08 - Becca Piastrelli of The Dabblist
No matter what you're doing in life, you should never set your creative juices on the back burner. After coming home on the weekends, completely drained by the work of her corporate job, Becca Piastrelli took this to heart and started nurturing her creativity through a blog. When her posts started gaining momentum on Pinterest, she figured she might be on to something. That's when The Dabblist went from something a little fun to a full fledge career!
Becca had an incredible story to share with us about her journey from Corporate America to entrepreneurship.
How exactly did the Dabblist.com come about? What started as a weekend outlet to discover and nuture creativity, turned into a blog, and then launched into tons of shares on Pinterest. When Becca realized she was looking more forward to her weekends than her weeks, she decided it was time to take the plunge. It was six months ago, and she hasn't looked back!
What was the first step you made when making this a business? She knew she had something and was getting a lot of interaction on social media. Her first step was to enroll in Marie Forleo’s B-School. She then hired a person to update her website, so she could hold herself more accountable, and make it more real. Once money was being invested, she knew she couldn't go back to it being a hobby.
When did the plunge happen? It was thanks to B-School and the internet, she found like-minded individuals who were taking their dreams and making not only livings but great livings. It was the inspiration and the encouragement of the women that encouraged her to make the jump.
How exactly do you make a career out of your site? She has several things she uses. Affiliate income was the original staple. Although it wasn't much, it was a start. The first step outside of affiliating was an e-course about making beauty products. She then launched an e-book. She has also tried other things, for example, during the holidays she made a holiday box. She’s still in the process of finding out what the sweet spot is for her offerings between what her fans want vs what she wants to provide. Coaching also evolved into her business after she was asked so many times by others about how she launched her business.
What has been the biggest obstacle? Complete self-doubt and fear. She was worried about failure, but then figured out what was the worst case scenario and got over that. Then guilt about not being grateful about her corporate job set it, and she realized that by not doing what she was setting out to do and that didn't make her happy, she was actually doing the world a disservice.
What has been a key marketing strategy that has helped build your business? She’s kept true to her Pinterest roots. However, she’s only kept one other social media platform, Instagram, and has actively worked those two mediums. She’s focused hard on those specifically, and then through those, works to get people on her email list.
Her weekly newsletter has become more personal and authentic. It’s been that authenticity that has helped grow her business.
What were the changes you’ve had to make to the original course of the business? She’s now on her 5th business plan, so course correction has come quite a bit. Her intent was to create 3 e-courses and 3 e-books, however, that has had to change. Instead, she’s learning what her people want, and what’s she willing to give and moving from there.
What’s one thing you wish you would have known? There’s no blueprint. In the beginning, she wasn’t good at listening to her intuition. Instead, she was doing things she saw other bloggers doing, even though they didn’t feel right for her.
What was the moment where you knew this was the thing you needed to do? In February she did an Instagram challenge, where the intent was to rev up for her e-course. The response she received from that challenge was beyond anything she dreamed. She heard from customers who told her how the challenge had a massive impact on their lives. She never dreamed one 'small' challenge, would have such huge effects on the lives of others.
What's one piece of advice? Perfect is the enemy of done. Just the doing and the acting is what brings clarity. Start and go forward, but if you do small steps, you’ll soon realize that it’s possible.
How do you create the structure going from corporate to an entrepreneur? She has created a ritual (and I personally, think it's amazing!). First, she starts with meditation, and then she does dishes. She learned from Pat Flynn, that it’s a great way to set yourself up for whatever you need to accomplish that day. She also realized her brain gets fatigued, so she works in 90-minute batches. She writes down what she wants to accomplish for those 90 minutes. She then blocks out all the ‘noise’, and works for a focus hustle. From there she gives herself a break and then hits another 90 minutes.
What's one thing you cannot live without? Her mastermind groups. She’s part of two groups. How did she find the mastermind? One she created on her own. It was through B-School and launched into a bi-weekly Google Hangout and a Facebook group. The other one is Nisha Moodley’s Mastermind. It’s a course of retreats and very detailed coaching. Both have had huge impacts on taking her business to the next level.
More about Becca: Becca Piastrelli is the woman behind The Dabblist. Her manifesto: To rid the taboo around the term “dabbler” – and instead to infuse it with a sense of alchemy & wonder. Why? Because she knows that when we bring an inquisitive heart to the process of creating with our own two hands, to get our hands dirty, share stories & creations with each other, we remember the ancient wisdom within. We can tap into what our great great great grandmothers once knew – that given the freedom to dabble, we can be the creators of our own joy. Learn more about Becca at TheDabblist.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.