Who are you?
Michelle Jackson is the mastermind behind Michelle is Money Hungry, a personal finance influencer, a networking ninja, and a believer in abundance. Her goal is to help empower other women, and especially women of color, with their financial decisions so that they can live their best lives through lifestyle design and digital entrepreneurship. When she’s not talking about money, she is exploring Colorado.
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Why is now the best time to self-publish?
Michelle believes that now is the best time to self-publish because it’s easiest to do, you can self-publish digitally and physically, and it can prove you’re an authority figure on whatever your subject is. With a traditional publishing contract, you’d have to write about the topic the publishers want you to, within a certain deadline, and you’d have to follow their rules. With self-publishing, you call all the shots. To top it off, Michelle says that people don’t care about traditional vs. self-publishing, because they just want answers to their questions.
Michelle started writing fiction books, specifically in romance, because she didn’t like the way women in color were typically portrayed. As of now, she also publishes non-fiction and short stories in addition to her romance novels.
What inspired you to go into business for yourself?
For Michelle, she was tired of her frustrations about not putting out the work she wanted to see. So she built up her confidence and started creating what she felt was lacking in the space that she loved, which was books. The same thing happened as she was creating her website. She was frustrated with her finances and she knew they were a mess, but she felt other personal finance spaces were missing pieces that she could add value to. So, she created her website and blog to talk about her money and personal finance, and to inspire those who were in the same position she was in.
Why do people need to stop waiting to claim their brand authority?
Michelle says that now, in the information age, people have the biggest opportunity to earn money online simply by creating a product or service. She also believes that you have to assert yourself and make it clear to other people who you are, how you serve people, and what you do. People can’t notice your brand and business if they don’t know who you are. Then, when they buy into you and your story, they will then be more inclined to purchase what you’re selling. If you’re not asserting who you are, sharing your ideas, your passions, the way that you get results, there are people who could help you do better. And you can help other people. You are of service to others. And it’s okay that you’re gonna make a lot of money to, but if you keep everything to yourself, you can’t help people.
How can someone start focusing on self-publishing or what they really want to do?
Michelle recommends taking time off and focusing on what you really want to do. She believes many people block their success and the possibility of their own successful projects. This is because they are trying to do so much for everyone else. To level-up and get what you want, you have to stop letting distractions and other factors take away from your true goal. If that’s self-publishing, you need to be focusing on self-publishing. If that’s running a successful blog, that should be your #1 focus. Even Michelle says she’s had to take a step back and reevaluate what she wants so she can then go after it full force.
What’s one tip you have for the listeners?
Michelle says to achieve what you want with self-publishing (or any other business venture), you should get it done this year. So if you want to self-publish a book, do it right now. Don’t sit on your book, and don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Don’t sit on your message, just get it done and get it out there. And also, be bold!