Overcomer Series with Ashli Sweat
What do you do?
I’m a wife to my active duty Army husband, a new mama to a 4-month old baby boy, fur-mama to a sweet (but naughty!) 5lb chihuahua and blogger at The Million Dollar Mama. The Million Dollar Mama is a personal finance blog that documents my journey towards making a million dollars, and encourages other mama’s to do the same.
Growing up, did you always dream that you would be doing what you’re doing now?
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit – I remember in the 1st grade, selling bumper stickers to my fellow classmates for 20 cents each. I was so excited when I sold 5 of them because that meant I’d made my first dollar. I’ve also always enjoyed writing, so I guess it’s a natural conclusion that I’d start my own blog. However, blogs weren’t around when I was a kid, so I always thought I’d be a PE teacher or an accountant!
What made you decide to “go for it” in terms of your career goals/ambitions?
I’ve enjoyed reading blogs, particularly personal finance blogs, for years. Once I had my son, I decided I wanted to stay at home with him for at least the first year of his life, but I also wanted to do something for myself. One Sunday afternoon I decided to take the plunge and join the world of personal finance bloggers!
Did you face adversity? How did you overcome that?
I’m originally from Australia, so moving to a new country where I didn’t know anyone besides my husband was a big adjustment. To add to that, I had only been here a few months when my husband got orders to deploy, and now that we’ve had our first baby, it makes being away from family all the more difficult. I found that making an effort to get out and try to meet people made all the difference. I went to a local art class when my husband was gone and ended up making friends with the teacher, who’s husband was also gone. That was 5 years ago and she is still one of my dearest friends!
A lot of women have these big goals & big ideas that they’d like to bring to life, what advice would you give them in terms of how they can make that happen?
I think the best advice I could give someone is to stop hesitating, don’t be fearful of failure, and just do it. I don’t believe there is such a thing as “failing” – I try to look at every experience as something I can learn from. If something didn’t work out, why was that? What can I do differently next time?
What’s the biggest regret you have when it comes to your blog/shop/business?
I wish I had started it sooner!
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
My proudest moment so far was giving birth to my son! Career-wise, I would saying it’s a tie between being the first person in my family to graduate from university, and the first time I was published and got paid for an article I’d written.
And, just because we like our coffee around here, how do you take yours? 🙂
I’m not a coffee drinker! But I like my tea with a spoonful of sugar and a jam and cream scone on the side!
I believe in the story of the overcomer. That has been my story and I believe that is your story too. We want your journey here on the blog to help encourage others just like you and me. If you’d like to share that with us, please come over and share your story with us!
Was this story an encouragement to you? Share it with others!