Anyone who has ever worked in corporate industries will know that it will either make or break you. It’s a cut throat world working as a cog in the machine and it’s not for the faint of heart. You might find your stride and thrive in the high pressure environments of board rooms and international conferences, but others will discover that their biggest goal is to escape.
New Brunswick based finance expert Erin Elizabeth was one of the many people who started to experience a change of heart the further she was pulled in. “As I continued to climb the corporate ladder, I began to feel increasingly more trapped. Each day bled into the next, I couldn’t leave my city, and I just didn’t have the resources of time and money to spend on my desires.”
Persevering for more
Having had her son at age 18, she was familiar with the struggle to make ends meet as a single parent in her 20s. However, having worked in numerous banking, insurance and financial roles, experience was never the issue for the young professional. Work ethic was ingrained in her since the beginning of her career and this quality was instrumental in turning things around. Knowing financial struggles was “the crucial element” in her story that drove her to “persevere for more and to never settle for less”.
In her early 20’s, Erin was promoted at her bank job three times in her first two years. By her final promotion she was 23 and acknowledged that it was a “very proud accomplishment” for her and her family.”This was my first taste of success in the corporate world, and I consider it to be a pivotal moment in my life that held influence over the choices I would later make in my career,” she says.
But in 2018, it was a role at motor corporation Mazda that shifted her thinking towards entrepreneurship. She took this as a sign that she had the potential to make her own luck, and started educating herself on what else existed out there for her to pursue. “I decided to break away from the norms of my 9-5, and to dedicate all of my time to research and implementation,” she explains.
Breaking free from the 9-5
Within her first 12 months in the online ecommerce world, she generated 50,000 orders and retailed for $2.3M. While having her own online stores, she also invests in real estate and the stock market. Alongside this, Erin is a content creator and the founder of Ecom Era, a digital resources company owning and operating several websites, platforms, and coaching services in ecommerce and financial literacy.
The significance of creating her own financial security isn’t lost on her. “I have finally achieved ‘success’ on my own terms,” she explains. “Financial wealth and the freedom to be where I want, when I want. I use my platform to share from my experiences and to inspire a younger demographic of mostly women to do the same.”
Success on her own terms
Finding her way to the rare route to success meant that she garnered a wealth of information, expertise and tips that she wanted to share with others hoping to escape the 9-5 just as she did. Erin’s most exciting endeavour now is on TikTok, where her marketing, money and motivation tips are watched by 180,000 plus followers, seen by approximately 3.1 million people a month. She takes pride in knowing that 70% of her viewership is female, especially as her businesses regularly contribute to a charity that helps women to escape domestic violence.
Despite her outward appearance of confidence and success, Erin says that deep down she is “terribly shy and anxious”. “This is something I continue to work on, and talk openly about on my platform,” she says. This vulnerability and conscious decision to step outside her comfort zone is an example to budding ecommerce experts that no one ever reaches a finished version of success. There is always room for improvement, learning, and growth.
Follow Erin Elizabeth on TikTok and Instagram.
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