Season 1 · Episode 45

How to Get A Quarter Raise

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0:00Welcome, welcome, welcome.
0:03This is photographer Steve Jackson
0:07of Alien Eyes Photos Media.
0:09And this is Alien Eyes Photos industry talk.
0:14Thank you for tuning in.
0:17And I was just reflecting and kind of reminiscing.
0:25I like to do reflections even of my younger self
0:30and just thinking about how I am on my entrepreneur journey
0:34from an artist, now creative entrepreneur.
0:41I haven't always started there or even as an artist.
0:47Well, art was always a part of my life,
0:50but as far as making money from my art and as an artist.
0:57Of course, we had to work jobs
0:59and I remember just being under value for three years.
1:06You know, I've got a quarter raise
1:10and then even the next year I got another quarter raise.
1:13It was like a quarter.
1:15So before that even happened,
1:16I wanted to renegotiate the raise way beforehand
1:21before that quote unquote quarter hit again.
1:26Like given tasks and duties,
1:30job duties that you didn't sign up for originally.
1:34Now you're doing four different departments, same pay.
1:39At the end of the year, you get a quarter raise
1:41like 25 cent raise after doing the job for five people
1:50and people that's supposed to be replaced
1:53that got fired or injured, never got replaced
1:57and you're picking up the slack,
2:00having to stay after late,
2:03not getting paid overtime or additional wages,
2:09also doing other things within a company.
2:15It just makes you think like, you know,
2:18starting off as an entrepreneur,
2:21you will be wearing many hats,
2:23you know, doing a lot of everything,
2:26but of course you would like it
2:29and you enjoy it because it's something you're building.
2:32You're not going to always like it or always enjoy it
2:35but there will be aspects that you will enjoy
2:39and there'll be phases that keep you
2:45not doing the things that you're supposed to do
2:49but you have to continue to do
2:52what you're supposed to do for you
2:55and where you want to be.
2:59Like I didn't join the military
3:01after being approached by military officers,
3:05you know, recruiting officers
3:07for different military branches
3:10and I was considering it since they, you know,
3:14pay for your college and housing,
3:15like this and I'm like, okay,
3:17there's nice benefits to it and pay is decent
3:23and you get to retire after 20 years,
3:25I'm like, oh, that's actually hurt
3:28but I'm thinking like, okay,
3:30especially now I'm thinking how I'm moving in life,
3:35like first 20 years of my life was just more music
3:41and now transition to more visual
3:45where it's more photography and video.
3:49So I'm like, what's the next 420 is going to be after 40
3:55and what's the next 20 after that
3:58and that 80 years of age all the way to 100,
4:06what that's going to be vital,
4:08like what am I going to focus on,
4:09what is going to be my art form at that time
4:14and, you know, just looking at it like that.
4:18I declined in the military
4:20because I said they didn't have any musical jobs,
4:26anything that has to do with music,
4:27I want to be a musician, I want to be an artist.
4:31So I declined, I said, I figured it out
4:35and I'm glad I always took risks,
4:38just going back to that job, you know,
4:44all of a sudden they said they are relocating,
4:49you know, for somewhere that was going back to 20,
4:52like 20, 25 minutes further than, you know,
4:57as convenient, it was a neighborhood job.
5:00It was 10, 15 minutes, not too far for me.
5:06So I gave it grace,
5:07but yeah, that quarter at 25 cent raise,
5:12it just wasn't enough.
5:13Like I was 16, 17, 18 working at a grocery store.
5:21Started a little above minimum wage
5:24and, you know, I used to give 50 cent, a dollar increases
5:28like, you know, that's still not a lot
5:31for, you know, people that make, you know,
5:34millions and billions and I'm just thinking about that,
5:36and then I just, I'm pretty sure you got a large fraction
5:41close to that, you know, million, billion,
5:45just like these millionaires and billionaires,
5:47you know, this is vital work.
5:51I'm not sure of all the overhead costs,
5:53but I'm sure what you're getting paid
5:55is way much more than I'm getting paid
5:59as a, you know, 20 year old.
6:03But I was always business minded, entrepreneur minded,
6:09and I had to develop that as an artist
6:13and I wasn't always monetized and know what I knew now.
6:18And then like, I just knew I had to learn
6:20the whole business side.
6:21So I also applied that when I went to different jobs
6:26and worked for different employers,
6:28I still kept with business
6:30and treated myself like a businessman
6:31and even asked different questions.
6:34And then I shocked people like, wow,
6:36I didn't expect you to say that or ask this
6:39or this and that.
6:41And I had no quitting after I found out,
6:46well, it was months later I stayed as long as I could,
6:52but the whole relocation and the avoidance
6:58for three and a half straight weeks
7:01of we're supposed to have this meeting
7:03or something just happens.
7:06Oh, well, we'll get to it next Friday
7:08and then don't even show up like,
7:14almost like the whole week.
7:16So it's things like that and not even honoring that,
7:20you know, a meeting was set
7:23and multiple times basically didn't show up.
7:27It was just that act of avoidance, okay.
7:31So I just knew my power and the power
7:35of just standing up for yourself and having a voice,
7:39no matter what you do or where you at,
7:42is standing up for yourself and having that voice
7:45and standing on your dream.
7:47Like, you know, you are worth more.
7:51And those are some things I just was reflecting on,
7:57just came to mind, came to heart.
7:59And it's like, yeah, I'm glad I am doing better
8:03and showing up for myself and learning
8:07and applying all that I need to apply
8:10to get to where I need to be.
8:16But stay focused out there.
8:18Whatever you wanna do, you have to do it.
8:23And this is just a reminder from my reflections
8:25from my entrepreneur journey,
8:28continue to layer with me, you know, go down my path.
8:34Some of my journey, hopefully it helps you
8:39to become a better creative, a better entrepreneur,
8:44a better creative entrepreneur, a better person,
8:50man, woman, whatever you wanna be,
8:56remember you can do that.
8:58All right, y'all gotta get out of here.
8:59This is photographer Jackson,
9:01Steve Jackson of Alien Eyes Photos Media.
9:05And this is Alien Eyes Photos Industry Talk.
9:09And you can follow me at alieneyesphotos,
9:13that's alieneyesphotos with a S,
9:19but the I's is with a Z.
9:22And alieneyesphotos.com, again,
9:25that's alien eyes like your eyeballs,
9:28but with a Z, I's with a Z, Photos with a S.com,
9:34alieneyesphotos.com and at alieneyesphotos on all media.
9:41All right, y'all, peace.