Most 22-year-olds have crumpled up receipts in their wallets; Alicia Waldner keeps a stack of business cards.
For Waldner, every moment is an opportunity.
It seems like no one ever talks about the in-between.
Waldner used online webinars and classes through sites like Lynda to learn the ins and outs of WordPress, SEO and coding for her business. Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
Waldners in-between is full of 16-hour workdays, endless to-do lists and coffee.
A lot of it.
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I loved everything (the company) had given me, but I felt so betrayed, Waldner says.
But those feelings of betrayal didnt last long.
Waldner used it as fuel like, super explosive jet fuel.
And she meant it.
In April 2016, she paired up with Zach Gresham, one of her old college peers.
They decided to take a hack at starting their own business.
They called it A-Z Marketing.
The company folded after two months.
We just really needed that time to grow.
For Waldner, it was just more jet fuel.
She hit the entrepreneurial ground running.
From the outside looking in, it seems like shes been going a thousand miles per hour ever since.
She built her own website, using it as a tool to show what she could do.
Waldner worked a full-time sales job, too.
Her weeks became 60-hour marathons (and still are).
Weekends were nonexistent (shes still working on gaining them back).
But it paid off.
Her freelance business finally had a pool of clients.
My biggest thing was being in uncomfortable situations, says Waldner.I forced myself to do things that scared me.
And it helped me grow.
In January 2017, Waldner and Gresham decided to give their partnership another go.
The following month, they establishedADventure MarketingInc., and incorporated that August.
ADventure Marketing is housed in the Sykes College of BusinessLowth Entrepreneurship Centerat The University of Tampa.
Since Gresham is still a student, they applied for free office space through the universitys accelerator program.
Waldner hopes theyll be able to take advantage of the free space for as long as possible.
(If youve ever heard of the term #GirlBoss, know that it applies here.)
In March, Waldner gave a speech at a womans entrepreneurship event at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
Her father, who lives in Connecticut, doesnt understand the level her business is functioning at.
As Waldner puts it, he thinks shes running around down here without a job, making no money.
This is what growing a business is like.
I love what I do.
He just doesnt really understand it.
With everything going on, she deals with an enormous amount of stress on a daily basis.
Shes started practicing yoga on Sundays.
Its one of the only times during the week when she can turn her brain off.
Whats next for Waldner and the company?
Continuing the grind and taking on more full-time employees by the end of the year.
Its been crazy, she says.
Kelly Anne Smith is an email content specialist at The Penny Hoarder.
Catch her on Twitter at @keywordkelly.
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