Hey there Hustlers.
I'm sure you're thinking, who is this woman telling me what to do on my job and why should I listen to her?
Well, I'm Antonia. The Head Hustler in Charge.
I'm a marketing executive in New York City. Between balancing my day job, my family, and some other side hustles, I write and run this site.
Why?
Because after some major missteps and lots of mistakes along the way, I can honestly say that I've carved out a career that I'm proud of. But I didn't do it alone. I had the support of great mentors, bosses who believed in me, and people I looked up to helping me navigate office politics and avoid the common pitfalls of corporate America that hold so many promising, ambitious professionals of color back.
So how'd I get here? See for yourself.
My Career Path
Graduated from college with a summa cum laude degree and not the slightest idea of what I'd do for a career. Didn't feel like figuring it out so went to law school instead.
After a summer of being overpaid and underworked (but not under-partied), realize that there's no way life as a lawyer is going to work. Turn down highly paid job offer from prestigious DC corporate law firm in favor of "pursuing my passion" - whatever that is.
In the meantime, keep working on beauty blog that I started on a whim.
Graduate from law school, with a very expensive degree (and the student loan debt to go with it), not a job offer in the world, but with some sense of career direction - making it in the beauty biz.
Move back in with parents and try desperately to get a job in the beauty industry. Watch classmates take monthlong post-bar trips around the world and then start six-figure jobs. That was fun (written in sarcasm font).
After months of fruitless job searching, decide to literally start from the bottom and intern for free (while commuting two and half hours each way across three states) just to get my foot in the door at a beauty brand. Really fun (again, sarcasm font).
Finally get a break in the beauty industry with a major brand (after major stalking, errr, networking & follow up). Proceed to work ridiculously long hours for almost no money and a few not so nice managers but learn a TON.
Confirm that this crazy idea of leaving behind a lucrative, prestigious legal career was maybe not so crazy after all.
Hit my stride and proceed to work on a whole host of beauty brands - from fragrance to skincare and makeup. Find my niche and realize really liking, even loving a job, is actually possible.
After almost a decade of launching products and building brands, decide it's time for something new. Leave the beauty industry for the startup world and simultaneously, decide to start something myself.
Launch Cubicle Hustler so enterprising, ambitious, and brilliant young professionals don't make the same mistakes at work I did.