We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adrienne Horn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adrienne below.

Adrienne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

During the holiday season of 2016, I was very much happy with my as a pharmacist. In a little over a year, I had jumped from a five-figure salary to a six-figure salary, become the regional director for the corporate office, and managed to become a licensed in FOURTEEN states all while raising my one-year-old-daughter, Paris. Given the plight of our workforce during that time, I was beyond thankful to still be employed. Many companies had lost their best employees simply because they could no longer afford them, and here I was still receiving raises and bonuses.

When I entered the building the week before Christmas, I walked into my office and began checking my emails as I always did. It was 8:00 a.m., and I already had issues requiring my attention. As I attempted to juggle the plans for work in my mind, I was halted by an email from the CEO of the company, stating that I had been laid off.

I must have read that email ten times before the tears started to fall. I was in complete disbelief. I had everything I could have ever wanted, and with three sentences, it was all taken away from me. I went above and beyond the call of duty every day with little to no complaints. I missed my daughter’s birthday for a work emergency for Christ’s sake. And what did I get in return? A pink slip. I had officially been laid-off.

I was scared for my life. I had just moved into a brand-new townhouse and had a helpless one-year-old to take care of and a Christmas to plan. I had no one to turn to, but God, and He just didn’t seem to move fast enough. My racing heart had plummeted to the pit of my stomach and made me nauseous for what seemed like hours.

There was no plan B. All I knew how to do was maneuver around office politics, secure my promotions, and help make money for the company. In an instant, I was mentally unhealthy. My stress level was through the roof, and I forced myself into a state of anxiety by constantly questioning whether or not depriving myself of sleep and working on the weekends had been enough.

For as long as I can remember, I had this overwhelming desire to meet the approval of others. I pushed myself to be a straight-A student in high school, a leader in my community while in college, and an outstanding professional within my career. But that fire was gone, now. I wasn’t happy anymore because I had become the one thing I vowed never to be – a statistic. However, it didn’t take me long to realize I had a choice to make. I could either continue doing what I was doing, or I could branch out and try something new.

I had been laid-off for about two months and could not secure an interview with anyone. Sunday through Saturday, I spent more hours than I can count situated at a table with Paris in my lap looking for my next place of employment. The opportunities that were posted on various job boards seemed great, but I was not a great fit for their position. I felt the pressure of paying bills and taking care of my family as the funds I had dwindled to nothing.

I will never forget one particular morning when I received an inbox message from a Facebook friend asking if I still did freelance editing. I had minored in English in college and used to edit essays and term papers to make additional money before I started working at a call center full-time. With the state I was in, there was no logical reason to tell him no. We needed the funds badly. I quoted him a price and proceeded to work on editing the poems for a poetry book he had planned to release that summer.

I finished the project that day, and he was extremely pleased with my work. To this day, I don’t know what made me ask him if he minded referring me to others he knew that may need my services, but I did. The one trait that I have always possessed is ambition. I had come to a point in my life where I realized I had to channel that ambition into something creative if I was going to survive. After talking to my best friend that afternoon, I decided I would be an editor if I could not be a pharmacist.

I wish I could tell you that transitioning from being a pharmacist to becoming an entrepreneur was a seamless process, but it did not work out that way. I had to work small projects to get the funds I needed to hire the help I needed to help me make the money I needed to take care of me and my daughter. I continued to search for a job in the pharmacy industry, hoping that my résumé would be appealing to someone, but it did not happen that way. Life had pushed me off the diving board. I would either sink or swim. I chose to swim.

Being jobless gave me the push I needed to start my own editing company. Although it was initially a solution to a problem I knew I needed to solve quickly, I grew and learned so much as I built a new dream from scratch and watched it manifest in my reality. The process was not easy. I encountered a lot of opposition from some I thought would encourage me the most. However, once I took responsibility for myself, I went from being an insecure and jobless mother to a successful six-figure entrepreneur.

Adrienne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I promise, if I did experience being laid off, I don’t believe that I would have ever thought about becoming a freelance editor and creating a business for myself.

My company is primarily responsible for assisting first-time authors with book editing needs for those who are interested in self-publishing by providing editing, formating, proofing, copyright, and book cover design services. We also offer professional development services, including resume development, business cards, and graduate student dissertations.

While there are countless companies and individuals who provide a lot of the same services we do, I believe that “The Write, Brown Girl” Initiative is what makes us extremely unique.

Over the past couple of years, there has been an increasing number of studies conducted that speak of how positive self-care is for both our physical and mental health. Unfortunately, many of these articles do not address how important this can be for children as well.

With mental illnesses on the rise amongst our African-American youth, such as anxiety and depression, psychologists and bloggers alike have deduced that introducing journaling at a young age as a form of creative release can help reduce the occurrence of mental illness. While there are dozens of medications that are utilized to control symptoms and prevent life-threatening issues related to these illnesses, I A.M. Editing, Ink believes that there can be much improvement seen if this non-pharmacological approach of journaling is applied.

In response to these alarming statistics concerning our African-American youth, I A.M. Editing, Ink has created a custom line of writing journals called “The Writer’s Haven” and is committed to fighting against mental illness in our urban communities nationwide by providing writing journals to various youth and teen girls’ mentoring programs that cater to young ladies ages 10 – 16.

I am extremely proud of all we have been able to accomplish and look forward to growing in the future.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I first started my business, I was swimming in debt. I had a car loan, school loans, and credit card debt. Without having a job, I was forced to make decisions that inevitably impacted my financial profile in a negative way.

In July 2017, I landed a job in the pharmacy field. I vowed that I was not going to take out another loan until I paid off at least half of my debt, and I didn’t. I worked extremely hard for the first year and made many sacrifices. As a result, I was able to use my primary job to generate all the initial capital I needed to start my business.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Unfortunately, I initially thought that my degree would be enough to propel me forward in life. Boy, did I get a wake-up call! I was extremely young when I graduated with my doctorate, and I felt as though it was the key to solving so many of my problems. I could not have been more wrong.

As I have gone through this process, I have learned that the key to whatever you are seeking is YOU! We all have what we need to succeed. Each of us is full of unique gifts and qualities that the world is dying to take part in. I urge everyone reading this to be bold, be consistent, and have faith in the amazing person you are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamediting.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ia.m.editingink
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ia.m.editingink
• Other: https://linktr.ee/iamediting

Image Credits
Just B. Still Photography