“Nung high school pa lang nagtitinda na’ko ng mga snacks. So ako si, ano tawag dito, si ‘bayong girl’,” Melissa laughed as she started talking about the beginnings of her entrepreneurial journey. “Alam mo yung parang ano, printed na bayong na malaki na tinitinda sa palengke? Yun, dalawang ganon lagi ang dala ko,” she continued her story smiling. Her guidance counselor, later on, found out about what she was doing and ordered her to stop. This happened, she said while still smiling, before she could ever expand her tiny business and start selling lunch. No one would have thought that Melissa Profeta, now the co-founder of a unique startup that offers social media training to over 700 students and counting, not to mention a thriving PR firm that brings brands into the spotlight of popular publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur, was humble ‘bayong girl’ when she was a teenager. Since those days when she carried bayongs full of snacks to school, Melissa has grown into an entrepreneur with nine years of experience in sales and marketing both as a traditional employee and a freelancer. Today, she is also a columnist and active contributor to websites like Influencive, Thrive Global, Good Men Project, and Buzzfeed. ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA ACADEMY Social Media Academy, a startup which Melissa co-founded with Nix Eniego, is one of the leading social media marketing schools on the internet today. The online training platform boasts over 2,000 students and 700 alumni, all of which have made millions of collective revenue as social media managers for top brands in the Philippines and abroad. Inside the school, Nix, Melissa, and their team teach students how to dominate Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn and leverage these platforms to create an engaged following of buyers. If you are a solopreneur who is thinking about using social media effectively or are a freelancer who wants to up his game by offering social media managing services, you might want to watch this interview and see how you might benefit. Plus, at the end of this episode, we’re sharing with you a special bonus when you enroll today. KEY TAKEAWAYS Melissa Profeta’s young life is a roller coaster ride with so much wisdom for you to learn from. And she isn’t holding back. Throughout our conversation, Melissa remained open about her past struggles and because she isn’t afraid to be vulnerable, this interview has a lot of gems in it. Listen now to hear Melissa share: * Her “fast and slow” principle. In her own words: “For me, it doesn’t matter kung gaano ka katagal na magpa-practice sa kung anong industry na ‘yon. What matters to me is ‘ano yung gagawin ko during the practicing period’.” * The power of giving yourself deadlines * How childhood struggles motivated her to become who she is today * How she transformed from being a shy girl to being a confident entrepreneur * How she juggled school with working—one time, as a graveyard shift clerk for 25 pesos per hour! * How discovering multilevel marketing propelled her to hit her first million at age 19! * Why she decided to drop out of school and how she directed her own business education * How having her first child at age 21 changed her young entrepreneurial life and drove her to work in a BPO company for three years * How her child’s communication difficulties pushed her to quit her BPO job and start a small business with her partner * Her second lowest point in her life and how this led her to freelance * How leveraging your skills could land you your first high-paying client outside usual freelance marketplaces and build a thriving client base * Her journey back to entrepreneurship Learn all of these and more when you watch my entire interview with Melissa P...