Today we’d like to introduce you to Sejal Love .
Sejal, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I moved to Atlanta at 22 as a college grad, knowing no one with no job and no home.
I lived in my car and hotels for the first few days with my dog until I figured out where to go. I initially had plans to have a roommate, but she backed out once I arrived in Atlanta so I was stuck with nothing but my clothes and hope.
I had applied for my MBA at GA State and a few jobs but was still waiting to hear back at the time I arrived in fall 2014.
I had always worked in sales but never had a true 9-5 and didn’t want one coming here.
I had applied at hundreds of places, handed out my resume door to door in the city & got denied, everywhere… even as a 3-year scholar and college grad.
My sorority sister introduced me to a recruiter who said they’d only give me an interview If I was local to Atlanta, so I chased after that position more than any other one.
I knew nothing about the job, pay, culture or description, not knowing that most people did in their 30s worked for this company, and I was much younger but had enough experience.
I had multiple interviews but was initially denied at no reason.
After excessive follow up, they offered me a low paying internship out of pity & I took it (at this point, I had a point to prove to everyone that had doubted me lol)
I stayed focused, got hired on months later and ended up being highly ranked in sales, within my first year then continued a successful 3-year career.
Thanks to God, I became a homeowner at 24, made six figures before I turned 25 & was living, traveling and enjoying my life completely carefree, with one income.
I got close to a guy who was one of my biggest supporters, and he ended up getting murdered pretty much in front of me on FaceTime months after my 25th birthday, which caused me to go through a crazy depression that my company didn’t understand, so I soon was fired.
My family and friends tried to help me, but nothing seemed like it would work.
By the holidays, I was unemployed and not myself at all. There were days I didn’t want to eat, talk or even leave out of my condo.
I knew something needed to change because I had an expensive lifestyle to maintain, so I started businesses & began living off of my savings/retirement that I had luckily built since I was 18.
I began searching for opportunity, took a position and outdid their revenue numbers in a short amount of time, but things didn’t work out, so I stepped into learning how to become a financial advisor or a real estate agent.
I studied for both courses within the same two months, and I passed my finance test immediately but failed the real estate exam twice, so I stuck with financial advising as a career, knowing that I had been putting things off for years because I had a fear of failing.
I’m in the second half of my 26th year now & have closed millions in policies with all different demographics of high and low-income clientele, and I truly love what I do.
I’m not where I want to be at all, but I’m on track for a record-breaking year and plan to purchase my parents home in Atlanta, for their 30th anniversary in December of 2019.
As a new full-time entrepreneur, It’s hard to get support and respect by others -just as a human, in general, let alone a professional, a woman, minority, etc. But I built tough skin, which built the character I needed to keep going and beat the odds of being a statistic while doing good business karma by everyone I ever came in contact with.
People tend to think my life is on Instagram and social media, but it’s really not. I live a really private love and family life, and out of respect for myself and others, I keep my private life, PRIVATE… only things I publicize are my businesses and a few real friends.
My growth and social media in a whole has benefited me a lot because ever opportunity, every business I have, every mentee of mine and majority of my clientele, came from social media along with the POWER of networking.
Not one handout by people, not one moral was sacrificed, Nothing but HARD WORK and ALOT OF HUSTLE is how I got to where I am today.
I am a financial advisor, I host monthly networking mixers for young professionals/millennials, I’m a content creator on YouTube, and I have a nonprofit virtual mentorship program for young college girls, with over 200 members worldwide.
I have multiple partnerships and businesses on the side from investing to business relationships and online apparel brands, and I’m adding something to the list as I can.
Any woman, minority, small business owner, hard worker or Millenial will always have my genuine support because I understand the adversity they’ve had to face, in some way.
My goal isn’t to be famous or rich even; it’s to be significant in the world, in being known as a TRUE GIRL-BOSS, while empowering and assisting everyone else to be their own boss one day too.
My dream is to take care of my family, those who have genuinely supported me and to inspire the next person to “keep going even when they have nothing but faith in their hands.”
We’d love to hear more about your work. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Social media content creator – self-made, self-taught business tips in how to be an entrepreneur and STILL be human in having fun, traveling the world, being good to others and building as I grow while beating all odds.
Empowering women, minorities, and those who may lose hope in themselves, I aim to inspire them to never quit.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Seek a financial advisor, one that can understand your concerns and do your best to learn different financial literacy tips.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Instagram @sejallove; @savewithsej; @litnetworkingatl
YouTube : Sejal Love
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youtube.com/SejalLove
- Email: contactsejlove@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Sejallove; @savewithsej; @litnetworkingatl
- Facebook: Sejallove
- Twitter: Sejallove
Image Credit:
@nicoletylerphotography
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
