Earlier this week I was so excited to attend Love your Life event with Lyentte Lewis (same event i spoke at the event a few months back). Well this month my very good friend Jen Ramos, of Made By Girl, spoke at the event. It was every bit as good as I thought it would be.

Not only did I walk away with tons of new friends thanks to the networking portion, I always walked away with a few key tips for you all who want to start your own businesses. Which I know a lot of my coaching clients + readers are eager to do.

Jen shared her top 5 tips for starting your own business...

1. Find your passion. If you already know what you want to do, great, now go out and decide to do it. If you haven't found your passion yet, start with the things that you know you are good at. Give a few things a try and see what sticks and what doesn't. It's okay to try and fail. Those are usually what will lead you directly to what you are looking for.

2. Do your research. Learn just what it takes to become successful at your business. Study others who have done it well. Ask a lot of questions. Don't let one stone go unturned before seeing all the good, bad and ugly of the business. Get really specific details and engage in the step by step process of the entire game.

3. Don't quit your day job. Remember that there are bills to pay, so call out to everyone you know for support. You might need to keep a part time job while getting your dream in order. Without the proper support in place, you may find yourself frustrated in doing other things. One of the biggest stealers of creativity is spending all of your energy shuffling to get the bills paid. Don't let that happen.

4. Focus on your goal. You may have to spend all your free time on your business, but thats okay. Jen shared with us it was her decision to not go out with friends, not drinking, etc. Keeping focused showed her who her loved ones really were and they were nothing but supportive.

5. Don't just dream, Do! Make sure that you are always taking steps towards your vision. Even if they are baby steps, at least they are steps in the right direction. Another great tidbit of advice: Lynette always focuses on finding your core mission statement and keeping all steps in line with that vision. If a step you are taking isn't in line with your goal, don't go that way. Make sure you take one step every single day.

{Here we are after the event...Lynette, my gorgeous mentor; Jen, fabulous friend + speaker; and moi}

As always, I love to remind you, Get Networking! My friendships with Jen & Lynette came through being active in the community and getting out and meeting people. You never know who you might meet who will help you meet your dream! If you are in the NYC area and want to attend a free Love Your Life seminar, go here.

I'm slightly obsessed with good art. I once visited the Affordable Art Fair (although its not so affordable) in Manhattan & got so many good ideas for my interiors projects. One look I really fell for was the one color canvas look. This is such a great DIY idea for anyone who wants to make their own art and doesn't feel like an artist. It adds a bold pop of whatever color you need, without at the busy-ness of artwork. It's calming and chic.

I was so into the look I ended up doing it in my own apartment. I think it might be the only DIY project I did in this apartment and I'm in love with the result. I took an old art piece that I found at a thrift store, I chose it because it had clumps of paint, so the canvas had texture and wasn't just flat paint. So, after the dried result, its a textured white art piece, it looks so good in person.

All white everything had my name written all over it and this gorgeous Emma Jane Pilkington space was my inspiration...

I'm also crushing so hard on this look. An all black canvas, bold white matting inside a gorgeous ornate gold fame. So chic I can't stand it + looks really great on white walls. I'll have to try this in my next home....