269: She Quit Her Job in Under a Year—and Now Makes More Freelancing in Fashion

0:00Candice Stokes:Ever wondered how long it really takes to quit your job and go full-time as a freelance fashion designer? For Candice Stokes, it was less than a year. She started with no real freelance experience, just a few stints at small brands and a production job at an embroidery shop. Today, she's doing technical design for startup brands, offering tech packs, product development, and sourcing. And in less than one year, she's officially earning more than she did in her 9-to-5 job. In this episode, Candice shares how she made the leap, what's working best to attract aligned clients, and the systems that are helping her grow with confidence.

0:31Candice Stokes:You're going to love this episode. Let's get to it. So can we lean in and talk about your mega success, quitting your job officially, which you teased about on the last episode. Yes, yeah. You've now officially quit. You've landed some additional huge clients. You might be going on a client trip. I won't make do any spoilers, but do tell. Like the last we talked, it's so just for context, people listening, it's October 2025. And we last recorded February 2025. I don't think so just eight months ago. I don't think I've ever brought someone back on this quickly. Oh, my gosh. Usually it's like a year, year and a half.

1:15Candice Stokes:But your trajectory and your pace has been so amazing. And you had some teasers on the last one. So I thought we got to we got to talk about this. So do catch us up. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you for writing it that way. Because, you know, sometimes when you're just pushing and pushing and pushing, you forget like how fast it's happened. So thank you for framing it that way. And yeah, it's been a whirlwind and a half. Honestly, my whole life has changed since last year, since I started this program. And it's been so cool. and it honestly like yeah so I'm just trying to like think about this like the timeline so yeah I got this really big client but even before that I was getting like some really amazing people that I got to work with that like share the same values as me and I think that like that part has been really helpful for me like being able to communicate my and it doesn't even feel like a niche right Because to me, it's just like who I am.

2:20So it doesn't feel like a niche, but it's moving through the world, upholding my values and my integrity. And for me, producing things ethically and making sure that the people that are working on these garments feel good and are being treated fairly, like that's because I'm a garment worker, right? So for me, that's the most important part. And obviously making sure that my clients are happy, but those things can coexist. you know and if you find the right clients that do align with those values it feels so natural and I've gotten some really really cool people to work with and I'm just really excited um yeah and then the big connections that I've gotten like not just clients but even just suppliers and stuff have come from within the community the fast community yes so like without this great you know feedback loop that I have from being able to talk to people you know you're kind of just shouting out into the void um so yeah I've definitely like a big my big client I got from someone in fast and then um like my biggest supplier right now I got from another recommendation through fast so that's just amazing it's been so fun yeah and yeah so my Italian supplier um her name is Flavia I absolutely love her we're like besties and like you have to come visit me in milan candace you're going to love it you know and like she's so sweet i absolutely love her so yeah yeah yeah so we're having a great time i'm making beautiful things with amazing people and um i i just can't believe that that this is my job and that i like made it happen like i'm like i just made up this job for

4:08Candice Stokes:myself and that's great oh okay so for a little context um yes you I think you started fast track in like about a year ago October 24 and then we chatted in February you had gotten some big projects and you were like I am making more of these projects than I'm making a full month which you were working at an embroidery shop right yes yes I was an embroidery technician yeah and I basically stayed at that job I had to go I basically like booked enough where I forced myself where I was like I have to go part-time like I can't stay on because I was just I had no time to sleep um when did you go part-time then let's say that was probably like um July June June yeah okay so it's like six months I started freelancing in October we tried in February you got a couple projects you were forced to go part-time in June-ish and then when did you officially quit?

5:10Like this past month I've been like weaning myself off it's hard because I live in a small little beach town and not a lot of people know how to run those machines and so it's kind of been me being you know obviously not wanting to just ditch my old boss right there it's a great small business you know family run so I've been helping him out and he's been tossing me clients and it's been really great. Yeah. So it's feeling really aligned and, you know, so I've just been, I'll, I'll pop in and work on like the really intense machine. They have like a post bed jukey machine that no one knows how to use in this city.

5:44So I'll go in, do a little bit of that work and then, you know, do him a little favor and, and then come back to work at my little studio here in my house. Yeah.

5:54Candice Stokes:Okay. But it sounds like you're doing that more as like. A favor. A favor, like a nice thing to not like leave him high and dry. Totally. But yes, definitely. And you know, it's, it's, it is different. And now that I'm not part time at a job, you know, it's, oh, I do have more time and I can get more clients. And so I'm kind of like revving up to that, you know, I did take like a month this summer where I did like a full like sourcing trip which was super fun I did the the magic show in Vegas um sourcing at magic which was very fun um I actually met up with one of the other fast students we had never met in person and never really chatted and we ended up splitting a room and doing the whole event together who did you meet with I don't know Rachel Kranick yeah yeah Rachel from New York she's been on the podcast before yeah yeah she was really sweet so it was a really lovely time and um yeah it was really easy and I was like oh my gosh like another friend that's just doing the same thing I am and you know it's just it's so nice to be able to just have people and friends and resources like kind of everywhere because of this program you know and um yeah so I went to Vegas and then I went to LA and did some sourcing and um met with this really cool denim company there that Jacqueline Schumann and I have been communicating with and um yeah and then I went up to New York for fashion week which was really fun and did some cool networking and sourcing up there and I've just been buffeted I'm like wow I haven't done this much traveling in years because I had a crazy job, you know, a regular job where I couldn't leave.

7:38Candice Stokes:So yeah. And now you're like fully just calling your own shots. Yes. It's been wild. Yeah. So talk us through like, you know, I'm big on details and I want to know all the things like you, you got some clients on Upwork initially. Am I correct? Yes. And then, um, then you, I know you mentioned you got that one big client through our fast community which is amazing yes um and it sounds like you're going to these shows and you're networking and you're meeting people and stuff but like what what are you proactively doing instead your your employer your past employer is giving you some connections and stuff is it just kind of you're just out there doing all the things and conversations and like clients are coming in or like what are you focusing on for that honestly for me instagram is huge um I'm not that yeah I'm not that active on LinkedIn but I am a very media trained person so I've seen some of your reels they're like legit I'm like who are you it's so fun I'm I'm really enjoying it you know because it's kind of combining everything that I've I've done my whole life and you know I was always those that kid you know me and my siblings growing up we would make like little videos and edit them and you know just put on plays and stuff so it kind of feels like that but I get to do it and then it makes me money so it's yeah so it's really fun and I found kind of like this swing with this cool uh series that I have so I'm doing a signature series called technically a fit check and so I am taking trends or things that are popping off in fashion and kind of breaking them down in like a technical way okay and so I've gotten a lot of cool feedback from that and um yeah just like trying to pull up your Instagram I want to get a little sneak peek what's the handle candastokes.designs yeah and then I'm doing a little mini series on denim right now and like what you need to know about breaking it down and I'm just really enjoying gathering the information and then like sharing it with my audience you know and a lot of people and I mentioned this the first time I was on it's like you've always said you know I think in this community it's always like where are your clients where do your clients exist totally right for me yeah I go you know there are so many amazing makers online and people that are already producing things maybe they're cut and sewing everything themselves but they can't really scale and that's kind of been my zone because I my Instagram is already very flooded with people that are like making their own things.

10:20Right. But it comes to a, you kind of hit a ceiling with that where you're like, I can't produce any more. I'm doing it all on my own. So, you know, kind of living in those comment sections and just being a real human and showing up and saying like, this is great. Like if you ever want to manufacture, like I'd love to talk to you about it, you know? And just kind of being where my clients are. Right. And that that's been really helpful. So um just being online addicted and that's kind of like yeah and I'm getting more into TikTok which has been fun um yeah but it is a lot and if you're not prepared to like put your face out there like that you know I don't recommend it but yeah it's it's fun for me and so that feels yeah it feels exciting to be able to like produce this fun little video and then like get a client from it it was at a point earlier this year I'm not quite there right now but earlier this year because I think it's just the seasons right going into the holidays and stuff but earlier this year I would

11:25Candice Stokes:post something and then I would get a call booked so it was like no way yeah yeah wow yeah which is kind of crazy that's crazy it wouldn't necessarily translate yeah 2200 followers but i think anymore instagram's not even the follower count because there's all the for you page and yeah just create the good content and people see it you know and that's the thing is that like my reach isn't that big you know like some of my most of my videos i think maybe get 1200 to max 2000 videos like are reviews yeah so it's not even that large I honestly just think that I don't know I don't know what it is I I'm always just you know flooding comment sections and just showing up as a real human and like starting those conversations as like we're interested in the same things you know I'm I love what you're doing like this is such a cool design how was it manufactured you know I I just contacted this one guy.

12:26He did this really cool campaign and he's been launching these things. But, you know, he's describing how it was getting it developed and how it was difficult. And it took a lot longer than we thought. And, you know, I'm like, hey, if you're next time, if you're needing some more guidance, you know, this is what I do, right? And I think just showing up and not being salesy, but honestly, just being like a person has really helped in that regard. um because it is it is at first I was feeling really like like I don't I'm not a sales person I don't want to sell but then I was like wait I'm solving a problem like I'm actually helping them and that was a big shift for me mentally yeah yeah that's amazing yeah thank you all these

13:11Candice Stokes:like people's accounts that you're commenting on it I imagine it's just a matter of like spending time on Instagram and you're finding people that are doing interesting things and you're following them and then you're just it's just kind of organically compounds and builds and then your feed gets curated and then you just engage like a real human and you start conversations and then sometimes those lead to calls and sometimes those lead to hey i'm at the ceiling of making this stuff myself and i'm ready to manufacture and it turns into a client and sometimes maybe not but you're you're hanging out there you've kind of curated your experience and the content that you're getting that Instagram is feeding you and you're taking action on that um yeah in a human way but also an intentional way yes like I can help you solve this problem not being overly salesy but like yeah and I think because I was I've been there right like because I had my cut and sew brand and I was totally burnt out you know and I think that's gonna probably be my next like series is kind of I've been researching this way of like with brand owners or freelancers where you mythologize your story and kind of like give your audience you know walk them through like what your problem was for yourself how you solved it how you got where you are and now how you overcame it right so like I'm not yeah it sounds like I'm just sitting there scrolling but I'm taking in so much information and there's so much cool advice online and like that's that's what I've been focusing on mostly about you know and I recently kind of stumbled into this corner about taking your freelance business and expanding it into an agency so putting that out there into the universe we'll see by the way I love it not quite there yet but you know new years on the horizon We're going to be talking again in like eight more months.

15:10Candice Stokes:And you'd be like, I have a full team. Oh my gosh. I like, I can't, I can't even think about that right now. But yeah, you know, that's also something that I've really been focusing on is like, you can't ever reach a goal that you don't set. And so having these, what's the acronym SMART goals, you know, has been super helpful, which I feel like the base to all of these things, it's like I read them in the curriculum and stuff. And then it's like, but in practice, you're like, oh, it's like you can read them and intellectualize them. But once you like, you're like, oh, I'm in it now. Like, that's a different, deeper step.

15:49Candice Stokes:So, OK, so you're pushing on Instagram, which is amazing. How much? I'm super curious. Like, how much time do you have an idea? like how frequently are you posting these real because I think people listening are going to be really curious like yeah what does your strategy really look like and have you done any um courses on this are you just like cruising Instagram and kind of like being like oh I'm gonna figure this out I'm gonna do my own thing and you said you have a little bit of background in that but like what is your big strategy look like um yeah so typically I'll try and like batch record uh the the things so basically me and chat gpt will come up with a concept and uh we'll script out like you know however many episodes there are of it and then i will just go on location and then film them kind of like all at once okay um and yeah i'll just like bring my laptop and use it as a teleprompter and then i'll have my phone and like all my different little trap pods everywhere okay yeah yeah yeah and um yeah I just make sure that there's a hook in the beginning you know an introduction to to tell people who I am and kind of just you know if you're if you're on Instagram if you're on TikTok and you're not repeating yourself and I'm sure you can relate to this Heidi if you are not constantly repeating yourself over and over and over again you're not going to be heard you know um so yeah just I mean I think I've probably learned a lot from watching your videos for a long time and I'll watch them and I'll pick myself well I'll pick something up from watching some one of your videos and I go look look at the what she did there you know it's like she she plugged her next video or there's like some you know it's like or you'll recall back to another video you know and it's just this constant um push of just information and kind of flooding people you know because I know it's like with marketing you have to touch people have to touch the thing what like six times before they're willing to buy so that's kind of like yeah I think it's grown even because there's the volume of content and marketing out there but yeah exactly touch points yeah yeah so that's kind of my thing right now so I'll batch video record and then um I'll take my time editing them because that's the part that takes long um and I'll just sit on my I I'm faster using cap cut I'm faster on my couch on my phone than I am on my computer with it okay um I think that is better on the phone than it is on the computer okay um for cap cut specifically so yeah and then it takes me like two to three hours to edit those videos okay for like yeah one to two minute reel ish yeah like it's yeah like a two minute reel yeah but it's it's captions it's images it's um sound effects which I've really been enjoying doing the sound effects myself I'll record myself like I'm like yeah I'm literally part two you know like just and it's fun for me I'm having a blast so that's I think why I like doing it um it feels really creative and fun yeah and I think you can feel that in the videos um but if that's not your like I wouldn't like I wouldn't force yourself to try and do that if that's like not your thing you know totally not totally yeah but for me it's very natural um yeah so I would say I'm posting like a major big big reel like that like a two minute reel I try at least once a week if not more and then I'll post like little tiny ones that are like a couple seconds long which are some text yeah oh like image which is a text and some music or something kind of those really simple ones you kind of throw together.

19:41Yeah. Yeah. I did one where I was just trying on like a bad fit sample and I was like, you know, just displaying like, this is what happens when you don't hire a tech designer, you know, and that one's doing really well. It's like seven seconds long. So it's, it's a back and forth, you know, because I've got a lot of followers from that one, but then they'll watch the other one and say, Oh, she knows about denim. Okay. Oh, she knows how to do this. Or, you know, so it's, it's, you bring them in with the short ones and then you educate them and show them your authority and your expertise with the longer ones.

20:11And that's like part of that touchstone, you know? And then I recently started using HoneyBook, which I really love.

20:19Candice Stokes:Oh, yeah. I don't know if anyone else has mentioned that on the podcast, but I really enjoy HoneyBook. The onboarding experience was really great. And it's helped me with like my automations and my emails and stuff and like pipeline tracking. Talk a little bit about that. I'm familiar. I can't, I think someone's maybe mentioned on the podcast before, but I don't think we've ever like really talked about it. And it's a great, from what I know, a great tool to kind of keep track of and manage all these leads. So talk a little bit about that. You've got these people coming in from Instagram or from whoever else and you want to keep track of everybody.

20:52So yeah, walk us through that. Especially for lead tracking, I think it's really, really helpful. And they have a built-in kind of like automated pipeline that it costs for project management, right? And client management. So there's a section where it's just about funneling your leads, right? So you can, let's say like my link for on my link in bio and stuff like that, it directly goes to my website that has my HoneyBook inquiry form. So you can fill out everything. What are you interested in? What's your budget? Give me your mood boards, your images, everything like that. And then schedule your free 30 minute call with me.

21:33so that all of that information immediately gets put into honey book as a as a lead right and then it creates a page for them as a client and then if there's no schedule like if they don't book anything then it'll like automatically send an email to them like hey i saw you recently signed up to da da da like and then it'll just keep doing that and sending them automatically that's

22:00Candice Stokes:amazing and it's amazing a good call would you like to book a call yes yes beautiful and and you can set it for like three days or one week or follow-up email you know yeah and then once you and then you can send your proposals your contracts your invoices all through their platform yeah and so you're basically creating a project with that client and then you can upload all of your images your files, everything there. So everything can be tracked. They can, you can create tasks for you and your client. So let's say I need them to approve the sketch. So I'll create a task for them, assign it to them in the client portal that they have access to.

22:42They'll look at the sketch, they'll approve it, and that will trigger an email for like the next steps that we need to do. And then it'll automatically move it down the pipeline. So, you know, sketch approved, like now we're in the tech pack section right and then once the tech pack is approved we get cost you know like so it will automatically send them emails and send you reminders like hey you need to do this by this time so that you can so I've really enjoyed it and you know you can automatically once that pipeline stage is moved and it hits a certain milestone then your payments get triggered and then so they'll get an invoice automatically with like your next payment schedule it's amazing the on okay so i think with most of these platforms it's like the onboarding is the most like intimidating part you're like i have all of this information already how am i going to you know i don't want to do a 30-day free trial and then have to do all of this and then i end up not using it the onboarding and the customer support for honeybook was unbelievable they booked a once a week a phone call with me where we walked through how to board and then they'll like if you send them your templates and everything, they will auto import it.

23:52Like their team will input it in there for you and kind of like customize your, your dashboard for you. Yeah. It was amazing. Yeah. I, I, I'm really talking it up. I really like it.

24:04Candice Stokes:Yeah. That's so cool. I've been, um, talking with some other folks about different project management tools within the air quote freelancer space. I don't think they're all exclusive to freelancers right um and i i've heard of honey book and i've talked to some people i don't know it comes highly recommended but i didn't know it had so many capabilities um i think that's amazing yeah i think they're actively improving it there's also a time tracker and an expense tracker and yeah so it's amazing yeah it's really really um thorough i really like what they're doing and i highly recommend the onboarding process as well oh speaking of you mentioned time tracking how are you uh bidding your projects I think I'm still doing flat ish no yeah I'm still doing project based um yeah so depending on the complexity of the garment and like what we're having to do and you know anticipating okay this is a complicated pair of jeans this is going to take a lot longer than you know you're just your standard wash right so kind of doing it like that Yeah, so I'm just doing a lot of flat, flat project pricing, kind of going in that way.

25:15And it's just been I feel like I've gotten a good flow of it. And I still have like a spreadsheet of like, you know, my services and how long each one of them takes me for the most part. But I think I have like a better understanding now than I did at the beginning. um yeah so I think that will like kind of just continue to evolve um as I get more experience with it and maybe even start contracting out certain work um as far as like hiring someone to do the sketching or you know if I want to offer pattern making services or you know all that so

25:51Candice Stokes:I know you teased about maybe building an agency so I'd love to hear a little bit more about that then you say like oh maybe like outsourcing or so are you thinking about starting to just outsource some small things and then um yeah I think that would be the beginning of it you know and kind of just um partner with someone that I'm friends with that you know I trust their work and kind of go from there um but I think that that's a learning lesson all in itself you know understanding how to communicate with people um how to ensure timelines are met so I think just like forming that relationship slowly um and then kind of seeing how that how that can grow but I think yeah that'll probably be one of my goals probably like the end of next year is like starting that um because I just yeah I obviously want to get into the flow and make sure that everything's working good before I start bringing someone else in but I do understand that like in order to scale the business I will need to bring on other people because I can only do so much especially if I'm spending so much time making content I mean at some point I was gonna ask are you like repurposing these on TikTok you mentioned you're kind of getting into that okay so just yeah direct like reposting for the most part yeah um I definitely think there's a difference between the content um I don't never been on TikTok oh my gosh girl you are such a yapper you're such a yapper though like I feel like you would love it because it's honestly like this is how I treat the two this is kind of like the what people say right so like Instagram is curated content that you're creating right you're creating something you're putting effort into it it's it's like a portfolio of information right whereas like tiktok is kind of just like facetiming your girlfriends that's kind of how people treat it impromptu content just selfie like real quick yes like there's there's no it's not like like i feel like on instagram it's kind of like scripted and all that stuff and it's like i'm more of like a newscaster right or like i'm bringing you information and then tiktok is yes tiktok is just me in my face being like oh my god i just got this email I'm working on that sample.

28:16And so it's kind of different and you have to treat it differently. Yeah. But I still post, you know, those big, long, informative ones there as well. Just to have it on there. But yeah. So.

28:32Candice Stokes:But I'm thinking like at some point, because to some extent, and this I think is one of my challenges with Instagram. I think it was with all social media, Instagram and Facebook. And I don't know about TikTok, but I think are kind of the worst is that the shelf life can be so short. You put all this work into this thing and then it's like gone in five seconds. Like I know on LinkedIn, you can sometimes have like, if you have a good post, it can have like a two to three week shelf life, which is like an eternity in social. And I do know that can happen on reels too. Cause like I see, I do consume some reels and I see stuff that, you know, air quote has gone viral and and has a long has been up for a while yeah yeah but i think to some extent like at some point you can start reposting the stuff so i imagine that's definitely part of the plan if you're not quite there yet depending on like what's the appropriate timeline like after four months it's fair to totally yeah yeah they just they just rolled out this feature on instagram where you can link a reel which is really helpful so like let's say you're doing a series so you could link it back to the first one or the next one interesting which is cool or like yeah um or i got this bad sample three months ago and here's the new sample go back and see how bad it was you know so that's a cool new feature um but yes you're totally right and my partner who has been interrupting us this whole time um is in film and we've started recording some youtube stuff i know I talked about that last time, but you know, it takes time.

30:03So we're really just, it's so much. So thankfully I have him as a really great resource and he really wants it to pop off. So that is definitely more evergreen, um, on YouTube. Yeah. But it's just, oh my God. It's like, actually I have to do my client work. I don't have time to do all of it. I mean, I'm sure you can relate. Oh, I can a million times relate. It sounds like you really enjoy the videos though. So yeah, it's a lot. It's so much fun for me. And I think that like educating people and sharing like my specialties, like that part is so fun. And I genuinely like really love nerding out about this stuff with people and even people that aren't in fashion, right, that watch the videos.

30:50they're like I love these this is so cool like who knew that you know this fabric was this complicated or you know so I think it's it's it's achieving that education element of oh you want to start a brand this is all the stuff you need to know right and if you don't need to know if you

31:09Candice Stokes:don't want to learn all that that's why you hire me right so right totally yeah so it's it's been really fun doing that and um I'm excited to see where it goes I have um have some more fun ideas on the horizon so we'll see um are you still hanging out on Upwork at all a little bit like when I'm feeling that scarcity mindset of like I need another client like I need you know then I'll like hop on there but I haven't really gone on that much I haven't needed it um I think yeah I think now that I'm, um, I have a little bit of a flow, you know, there was like a downtime where I was, um, kind of waiting on a lot of development to happen with my current existing clients.

31:59And I hadn't like booked a new one. And I was kind of just like, yeah. So then I kind of went on Upwork and I was like, this isn't even what I want to do. you know like none of these are really that interesting to me then you know you just accept you're like okay I'll just accept this time where I'll rest a little bit and then now they're kind of rolling in again so I think it's yeah I think it's just understanding the seasonality and when you put effort out there you know how long it takes for that to come back around yeah but just like how you guys talked about like planting those seeds like I have someone coming back to me from like we had a call last year right and she's yeah she's like okay I'm finally ready you know so it's just about planting those seeds and continuing to show up with integrity and like with excitement about it because I think that people can genuinely feel that and yeah like and for me it's like it's so exciting getting to make this beautiful stuff with people all over the world and I just I am forever grateful for like how this has been created and how I'm doing this

33:13Candice Stokes:I'm still kind of in awe of the whole thing yeah I mean would you say it's been like maybe a month ish since you've officially or like when did you officially quit your job I know you're going back and helping him out with some favors yeah but like um so basically I was traveling all of July and into September. So I would say June is when I quit. Okay. So yeah, I think. Yeah. Cause I, yeah. Cause it was like part time. And then like June, July. Yeah. Like a few months. And then I was like, I gotta go. I don't have time. Cause I, you know, um, our lease was going to end. And then I was like, we need to move.

33:54Like, I don't want to live here anymore. And we ended up going month to month. Cause I didn't want to make myself crazy during the holidays. so I was like we'll just wait until spring and then we're gonna try and move but because there is no fashion here and I'm tired I'm tired of it like moving to a completely different place yeah I know that's why I was like I need to wait until spring because okay I can't handle all the

34:16Candice Stokes:change all at once but that's an exciting position to be in because you were previously tied to that physical job and now you can move anywhere I mean maybe anywhere I don't know about your partner's dad but well he's in film so because we're gonna try he's from the bronx so we want to move back to new york he's from there so he wants to move back home and we went up there for fashion week it was so fun and i got to meet some of my clients face to face and it just felt like oh this is this is where i need to be that is so exciting yeah so that felt really beautiful i'm in a beautiful place i'm inst pete florida but there is like the major fashion here is flip flops and board shorts so I just which is great for vacation but you know not for my job making denim and jackets yeah so very much excited to pursue that and to be kind of like in the vibe and yeah I met up with uh Christina Hernandez who's in the first program so we had a blast it was so nice to see some people IRL um I know it's it's been so fun and I love making all these friends like through the program and um just immensely grateful for for having it and it's honestly encouraged me to think about doing like and hearing you talk about this as well you know you're continuing your learning you're um joining other groups you're getting another mentorship for this type this part of your business versus this part, you know, and I think like having such a good experience, investing in myself with the FAST program has allowed me to see how that could help me in the future with other parts of my life and other parts of my business, right?

36:06And having such, I know that they're all not great experiences when you sign up for courses online, but I'm grateful for this experience. And like, I will take this feeling and kind of translate that into other aspects of how I move forward. So thank you.

36:21Candice Stokes:You're welcome. That's amazing to hear. And I feel like I've followed a very similar trajectory. The first program that I invested in was phenomenal. And I mean, it literally changed my life. And I've had some duds over the years, but I've continued to invest in myself in various ways. And I think, um, I, I, I really believe that it's virtually impossible to do really great things by yourself. Yes, exactly. I really do believe that. And it does feel, it doesn't, it feels unnatural to try and do it all yourself, you know? Yeah. Um, yeah. So, cause I love, I love building relationships and having community and like being able to lean on people um and being able to create something that you wouldn't be able to do all on your own yeah so yeah I'm excited amazing um can I ask you candidly because I know we talked about it on the last episode like yeah um and you don't have to share the exact numbers but you've quit your job like where are you at financially are you like steadily you've replaced your monthly income maybe a little bit more maybe a little bit less like where I love every roller coaster.

37:37Candice Stokes:Yeah, definitely a roller coaster. That's kind of what I was mentioning, like when it was like, okay, I kind of hit like a development gap, right? Where I was like, I need, I need another deposit, right? Like I need another client because I need to, you know, keep this ball rolling. And I think that that's, um, that was like a month after I got done traveling. So it really translated to me about like being really locked in on my marketing and putting my videos out there and being present, you know, and it was like literally one month later, I was like, wait, I don't have another, I don't have anything lined up.

38:11Um, and so I think understanding that, um, and anticipating that going forward is, is something that I learned, but definitely a rollercoaster, um, have 100 % replaced my, my old income and have increased it again, rollercoaster.

38:30Candice Stokes:So some months it's a lot more than, you know, yeah, yeah, definitely more than I was making, which is amazing. And I feel so grateful. And, you know, you have to understand that some months will be smaller than others, but, you know, you have your income tracker. You understand that it motivates you to get your jobs finished. You're like, let's close this one out, you know, because I need to hit these milestones. Yeah, but just really staying on top and again, having systems that work for you, I think, is the part that really helps. because you can feel it when it doesn't. Yes, right? Yes. I know it all too well.