ShAkE that moneymaker

Iono about y'all but I am one nosey son-of-a-biscuit-eater when it comes to other people's business. (Hence why I blog...) So when I saw the Bargain Blonde was starting a link-up to share what we all do for our "real jobs", I was all over it like white on rice. Or in my case, "brown on rice" because, well, we all know white rice is bad for you...

This leads me right into my job which just so happens to be at a health and wellness center which is also where I discovered that white rice is terrible for you. (Are you taking notes yet?)

Let me back up a little bit...there once was a sorority girl who went to a university in a far away land. 

Siiiike. I went to the University of Houston, which was less than a 45 minutes drive from my hometown. 

...I was close enough to home that if I wanted to come home for the day, I could but yet far enough away to where my parents hated the idea of me commuting in Houston traffic on a daily basis so they insisted they ship me off to college and pay my rent for over 4 years. 

They also funded my trashy Halloween costume(s) that may or may not have consisted of the shortest shorts ever, half of a ripped wife-beater and a sparkly black bra. (Don't forget about the body glitter you see on my décolletage and that mini chandelier that also served as a belly button ring. Gross.)

[Poor Beau was so sick this Halloween!]

I started my college career with the idea of becoming a dentist. That went down the drain real quick since the thought of blood and needles and being in charge of a business AND being in school for 50 freaking years scared the ever-loving daylights out of me. From there, I decided I'd shoot for a dental hygienist because I am obsessed with teeth and it's the next best thing to being a dentist, right? (Ya. Except you make 1/6 the salary.)

I studied my arse off, finished my degree with a Bachelors in Health Promotion and Education in the fall of '08, graduated with high honors, applied to five...yes FIVE hygiene programs and didn't get into a single one. Shot to the heart...yes. (Apparently you have to be valedictorian to be a dental hygienist these days...)

I soon found out dental hygiene was not happnin' which landed me at my first job doing business development for a staffing agency. While I liked my co-workers and loved my boss, I knew all along it wasn't the industry for me.

Insert the Health & Wellness Center. Talk about a dream come true.

In July 2009, I started out as a Vitamin Consultant in the vitamin & supplement department where I counseled our patients on their vitamin regimens and recommended certain supplements for those who had specific ailments. (Sidenote: I work for all natural doctors who treat hormone imbalance and allergies naturally...no drugs involved...)

Some of my team :)

About a year and a half in, I was promoted to Assistant Director, where I still stand today and I can honestly say wholeheartedly, this is where I'm supposed to be. (Granted, if someone asked me if I wanted to be the president tomorrow, I'd jump at the opportunity!)

As the Assistant Director, I spend my days training new Vitamin Consultants, purchasing all of our products, researching new products to bring in (which also includes many, many free samples!), checking in on inventory levels and my favorite thing, running majority of the marketing for the supplement department...anything from email campaigns, to coming up with creative promotions, assisting in event planning, giving presentations to patients and our medical team, and also coordinating some of the social media for the supplement store. So yes-I blog at work 3 times/week and at home 5 times/week. Not gonna lie...it can be a little exhausting at times but I'm passionate about what I do so it makes the blogging part easy! 

My boss is quite possibly the best thing that's ever happened to me, right next to el Presidente...two of the most positive people I've ever met in my life. They've helped me set goals and achieve things I never thought possible and I definitely didn't ever think I'd know half of what I know now...all thanks to them!

It's a small company...about 85-90 employees so we're a pretty tight-knit, likeminded bunch. (Or maybe it's just me?) Not just that...but our company is 97% women. Yes. 97% women. You'd think we resemble that of a sorority or the Stepford wives but it's such an awesome company, it's so not like that. Everyone is very respectful of one another and there's never any petiness.

Imagine the Ritz Carlton combined with a clinic and that's what my office is like. The building is immaculate, our offices are the furnished with the finest furniture and decor and we are required to wear suits and heels on a daily basis. You would think this would be miserable but rest assured...knowing what I'm going to wear every single day makes my life that much easier and I can't imagine wearing anything else! (Even though I'd be perfectly fine wearing scrubs...)

So link up and tell us...what do YOU do to make that money, honey?!