In 2009, Meisha Amia started on her journey to making her first six-figures. As a critical patient nurse, she decided to take her skills on the road and became a travel nurse. After spending time in the field, Meisha realized she had more to offer – wisdom and knowledge on what life as a travel nurse is like. Since then, she has authored a book, created a community for inspiring nurses, mentored and coached others, and so much more.
Let’s start at the beginning! Take us back to when you decided you wanted to become a critical patient nurse, what was the motivating factor behind that choice?
Meisha: In 2009, I was looking for more out of my career. I found myself hating my job as a nurse within the first two years. I knew I needed to find a place in my career where I would be happy and fulfilled. I didn’t know where I would find happiness or if it even existed but I’ve been fortunate enough to finally love what I do.
When did you start traveling for work? What’s your favorite part about traveling and what does work-life look like compared to working back home?
Meisha: I started traveling for work in 2012. My favorite part about traveling is the freedom. Travel nurses can make the decision whether to say “yes” or “no” to every contract, I can choose where I’m going and how long I’m staying. I have full control over my career and that’s something staff nurses don’t have. But that’s also what makes it different from working back home. I have the freedom to take a two-week vacation without needing to ask management for approval.
So, you made it to six figures! That’s so exciting and inspiring to so many entrepreneurs, tell us more about what you did to get here? What is the most important lesson you’ve had to learn?
Meisha: Thank you! To get here, I had to set boundaries in place. It’s so hard when you have freedom because freedom can be a huge test of your resilience and determination. Having the option to be lazy or productive required me to have those boundaries in place. I could not get to six figures if I abused that freedom. I was able to get to six figures in my contracting as a nurse and my business because I set boundaries and I had discipline. The lesson I’ve learned is the power of outsourcing. For the majority of my career, I’ve been a solopreneur and doing everything myself but that’s hard. When I experienced a tragic loss, I realized the importance of having a team that can support you when you need it.
It’s quite common for entrepreneurs to have multiple streams of income, as you do! You wrote a book called The Bedside Boss: From Scrubs to Six Figures, you’re a mentor and a coach, you travel…how do you manage wearing so many hats?
Meisha: This is funny… I don’t. I don’t manage it all but instead, I deal with what needs to get done. I’m really good at knowing what needs to be done first and prioritizing my tasks. But it’s also important to know when to unplug and reset. In order for me to be a good mentor and coach, I need to reset and refresh my mind so I can show up for other people. It’s really a system to know when to deal with what instead of just saying I have it all together. Sometimes it can get chaotic, but when things get chaotic you can meditate, journal and take a look at how you can organize your tasks.
Working for yourself is extremely rewarding, but it definitely comes with its challenges. It’s essential to have people in your corner such as a mentor, a strong network, a community of like-minded individuals to help you along the way. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from someone in your community and who was it from? How have you applied this to your life as an entrepreneur?
Meisha: It’s great to have people in your corner who give good advice. The best advice I’ve gotten in my journey came from my publicist, Candice Nicole. The advice she gave me was, ”Just do it, I’ll collaborate with you” when I was looking to start my business, “Chicks with Cheques.” What I got from that was sisterhood and women empowerment and to this day, I have carried those words with me. It’s so exciting to me because I know as I’ve given it to thousands of women in “Chicks with Cheques”, it was given to me the same way.
