Making money on the road, negotiating pay for the first time, and doing what I love! Career update! 7/2/21

  I cannot believe that it has been a week! You ever have those weeks where everyday has dragged by. You just watch the clock all day...but then 7 days go by and your like, wow that was the fastest week EVER! Weird, right? Oh is it just me?

A lot has happened since our trip to Mt. Rainier. This week I specifically want to update you on how I make money on the road! But, let's hit some highlights! 

1. We moved from Silver Creek, WA to Monroe, WA
1. Got a river side camping spot on a Saturday afternoon! Of course, it has been dead during the week! 
2. The high temperature this week hit 116 degrees! We ran one of our main AC's full blast, our newly installed external AC, and our fan 24 hours a day for 3 days straight! It still got up to 92 degrees in the RV one day. Now it has evened up to the 80's and rainy, of course! 
3. We started training Charlie more rigorously on a leash and introduced her to a basket muzzle. She's not a huge fan of the muzzle but she doesn't rip it off her face either. 
4. We met some more of Gregory's wonderful friends! They invited us out for lots of great food and company, so sweet! 
5. Visited North Cascades National Park, more to come on that next week! 

In bigger news! I also applied for a job, interviewed for a job, turned down a job, and negotiated a pay increase at my current employer! For those of you that do not know I work for a company called ByteStand and we make apps that work with Amazon and Shopify. I like to say I am the voice of the company. I manage all of our customer relations, technical support, consumer happiness, training, and video development. All of the things that I love. I actually found this job on a Facebook group called RV Entrepreneur. The job was asking for a Happy Desk Customer Service Rep and reported the person would work with apps, software, and Shopify. Which I knew almost nothing about any of those things! But, I had been looking for work for 4 months. I treated finding a job as a part time job! I applied for jobs every day so I went ahead and applied for this one as well! 

So funny, at first I thought the job was a scam. I got a email a few days later from the 'Owner' and then we had a phone call. It was very relaxed and I actually had more questions for them than they had for me. It felt weird at first. I even told Gregory...'this feels too easy. It's 1 guy that's looking for help, I bet he's a creep.' haha awful right? But, these days you never know! 

Access to the water from our site! 

I got the job and started training a few days later. For the first 2 weeks we video chatted every day as I learned the ends and outs of the apps and programs. At first I started as just customer service. I would say it took me about 4 months to get up to speed and be able to resolve issues for all of the apps without involving my boss, Todd. Guess what, it wasn't a scam! Thank goodness! 

July 14th of this year will be my one year with the company and I still love it! Of course now my role has expanded and I shape the future of this job and what I want it to become. So, you may be wondering...well then why did you apply for another job? Great question! I believe that it is important to keep your options open and to not get too comfortable. It's good to see what else is out there and test your boundaries, get yourself out of your comfort zone every once in a while. No it is not fun. I like comfort. I like knowing what I am going to be doing every day and what's expected of me. But, if we don't test ourselves, then who will? And then what happens years down the road when you are FORCED to be uncomfortable....it feels like the end of the world, doesn't it? So, I like to practice being uncomfortable so it doesn't sting when I HAVE to do it. 

Once again a job was posted on RV Entrepreneur so I checked it out. It was a customer support job dealing with campground owners that use a specific software. You would help them troubleshoot, train the customer, and collect data. Sounds similar to what I do now! The company is a corporation and offered benefits like health insurance...big plus. So, my resume is up to date...and I applied for it. Couldn't hurt right? Honestly, the gig sounded like they needed someone with more skills then me so I didn't think they'd even look at my resume. I applied and didn't think about it for another 2 weeks. 

Well, guess what...they called. And long story long I had 2 interviews in 2 days and it happened really fast. They wanted to move me to the next step which would be a role play over the phone. I liked the vibe of the company, the way the interviews went, and the things they were offering. Of course, this whole process took me out of my comfort zone. Here I was selling myself to a company and letting them know what I could offer them and waiting for them to approve of me or reject me! Why was I doing this to myself? I already have a place where it is nice and warm and I make enough money to live! But, I went through with it...because you never know. They were offering 45k a year, a 401k (they do not put anything towards it) Health Insurance (that I pay for out of every pack check and have big copays and deductibles) Unlimited vacation time (they couldn't really tell me what that meant though) and other typical benefits! Sounds pretty average right? The big draw was the job security with being with an established corporation versus an entrepreneur.  It was something that could offer a future in 5 years or longer. With small companies...you never know. Or that was my thought process. 

Just as a reference I currently make a base of $39,000 a year before taxes with ByteStand. Am I rich financially? But, am I rich with work life balance, experiences, travel, etc. Also-freaking-lutely!  Remember back in 2018 I was making well over $100,000 a year! I remember also being pretty miserable back then as well. And not saving as much money as I am now! Without the big house payment, home insurance, car debt, credit card debt, and spending money on material things and liquor. 

So, $39k is my base pay but I made close to 41k in 2020 because I get bonuses for every 5 star review the company gets! My schedule with ByteStand is also pretty flexible, he approves every day off that I need, and understands if I need to work late or finish early. We also get along and trust and respect each other! 

So 45K sounds like a big jump but after I had to pay for my health insurance it really evened it out. Also, the new companies hours were not as flexible and required some weekends and evenings. Which is not a huge deal. But, I kind of got into this life style for a reason, you know? To explore, work less, and have fun. 

Gregory's campground friend 

After a lot of back and forth between ByteStand, the new company, Gregory, and myself I made a decision. I wanted to stay with my current employer but negotiate some new benefits. My role had morphed into a totally new thing and with my year mark coming up it was time to talk about new pay along with the additional responsibilities. ByteStand also gave me peace of mind with the company and my future! Which I appreciated. Here is what I asked ByteStand for. 

• A 13% base increase. Still working 6 hours a day. 
• No change on the review bonuses. Still a $50 bonus for every review. This year I'm already up to 51 reviews!
• A 5% profit sharing bonus at the end of the year based off of just our profits for the year. Hint: we have already surpassed last year! 

Sounds pretty good, right? I thought so. I won't walk you through the conversations, hours of upset stomach, and nervous palms. But, I did it! I was actually granted with a 20% hourly increase a hour! Woo Hoo and of course the bonuses and 5% profit sharing granted as well. Hopefully, my boss doesn't know this but I did shed a tear or two while I was on the phone with him after the conversation was complete. Believe it or not this is the first time I have EVER negotiated pay in my life! EVER! I have always been to passive and shy to have this conversation before. And let me tell you what...I feel proud and powerful! It was an amazing experience that I am glad I put myself through. 

What would have happened if I wouldn't have put myself in an uncomfortable situation? If I would have just kept going along in my safe little bubble. Nothing. I would have stayed warm, soft, and cozy. Which is fine. But, now I am warm, soft, and cozy but with more money! Which will go towards adding me to Gregory's healthcare plan (peace of mind) while we are traveling, saving, and hopefully a vacation here or there! 

I am so thankful for Gregory's help and guidance while navigating this situation. And my father! Who I called multiple times to update! It felt really good to be proud of myself and also to hear how these two very important men were so proud of me! 

I hope this story encourages you to take that next big step. Be your own advocate. Take charge. Take control of all aspects of your life! 

P.S. Food from this week!