Ready to be your own boss?
Here’s how I ditched my 9-to-5 (twice!) for full-time entrepreneurship.
I never intended on
being an entrepreneur...
That's right! I jumped into entrepreneurship completely on accident and today I’m one of Nashville’s top marketing experts — helping small businesses, nonprofits, and corporate organizations create revenue-generating brands.
But the road getting here wasn’t easy and didn’t come without a few risks.
Take a walk with me through
my entrepreneurship journey...
2014
I graduated college and launched my career in public relations.
After working at a few Nashville-based agencies, I took the leap and moved to New York City for an unpaid internship in entertainment public relations. (I had NEVER been to New York City until I moved permanently. So was I terrified? ABSOLUTELY!)
In addition to the internship, I worked 2 freelance jobs across the city to pay my bills and make ends meet. My daily commute went a little like this:
I’d leave my Brooklyn apartment around 8:00 am.
I’d work at my internship in Manhattan from 9 am - 5 pm.
I’d travel to the Bronx for my first part-time job where I’d stay until around 8 pm.
Finally, I’d travel back to Brooklyn to work remotely for my other part-time job until about 12 am.
So, with the commute, I was working 14 hour days.
2015
I was faced with a major career and life decision.
My internship ended in December and it was time to announce who would be getting full-time offers at the company. I, unfortunately, did not receive an offer. I thought life was over. The role that I had literally packed my life up for was no longer in reach. So now, I was faced with another huge choice. Do I stay in New York and try to find a different job? Or, do I pack my things and move back to Nashville? I chose the road less travelled. I applied to every (and I do mean EVERY!) public relations firm I could find and landed a full-time opportunity by January.
2016
Another major career and life decision emerges.
I’d gotten my degree; worked hard to prove to myself (and family) that I could make it; worked in the communications field for another year and then realized… I didn’t enjoy the work I was doing. The work felt repetitive and I felt stagnant. Cues another big life decision moment. Instead of being miserable, I looked into my transferrable skills and pursued a career in advertising. I began working as a strategist building social campaigns and strategies for companies like NBA, Nike, State Farm, and more.
2017
I accidentally started a company.
I took inventory of the people around me —– especially in my meeting rooms — and realized that for almost all of my professional career, I’d been surrounded by people that didn’t look like me. I started my first company, Minorities in Media Connect (Mimconnect, for short), to help media-focused companies increase diversity in their workplaces. The company started as just a simple group chat and the next thing I know, there were hundreds of members and companies knocking at my door to get access to the talent in my community. I spent 3 years trying to figure out the ins and outs of running a company. How do you monetize? What is a sales pitch? Do I need a team? And, so much more.
2020
I quit my full-time job to jump into entrepreneurship & had my first super successful year.
A week after, I took a short trip home to Nashville to reset before I truly began my entrepreneurship journey, Covid-19 hit New York City and the world paused. George Floyd’s murder sparked a year of social unrest which also led companies to begin looking internally at their policies and procedures to ensure they were promoting diversity and equality – most weren’t.
This event truly catapulted the work I was doing with Mimconnect and allowed my team to work with some of the top agencies and fortune 500 companies in the USA. My company generated $500K+ in revenue AND we were featured in VH1, Adweek, Forbes and more.
2022
The economy went to shit.
With constant conversations around an upcoming recession, companies began to cut initiatives and refocus where they spent additional dollars – like their DEI initiatives. Layoffs were rampant – often affecting those professionals who’d taken on DEI roles during the pandemic.
Many entrepreneurs were spooked and took on full-time jobs to ensure they’d be able to survive this downturn. I was one of them!
I quit again…
And decided that would be my last corporate job, ever!
But another shift happened, I also shut down my first company, Mimconnect. With DEI budgets decreasing and the future of these initiatives unknown, it felt like the right time to make a business pivot.
I wanted to get back to my marketing roots. So, I became Tennessee’s Grow with Google Digital Coach (a role where I get to help emerging entrepreneurs increase their digital skills and get better at marketing) and launched my own marketing agency, Netta Dobbins Marketing and Consulting.
This transition has allowed me to continue to serve underserved communities while also ensuring that I’m driving economic impact and wealth creation.
As you can see, I spent years developing a variety of skills that luckily work great together today. And, I use those skills to help other professionals launch their own businesses — and small business owners scale their current businesses — while avoiding the corporate loop that I went through.
If you’re ready to kickstart your new life and learn the strategies, tactics and shortcuts to build a profitable business, I’m the coach for you!
