Evelyn is a kind of woman who has never worn a red carpet dress.
Her whole life she has been in service of others. As a child she played with the kids who were bullied. As a teenager she volunteered in the animal shelter. When she became a social worker, she found her mission in helping disabled children. You could find her at the office even after working hours because of an emergency.
Evelyn’s sister made other choices in her life. At school she was a luminary in mathematics, and she got a well-paying job at Apple. Her working agenda was filled with parties, retreats, and conventions. Even on several occasions, Evelyn’s sister wore a red carpet dress.
Evelyn was a bit jealous. Just a bit, but at the same time she was proud of her choice to serve needy people instead of making money. Who needs a red carpet dress anyway?
Since Evelyn became unemployed two years ago, she started longing for a red carpet dress. Her desire to be successful grew every new day of her unemployment.
Sitting on her couch looking for a job on Linkedin, she felt more and more invisible. Her own shiny moment, walking the red carpet with a glamorous dress and killer heels, seemed farther away then ever.
As Evelyn’s frustration got stronger, a new thought came up in her mind which initially made her feel anxious and uneasy. This thought came right out of her heart and was so strong that she couldn’t hide from it.
There was this tiny voice, smooth but crystal clear, “you are a social worker, show up and share your passion, there are needy people out there waiting for you”!
But I first need a job!’ Evelyn said. Do you? Do you really need a job to help others? Have you ever thought of creating your own job? Have you ever thought of becoming a social worker entrepreneur?
Evelyn had never heard of a social worker entrepreneur. Sure, she knew some social workers with a private practice, but she never ever considered herself as an entrepreneur.
Suddenly, Evelyn started dreaming again, and her heart started bouncing as it did before. In her imagination, she saw happy clients, her own website, a lovely office, and a good income. She also thought from her first paid invoice she would buy a gorgeous red carpet dress!
But, this thought also made her feel anxious and uneasy. ‘How do I get clients? How do I make a living? Who will pay me? How do I get the money to start my business? Can I do this on my own? Will there be support?’.
Evelyn realized that becoming a social worker entrepreneur was something she didn’t learn at school. On the other hand it might be the solution to living her passion again, to be of service again, and contribute to a better world.
One day, Evelyn made a very social worky decision. She decided the only way to find out if this would truly work is to do some research.
From this point, Evelyn’s journey became really exciting! She discovered a whole new world of marketing, branding, selling, and even the red carpet dresses every social worker needs.
More about Evelyn’s journey in my next article.
