Putting this into the universe

As I juggle school, work, and other business items, I reflect back on the first time I thought about my adult life as a businesswoman.

Ever since I was in junior high school, I always wanted to become an entrepreneur.  

I remember being a part of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and running the school store at Hine Junior High School in Washington, DC.  

I recall turning in a paper telling my teacher how I wanted to "run my business".  

I wanted to live and work out of a warehouse.  The place needed to have at least 3 floors. The first floor I wanted to have a club called Erotic City.  At the time, my favorite movies were Purple Rain and The Last Dragon, and wanted to pattern the club after the clubs in those movies (First Avenue and 7th Heaven, respectively).  I wanted to create a location for the youth in the DC area to have a safe space to showcase their musical talents.  The second floor was for my "creative space".  This would be my photography studio, my corporate offices, an open gallery area for anyone to rent, and a commercial kitchen for caterers to use or to rent.  I wanted the kitchen specifically for my mom, who likes to bake and would help out others with catering.  The top floor was my "fortress of solitude", my actual home where I reside.

When my teacher asked me how I was going to fund this multiple streams of income, I told her that it would be from my job as an Artist and Repertoire (A&R) representative for either MCA, Epic, or Motown.  

Of course, I didn't make it into the music industry, much less become an A&R rep.  I stopped playing piano at the age of 20.  

However, I still have the dream of being an entrepreneur, so I grind, and I hustle.