Imagine coming up with an idea to help yourself, and then you thought it might help other people too, well, something like what happened to Stephanee Beggs, BSN, RN. But she was doing training videos to help herself be able to study for the NCLEX exam during COVID-19.
She had no idea at the time that a video of hers would go viral, leading to a multi-million-dollar business and being selected as one of Forbes 30 under 30.
Beggs, 28, answers questions about this whirlwind experience and why she’s still working as a nurse in an emergency department of a hospital in Los Angeles. Because she’s also the CEO of RNExplained, which, as she says, is “an educational platform that offers nursing study sheets and tips/tricks for nursing students and nurses across the globe.”
Beggs sat down with Daily Nurse to talk about how she went from side gig to CEO.
Usually, nurses don’t hold the position of CEO as a side gig. Explain how this all came about. What was it like to go unintentionally viral?
I was studying for my NCLEX exam when the pandemic began. We were in quarantine when I graduated and began to study for the NCLEX. I didn’t have anybody to study for the exam with, so I started recording myself teaching concepts that were hard for me to grasp. It helped me better understand a topic when I could speak it out loud and play it back..
At the time, I posted one of my teaching videos on social media, which went viral. After that, I began to post more teaching videos that gained thousands of followers from students across the nation.
Shortly after that, I launched RNExplained, which offers more than 308 various medical conditions in digital and print forms and educational videos on social media.
Becoming unintentionally viral made me realize that many nursing students worldwide have the same learning style as I do.
What does your company offer nurses? Please explain why these study sheets are important.
Too often in nursing school, we are given a dense amount of information to read/study, which becomes incredibly overwhelming. My study sheets aim to teach various nursing topics clearly and concisely without all the fluff.
I cover 300+ topics that are taught and tested on in nursing school and the NCLEX. It’s extremely important to find a resource that breaks down information in the most appealing way, and I am confident that RNExplained does that.
What did you think when you were selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 list?
I was extremely shocked, yet I felt blessed to be chosen as a Lister. I sometimes can be hard on myself and think someone deserves that honor more than I do, but I remind myself that I worked so hard to be here and earn that title.
Your “side hustle” has already made $2 million in sales. So why do you still work as a full-time night shift nurse in the ER?
My love for working bedside and having direct patient care hasn’t faded. I genuinely enjoy working in the emergency department and getting to critically think in real life with real people. I could not have that job, but it’s another part of me that I have a passion for, and I want to experience it as well.
How did you become a pharmacology professor at Mount St. Mary’s? What kind of education or certification did you need to do that?
One of the directors of my alma mater nursing program offered me the position. She had seen my success and felt like my teaching style would fit the program well.
Do you still speak out on social media with nursing educational tools?
I do! I post a handful of times weekly on my social media accounts with various educational tips, tricks, and real-life experiences. I try to incorporate some learning “lessons” into everything I post. On some days, I will create educational content for students; on others, I aim to cater to new graduates.
Is RNExplained, Inc. now providing you with passive income? Or do you still have to be involved with the company by creating new study sheets, etc.?
It is! Most of my products are sold digitally, so I receive passive income each time I make a sale. I also offer a handful of tangible products, and my aunt ships out all of those products! I am highly involved in the company still. My aunt has helped with the shipping and many administrative tasks, and we work daily for the company.
What are your biggest challenges with this new business? What are your greatest rewards?
The biggest challenge is learning how to grow and scale the business. RNExplained has grown organically, and I’m learning how to continue that growth.
The greatest reward of having a social media presence is the feedback I get from students in my DMs or messages. Knowing that nursing students trust me to guide them through nursing school is one of the best rewards.
I put my all into this company, and it’s comforting to know that others are reaping the benefits.
You’re an influencer in the nursing field. Tell me about that. Do you feel any responsibility that comes with that?
I feel a sense of responsibility for the position that I have in the nursing community. So I go through a series of checklists before I post anything on social media to ensure that what I put into the community is valuable, factual, educational, and positive. People around the world value my opinion and take my advice, so I try to be mindful of what I say and how I say it.
How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?
I try my best to stay active and take at least one hour a day to work out. I’ve had a trainer for a few years now who has helped me stay committed in the gym, and it has become my favorite form of self-care. Aside from that, I keep my work and social life in two separate boxes. I stay present and turn off the nurse/influencer mode when I’m with my friends.
While Rosa Crumpton, RN, BSN, MBA, works full-time in nursing management for a large hospital, she has an interesting side-gig that came about after taking a course last year called “Nursing by Design.” That led to her side business.
“[It] helped me discover where my natural talents and market needs intersected. I realized that I have always loved technology and am often an early adopter, especially in the online business space,” she says. “I didn’t realize that many nurses are not tech-savvy and many entrepreneurs are busy working in their zone of genius that they don’t want to fuss with the tech. I’ve been doing this about a year.”
Crumpton took time to answer our questions about the business. What follows is the interview, edited for length and clarity.
Explain to me briefly what you do in this role. What types of businesses do you serve?
I serve as a tech consultant for nurse/health care entrepreneurs. I especially like working on strategic plans for entrepreneurs who are looking to build systems for lead generation, the best solutions for them to sell goods or services online, and doing walkthrough assessments on their current website and social media.
“I love hearing about all the different businesses that nurse entrepreneurs are creating and growing.”
I have taken many online business courses along with having my MBA to understand the needs and trends of small businesses. I’ve also invested in many different tech services over the years, so I can give real-life feedback and recommendations to my customers.
I don’t think an MBA or formal education is necessary, but it is good to have an overall understanding of nurses and online business operations.
What do you like most about doing this work?
I love hearing about all the different businesses that nurse entrepreneurs are creating and growing. Since the pandemic started, so many nurses are leaving the bedside and building businesses for themselves. It’s an exciting time to see all the creativity and diversity of nurses.
What are your biggest challenges in your side gig? What are your greatest rewards?
The biggest challenge is time management. I have to be very aware not to overcommit. I have turned down several opportunities for social media management because I know I don’t have the time to devote to doing this.
The greatest reward to me has been helping nurses who don’t like tech feel empowered. I have a knack for simplifying complex things and presenting what I think is the client’s best option, but I always put the ball in their corner.
If someone wanted to get into the type of side gig you’re doing, what steps would you tell them to take?
I think this is a great side gig if you like technology. It’s important to research what’s going on in the online business space, especially for solopreneurs/small businesses. There have been a lot of changes in the last five years or so with more people moving into the online business space and customers becoming savvier. Getting to know the best systems for your customers for email, lead generation, purchases, and courses is vital. Social media management will also continue to grow, especially for people who can help create content for their customers.
The online business space is exploding and there is a lot of opportunity for anyone who has a desire to be a part of it!
This is part of a regular series about side gigs—nurses with interesting side jobs or hobbies. This month, we spotlighta nurse who is a bookkeeper and small business advisor.
Cheree M. Hill, BSN, RN, MBA
In a little over a month, it will be that time of year again—tax time. That’s why we decided to have this month’s side gig focus on Cheree M. Hill, BSN, RN, MBA, a bookkeeper and small business advisor and owner of Tranquility Bookkeeping Services, LLC.
Although she still works as a nurse—and just finished working a contract with CVS as a vaccination nurse—Hill has her own bookkeeping business. She took time with us to talk about it.
How did you get into being a bookkeeper and small business advisor on the side? How long have you been doing it? Why did you get into it?
I got into bookkeeping in 2017. I have always longed to start my own business. I have started multiple businesses, first catering to new and expectant mothers. During that time, I had to do my own accounting. I used the skills I learned while obtaining my MBA to do the bookkeeping. At that time, I was using QuickBooks and wanted to make sure I was using it correctly. So, I reached out to a ProAdvisor who was charging $85/hr. At the time, I didn’t know that helping people with their bookkeeping was a viable option.
My other businesses didn’t last but I always wanted to work for myself. I eventually came upon Bookkeeper Launch, which shows individuals how to start their own bookkeeping business. It was at that time I decided to use my MBA and start a business helping other business owners.
Explain to me briefly what you do as a bookkeeper/small business advisor. Did you have to get additional training/education to do it? What types of businesses do you serve?
As a bookkeeper and small business advisor, I help business owners track their income and expenses and turn them into clear cut financial statements, which allows the business owner to analyze them and make solid financial decisions. I use the financial data to advise my clients on business decisions such as purchases, hiring, advertising, etc. I also advise them on systems to use in their business for maximum efficiency.
I serve service-based businesses. However, my niche is private practice owners. I would love to serve nurse practitioners in private practice.
What do you like most about working as a bookkeeper/small business advisor?
I love numbers! And I love educating and empowering small business owners to take charge of their finances.
What are your biggest challenges in your side gig? What are your greatest rewards?
My biggest challenge sometimes is getting the messaging out to the right business owners. Many business owners are not experts in accounting and are in need of services like mine. It makes me proud when a business owner tells me that money or finances feel “less daunting” after speaking or working with me.
If someone wanted to get into the type of side gig you’re doing, what steps would you tell them to take?
If this is not your background, take a course like Bookkeeper Launch. It provides you with the bookkeeping skills as well as lessons on how to run a successful business.
This is part of a regular series about side gigs—nurses with interesting side jobs or hobbies. This month, we spotlighta nurse who is a leadership coach.
Rasheda Hatchett, MN, RN
Ever wanted to pursue your passion, even if you’re doing it as a side-gig? That’s exactly what Rasheda Hatchett, MN, RN, did when she became a leadership coach.
As part of our side-gig series, we wanted to know how she got into it and how you can, too.
How did you get interested in being a leadership coach? What drew you to it? How long have you been doing it?
I think like most people, you find you passion in what you do innately. I have mentored and coached many women in my career—I just never charged for my time and effort. Once I began to see the clear value I was adding to women’s lives, the light bulb went off, and I knew I had found the thing that I could do that didn’t feel like work and was fulfilling in ways I had never dreamt of.
Explain to me briefly what a leadership coach is. Did you have to get additional training/education to do it?
Leadership coaching is personal for me, I believe in what I call “Whole life Leadership,” so my coaching is centered around leading in your home, career, community—and most importantly—leading yourself. One of the largest predictors of your leadership style is how you lead yourself. Just like people who don’t tend to give themselves grace when they make mistakes, similarly you’ll find that you may need to work on extending grace to your team. So for me, we have to dig into how you lead yourself to truly understand where we need to work on growth and goal setting.
I was coaching for a long time as a lay person and decided I wanted to get some additional certification, so I recently completed a coaching academy course and am working toward ICF certification.
What types of people/clients do you serve? What are they looking for and what do you provide for them?
The women I work with are true unicorns—they are leaders in health care, nonprofit, and corporate spaces. Women come to me who are ready to increase their confidence and really cultivate the skill of expressing their organizational value and communicating to garner results. I work with them to create a 360 vision for their lives and flush out exactly what they are working toward in life: including career, self-care, finances, and family.
Do you find that this is hard to do while working as a nurse?
Because I love what I do, no, it’s not hard to create harmony in my nursing career and the leadership coaching that I do. I own my nursing company in the Seattle area that provides education for caregivers of adult family homes caring for the elderly population. Being the CEO of my nursing business allows me a level of freedom to also work on my passion and help female leaders grow to the next level.
What do you like most about working as a leadership coach?
I love the transformation that I get to witness in the women I work with. Watching them take on new challenges, become more confident in themselves, get promoted, start new ventures, win contracts, and collaborate with other women in our circle—that’s why I do this. I love to see women win. Getting an up-close-and-personal view really sets my heart on fire. Knowing that I have made a difference in the way that women show up in the world is an amazing feeling.
What are your biggest challenges as a leadership coach? What are your greatest rewards as one?
My biggest challenges are helping the women I work with change their mindset around what they believe is possible for them in the world. I think this is a challenge for so many reasons, but the largest reason is the part society has played in defining a woman’s role in the world and doing all it can keep us in a box. My desire is to help women break every glass ceiling and tear down every wall that limits women in leadership and business.
Part of how I do that is guiding women to have the confidence to express their value as leaders and business owners in a way that resonates with decision makers.
Leading from the inside out requires a level of vulnerability that will challenge you out of your comfort zone, but the transformation on the other side is so worth it!
This is part of a regular series about side gigs—nurses with interesting side jobs or hobbies. This month, we spotlighta nurse who sells baked goods through her business Love and Joye.
Alyssa Joye Vesey, RN
During the holidays, many of us include baking as part of what we do. It’s a tradition.
For Alyssa Joye Vesey, RN, who works for Walden University’s College of Nursing as the RN Field Education Coordinator in the Office of Field Experience, baking has become her side gig in her business Love and Joye.
How did you come up with the idea for Love and Joye? Why did you want to do this? How long have you been doing it? Do you only cook and bake particular items?
I have had a strong passion for cooking ever since I was a child, but I did not have any prior baking experience until I moved to the United States in 2017. Where I came from in the Philippines, people do not have ovens at home because every street corner has a bakery.
When I was adjusting to my life in the U.S., I found myself craving the Filipino baked goods I used to purchase. I couldn’t find them in grocery stores, so that encouraged me to try baking. I fell in love with it, and just started trying to bake Filipino desserts and pastries. I also explored and made other desserts from around the world that interested me.
My friends and coworkers encouraged me to start selling the goods I made because they felt bad asking me to bake for them for free. In 2019, I decided to start selling and sharing what I bake in my community in Minneapolis through Love and Joye.
Explain what Love and Joye offers, is, does, and if you ship around the country.
Love and Joye
Love and Joye is a small business in Minneapolis that offers mostly Filipino delicacies. But it is not limited to that because I also make a variety of cakes and cupcakes for birthdays and parties.
I love to share my Filipino heritage through food, which is one of the most powerful ways of connecting people. I have sent my baked goods to family members in some parts of the country like Washington, Florida, New York, and California. However, due to my schedule, I am not yet able to ship orders around the country, but I dream to be able to do so someday.
Do you find that this is easy to do even while working as a nurse?
I find it manageable to have a food business on the side because of a strategy I set in place. I ask my customers to provide a timeframe of when they need their orders so I can plan. It helps that my work schedule is consistent, and I have weekend rest days. I mostly accept orders when they are placed a week or two in advance.
What are your biggest challenges with this side gig? What are your greatest rewards?
The biggest challenge is the limitation on the number and types of orders I can accept due to my current schedule. I always want to do more for my business and for my community, but due to time constraints, I can’t always. Even though my job has a relatively consistent schedule, there are some weeks that are much more highly demanding and busier than others.
My greatest reward in running the Love and Joye food business is the satisfaction of knowing that people like what I make for them, and the conversations it creates. It is an opportunity to share with people where I come from and an opportunity for me to learn the same about them. I do not pay for advertising, so I let my customers do it for me.
What do you like most about Love and Joye?
I love seeing the reaction on people’s faces when they try Filipino food for the first time. The reaction ranges from a big smile to a look of confusion, like their face is asking, “What’s in this? I’ve never had anything like it before!”
There is only one Filipino restaurant in Minneapolis, so my business creates more opportunity for people to try something new. Through Love and Joye, I can bring them to the Philippines without leaving Minnesota.
While the path to entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, there are plenty of opportunities for nurses with an interest in taking this route. There are many reasons nurses today are deciding to become entrepreneurs: taking a break from a stressful environment, wanting to retire but stay busy, or making a side income. From working as a consultant for medical malpractice law firms to freelancing your services to clinics and private practices, you can find success as a self-employed nurse. If you’re not sure that this is the path for you, consider the benefits of striking out as a nursing entrepreneur.
Be the Boss of Your Own Schedule
A nurse entrepreneur doesn’t have to work the typical eight or 12-hour shifts that traditional nurses work. In fact, you can choose how much or how little you work each week. Depending on the type of opportunities you seek as a freelancing nurse, you can even choose the times of day that you will work. You’ll have greater freedom in setting up your work schedule, and you may only be limited by the amount of income you need to earn. This can help you keep time free for important events and appointments. If your children are engaged in sports, you can set up your schedule to ensure you can make it to all of their games. The schedule you choose is up to you.
Wider Opportunities for Career Development
You’ll have a greater chance for exploring opportunities that interest you professionally and personally. Perhaps clinical work has always interested you but you haven’t found any job openings in that area of nursing. Freelancing offers you the opportunity to work in a clinical setting as a freelance nurse. If you prefer providing hospice care, you can work exclusively in that area. You can choose an area of interest, or you can choose jobs based on the level of patient interaction you desire. The opportunities you choose will help you live a more rewarding life, leaving you feeling fulfilled on a personal level.
Nurses’ Expertise and Ideas are Valued in the Business Arena
There are financial incentives to working as an entrepreneur in the nursing field, but there are more practical advantages as well. Many nurses feel stifled in their day-to-day careers. Policies or work environments often prohibit nurses from expressing themselves or sharing their ideas. It’s also discouraged for nurses to question doctors in many situations. However, freelancing as a nurse can open you up to opportunities in which your experience and insight will be sought. You can work as an expert witness, consultant, or in other positions in which your clients will value your thoughts. There are many entrepreneurial opportunities in which clients will pay your fee specifically to take advantage of your experience and ideas.
Successful Nurse-Entrepreneurs Can Make Serious Bank
Entrepreneurship offers you the chance to use and hone your business skills. Rather than earning a predetermined salary, you’ll have the ability to set your own rates of pay. You may decide to establish one set hourly rate, or you might charge a different rate for a variety of nursing services. This will be similar to running any type of business in terms of analyzing competitors in your field and marketing your services to those needing a nursing freelancer. The degree of success you achieve will depend on how well you can hone your business acumen. As long as you continue to learn and grow as an entrepreneur, you will achieve greater success over time.
Reduce Your Chances of Becoming a Burnout Statistic
While staying in one position or working at one hospital throughout your career can provide stability, it also increases the likelihood of experiencing career burnout. This is a condition that produces feelings of fatigue, depression, and apathy. When you freelance as a nurse, you’ll significantly decrease the risks of burnout by exposing yourself to a variety of new situations throughout your career. This can involve pursuing different areas of nursing to spice up your work-related experiences, or you might become a traveling nurse to experience different cultures from around the world. You can experience a new opportunity as frequently as you like, or choose a specific area of work that you find especially interesting.
The advantage of seeking out entrepreneur opportunities as a nurse is that you can still keep your full-time job. Look for opportunities that you can pursue part-time or on your days off. As you gain a better understanding of what you can do as a freelancer or another type of entrepreneur, you will eventually reach a point at which you’ll feel comfortable quitting your full-time job.
I serve as a tech consultant for nurse/health care entrepreneurs. I especially like working on strategic plans for entrepreneurs who are looking to build systems for lead generation, the best solutions for them to sell goods or services online, and doing walkthrough assessments on their current website and social media.
