, co –founder of The Everygirl, we will be exploring how to find your dream job (even when it feels like it might not exist) and how sometimes closed doors are truly new opportunities. We will share how to celebrate successes and growth, why it matters to pursue your passion, and ways we think the blog world has changed.

SHOW NOTES

Alaina has always been focused towards a career in journalism, starting in high school and continuing into college. After graduating with a journalism degree in, her dream was to be an editor for a high-end magazine. With a few missed opportunities for unpaid internships during college summers, she graduated only to find that she could not find a job.

“I knew what my dream job was and I just couldn’t get it” (4:39)

Alaina landed her first job out of college at a children’s advocacy non-profit organization as a communications associate and worked there for a year before getting bored and needing more stimulating experiences (6:04).

“I would rather have too much work to do than to be bored with nothing to do” (9:10)

She started her personal blog, Live Creating Yourself. The blogging community was very small in Chicago at the time and that allowed her to get to know the other bloggers and get some networking experience (11:39). Eventually this led to her meeting her current business partner, Danielle Moss (14:33).

Together they created an online magazine to inspire and feature the everyday girl: girls that you could actually meet on the street and not only see in the magazines (16:18).

“For the every girl, by the every girl; featuring the every girl was its mission.” (16:42)

Alaina and Danielle realized there was a gap in the magazine world where only high-end brands, fashion and woman, mainly celebrities, were being featured.

“There really was a void with creating attainable, affordable, and relatable content in terms of magazines and even blogging at the time” (20:33)

Alaina realized that she was in a position where they were able to access really talented career women, so they created a Q&A and published it for other woman who didn’t have the opportunity or networking skills to do so (21:31).

She says the one piece of advice that she can give is to work, work, work! You have to start somewhere and whether it is a hobby starting out or a second or third job, you have to start somewhere and the money will take time to come.

“Do you love doing it? Do you want to do it unpaid? Is it fun for you to do (and) are you passionate about it?” (27:20)

Alaina adds that when searching for your passion you should think of your hobbies or the things you do in your spare time. Choose something that you love, and when you love what you do, it isn’t work.

“When you are happy doing your work it’s easier and you can put longer hours in; you care more about it because it is fun” (43:05)

LINKS:

You can find The Everygirl at:
Website
Instagram
Pinterest
Tumbler

and Alaina at:
Website
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter