As a kid, selling World’s Finest Chocolate and magazine subscriptions was my worst nightmare. Other kids and their parents pushed product like crazy and won prizes left and right, and my mom and I would eat all the chocolate for ourselves because going door-to-door gave me anxiety. I felt uncomfortable asking people for money because I knew what it was like to struggle financially, trying to justify spending $30 on one item purely out of want when your phone bill is due tomorrow.
But one day, my mom showed me a woman who found a cure to the struggle. She went live on Facebook selling jewelry for just $5 apiece. I witnessed her sell 10 pieces of jewelry in 5 seconds and move onto the next one. After I watched her sell $500 worth of jewelry in one night, I was MAD with jealousy! How come we share the same planet and only one of us gets to stay home and make this much money this fast?! She became #goals REAL quick. After I did my research on Paparazzi, I felt like I was missing out on something HUGE. I had been looking for a way to work from home without sales, but the jewelry was practically selling itself! I didn’t feel guilty anymore, because I would finally be selling a product I love and could afford to buy myself.
I finally mustered up the courage to become a Paparazzi consultant almost two years ago. I go live every Wednesday night, but one month I was feeling… less than. Insignificant. Business was slow. I felt as if nobody was watching my lives. So, I stopped. I canceled one week, then I didn’t even bother canceling and just disappeared from social media. My mom and my husband both encouraged me to keep going, but I just felt too weak to fight for my dreams anymore.
Suddenly, I started receiving messages from friends, friends of friends, distant relatives, people I haven’t seen since high school or college, and total strangers asking why I wasn’t going live anymore. At first, they thought they were missing my lives and logging on too late. They implored that I keep going. They love my lives. They call it “The Angel Show.” They love when we play games, when I start my live off with a singing performance, and when I reveal the share drawing winner at the end. Some men even watch me just because they think I’m entertaining, and people even say I’m funny.
I was blown away by how many people believed in me, that I knew I needed to continue working for my dreams because they weren’t just for me anymore. People notice. People notice when you stop believing in yourself. My success wouldn’t be possible without other supportive human beings depending on the consistency of my business. They hold me accountable. So I do it. Just. Do it. Because ain’t nobody else gonna do it for me. Because I already got this. And so do you.
-Angel Rivera
