My Interview with Jessica Gonzalez X Virtual Online Tutor & Children’s Book Author 

I am beyond excited to introduce you to my next guest. I met her on a tutoring platform after we lost our original tutor. Something stuck with us as we instantly fell in love with Jessica’s work ethic. We’ve had two previous tutors before her, and my daughter loved her teaching techniques and how excited she got any time Jessica taught her. So it is with great pleasure I introduce Jessica of all trades to you if you need a virtual online tutor for your child, do not hesitate to contact her.

What inspired you to take the path of entrepreneurship? 

I fell into entrepreneurship but, I have always dreamed about having my own business as I learned about it growing up. I started teaching English online part-time in 2020 because I had just returned from teaching English in South America and due to the pandemic my plans to move to Asia changed. I enjoyed teaching and helping others so I became a virtual online tutor. In the beginning, business was slow, I  had one student for 7 months. However, after my first good review from a great source, my business prospered. 

Everybody has a story, what is your story?

I started to focus on online teaching and eventually moved to private tutoring for children in North America. I have been able to grow from there and write children’s books which enables me to invest in other avenues to benefit myself and my students. Truth be told, I never thought that I could run my own business, manage my income, or appeal to people to want to do business with me but, it takes taking a risk on yourself and doing what would be considered an unorthodox route to get where you want to go. I started online teaching in a small room in New York City, now I partner with companies who want my services and families who want independent services in my own office space in the comfort of my home. I am so grateful and excited for what is to come on this journey!

What advice will you give your younger self?

Don’t doubt your worth and don’t be intimidated by the people around you. Rather see yourself as a student who wants to learn from experience and others,  because the world is your classroom.

Relationship building – Let’s talk about this! How important is relationship building for you and how did it help your business?

Building relationships is crucial to achieving anything in business, my relationship with the families I work with is crucial. I always communicate their child’s performance and where improvement is neeeded.  It is also important to build relationships and network with others in your field, because there is a probability they are more knowledgable and have more resources to help you grow your business. I can openly say that I haven’t just grown and learned new ways to improve my educational business but, also formed great friendships along the way.

What inspired you to write a children’s book, tell us more about your book?

I grew up with a little sister who has autism, I often was faced with several questions and concerns when I was out in public with my sister to the point I felt like I needed to hide her from the world. There was a lack of resources and awareness of people who had this disability so when I was presented with the offer to write a children’s book in my senior year at university from a publishing start-up, I took it as a chance to help people better understand autism and share some of my stories. I wanted to highlight moments that were difficult and moments that were beautiful and that defined my childhood with my sister. I am excited to launch my next book, which will be a series inspired by my childhood with my sister.

What is one of your greatest accomplishments in your career? How did you get there?

My biggest accomplishment was getting approval for my DBA to legally run my business and open up a business account. It made me feel like I was in control of my future and any path I choose to pursue. It was at that moment, that I saw myself achieve something that I never thought was possible for someone like me.

Was there a time you felt like giving up? What inspired you to keep going?

When I started to pursue self-employment and learn business practices, I found out that the agency that I had worked for was about to go under and close in a month, I had just quit my job at a local nonprofit and was about to lose everything. I got very lucky and found Bansho, which partnered with me for my services last minute and I was able to stay afloat and eventually continue to build my website, investing in seminars to learn about my field of education, art, and science. I honestly was about to give up and accept that I was just going to continue working a regular 9-5 but, sometimes when you make the right moves and take the best risks for yourself, the universe will reward you for your efforts.

How do you self-care?

Spa days are a must, I have candles, face masks, rose water, and of course, a little wine to relax after working nonstop some days. I also try to journal because my mind can be overly clustered with ideas or personal matters so I always try to get it out in a form of free writing. I think it is important to maintain hobbies for fun as well. Like dancing, writing music, or some form of expression that is yours only.

What advice would you give to anyone who is about to embark on the entrepreneurship journey?

Do your research, do your research, do your research, that is the best advice that I can give. Watch YouTube videos, buy courses, and email people in the field of entrepreneurship that you are interested in. I spoke with a coworker in early 2020 about online teaching and she introduced me to the first platform that I partnered with. Make sure that you know what you are getting into, you will probably work for free for some time, spend your free time working on your side hustle that will grow into a business, and will need to practice self-discipline. Learn as much as you can before you start this journey.

What do you do for personal growth & development?

I try to enroll in as many courses as I can, I meet with mentors in my field, and I am open to making mistakes. I try to learn as much as possible when I can. I want to do a podcast in the future and that’s when I enrolled in a podcast class; I wanted to learn legal business practices so I watched a bunch of videos on how to file business papers and the different types of businesses that exist. I have also launched a failed vintage shop and did it with little to no knowledge but, I know now what I want to learn and the mistakes I made that I won’t make again. In terms of personal growth, I try to remember to have fun with my life so I take salsa dancing lessons and perform now and then. I fence as well and it is great to get out my emotions and engage in physical exercise.

 Are you open to mentorship? How can you be reached? What are your social handles?

Absolutely! My email is [email protected] to immediately contact me. My social media is a great way to get in touch as well and is as follows:

Instagram: Jessica_of_all_tradess

Facebook: Jessica Of All Trades

LinkedIn: Jessica Gonzalez

Personal website: http://jessgonzy.com/

Goodreads: Jessica Gonzalez

Clubhouse: Jessica Gonzalez

Etsy: Linguistically Lavish

Teachers Pay Teachers: Linguistically Linda Education