I remember the exact feeling of hitting the garage door opener and nothing happening. They’d turned off the electricity. I needed more money.

As a single mom, I did whatever it took. I sold Cookie Lee Jewelry. I sold Avon. I sold Arbonne. I peddled essential oils. I supervised visitations for the family court system. I kept the books for small businesses on the side, all while raising my kids and trying to keep the lights on. And sometimes, I didn’t quite manage that last part.

When I became a controller for a family construction business, things got a little easier. The electricity stayed on. But “easier” isn’t the same as “easy.” My kids were growing up, their needs were getting more expensive, and I kept hustling on the side because that’s just what we do.

Here’s something I figured out during those years: nobody was going to hand me opportunities. I had to build them myself.

I started taking classes in business, accounting, Excel, and communications, not because I had a grand plan, but because I needed to make myself more valuable. I needed a bigger paycheck, so I went out and earned the skills to justify one.

Then the unimaginable happened. I left that job, and suddenly I was staring down the need to replace a good salary with a very small side hustle and two kids counting on me at home.

I applied everywhere. I sought HR positions, but it turns out years of real-world HR experience don’t count if you don’t have the degree. Then came accounting jobs, but they wanted CPAs or fresh graduates who could recite textbook rules, not someone self-taught in the trenches. I applied to Ralph’s, PetSmart, Barnes & Noble, places I was completely qualified to work, and heard nothing back. Silence.

As I scoured job listings, I noticed that every construction office position required QuickBooks. I didn’t know QuickBooks. I signed up for a three-day certification class, and on day two, the call came in with the job offer.

I hadn’t finished the course yet. But I had enough confidence in myself and enough determination to say yes.

That’s the thing about us, isn’t it? We find a way.

But here’s what I wish someone had told me back then: you don’t have to figure all of this out alone. I learned everything the hard way through rejection, trial and error, late nights, and sheer stubbornness. I got lucky more than once. And I made plenty of mistakes that cost me time I didn’t have.

That’s exactly why I’m here.