Transitioning from a side-hustle, to becoming an entrepreneur takes long nights, a lot of work, and some serious motivation. Luckily, Ahyiana Angel of Life According to Her is dishing out that much needed inspiration in her new book 365 Inspirations For The Soul Of The Side-Hustler + Entrepreneur.

She shared with us how she wrote her book, transitioned from a life she didn’t love into her yes own yes with the release of her books.

What was the path that led you to where you are now?

My professional career began in Los Angeles in cable television publicity. From LA I transitioned to New York and got into sports entertainment PR. After working for the National Basketball Association for six years I decided that I needed a career switch. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled by PR anymore. PR contains an element of writing so I decided to go back to my roots in creative writing and do what just felt right. I’ve always been a storyteller, in a good way. So a little under a year after my shift to writing, my debut novel Preseason Love was published by Zane’s Strebor Books under the Simon & Schuster publishing house.

What made you begin Life According to Her?

It originally started as a platform for my writing before the release of Preseason Love. A place for me to discuss common themes that girlfriends would discuss. However, after the release of Preseason Love I felt like there was negativity and unhealthy competition everywhere that I looked. The “You can’t sit with us” popularity on social media was one of the things that really put it over the top for me. I felt like as women we needed to remove the unhealthy competition and realize our strength in supporting each other and working together. So ultimately that’s when Life According To Her found a greater purpose and we haven’t stopped since. The acceptance of the platform and movement has been great.

What inspired you to write the book?

Honestly, the feedback from social media is what inspired the book. So many women were commenting on the @LifeAccordingToHer Instagram feed expressing how much they appreciated the encouragement or needed it. I realized that it would be great to have all of the good vibes from our feed in like a book on your bedside table, something quick and easy that you can start or end your day with.

What is it all about?

It’s really all about the individual, the reader, and giving them bits of encouragement and inspiration that can last throughout their professional journey. Chasing your dreams can sometimes be a lonely time in life. I wanted to give people a companion during those times and let them know that they are not alone and they are built for greatness so they should absolutely keep going!

How many pages, and how long did it take you to write it?

The book is 396 pages and it took months to complete. I wanted to make sure that everything was right for my readers.

Did you self publish?

Yes, with this project I did.

How did you know how to go about selling it? Are you selling anywhere else like amazon?

Yes, the book is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook formats, in addition to signed copies being available on the Life According To Her website. Having gone through the traditional publishing process, I learned some of the background on the business side of things so that was helpful.

How do you stay motivated?

Sometimes I don’t know ha. But honestly, my faith and my belief that I’m destined for greater help me stay motivated. I just know that I have to keep going because my journey is not complete. Just as everyone else, I have my days where I can feel defeated or discouraged, but I try not to live in those spaces too long. I like to find something that will get me energized like reading a new book, watching/reading something online, or talking to a friend…then I pick back up and dig in again.

Where did you get it printed?

365 Inspirations for the Soul of the Side-Hustler and the Entrepreneur is printed via Createspace.

What sort of planning goes into writing a book?

There’s certainly planning and research that needs to be done. Depending on the scope of your project and fiction vs non-fiction, the timing may differ. But for the writing process you have to take time to develop the story, which I typically do through an outline. Then you have to get to know your characters if it is fiction, and your subject matter if it is non-fiction. But everyone does their process different so you have to eventually find what works best for you.

3 things that someone who wants to be an entrepreneur and write their own book should keep at top of mind:

1. Build your brand and establish a platform so your “people” can find you.
2. Do your research.Research everything because it will also help to establish your value.
3. Never stop learning.

What was your yes supply moment? 

I would say just before I decided to leave my job at the NBA. It was a complete struggle to go to work everyday. I actually dreaded it, but I went and held my head high. That experience forced me to tap deeper into myself, my desires, and my capabilities. I pushed myself to keep moving forward via taking classes, diving into my spirituality, and owning what I was truly capable of.

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Ahyiana is the founder of Life According To Her: A platform for women supporting women and encouraging each other in life, business and love. We publish books based on the same topics, in addition to highlighting awesome women, curating events and providing consulting resources for small business owners and entrepreneurs.