One Broke Actress Podcast Summary
Episode Title: Actors with Side Hustles: Professional Organizer Adriana Licitra on Freelancing, Simplicity, and Decluttering Your Life
Host: Sam Valentine
Guest: Adriana Licitra
Release Date: October 17, 2024

Introduction

In this insightful episode of the One Broke Actress Podcast, host Sam Valentine engages in a candid conversation with Adriana Licitra, an actress from Phoenix, Arizona, who successfully manages a professional organizing business alongside her burgeoning acting career. This episode delves deep into the challenges and triumphs of juggling multiple careers, maintaining simplicity in business operations, and creating a balanced life amidst the chaos of Hollywood.

Guest Introduction: Adriana Licitra

Sam begins by introducing Adriana Licitra, highlighting her involvement in both the acting industry and her side business as a professional organizer. Adriana shares her background, revealing that she has been acting since she was eight years old but only started pursuing it professionally three years ago. She balances her acting endeavors with her organizing business and family life, managing three stepchildren alongside her husband.

Notable Quote:
Adriana reflects on her start in acting, saying, “I’ve been acting since I was about eight years old, but only started doing it professionally about three years ago” (03:36).

Adriana's Acting Career

Adriana provides an overview of her acting journey, noting her recent steps into the professional scene with agents in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. She discusses booking her first commercial audition, emphasizing her feeling of being new and the ongoing process of establishing herself in the industry.

Notable Quote:
“It’s just sort of new to the business I feel.” (03:36)

Establishing the Organizing Business

Transitioning to her side hustle, Adriana discusses the inception of "Adriana's Organizing and Styling" two years ago. She combines her passion for decluttering with styling, leveraging her previous experience as a magazine editor for an interior design publication. This dual approach allows her to offer comprehensive organizing solutions that include aesthetic enhancements like paint colors and decorative items.

Notable Quote:
“I do decluttering of people’s houses. I put in organization systems, and then if they want it, I will also just spruce up their space in general” (04:41).

Balancing Acting and Organizing

Adriana opens up about the necessity of having a secondary income to support her acting career. While she acknowledges her privileged position of having a supportive husband, she emphasizes the financial unpredictability of acting and the importance of having a self-sufficient business to cover expenses like classes and headshots.

Notable Quote:
“I wasn’t necessarily going into it thinking I needed this other job, but when I started to see all the things that added up... I realized I need to have something that’s my own” (05:21).

Business Realities and Pricing

Adriana candidly shares the unexpected complexities of running her own business. From investing in quality headshots to understanding the behind-the-scenes work required, she highlights how the costs quickly add up. This realization was pivotal in her commitment to professionalizing her side hustle.

Notable Quote:
“I realized, okay, you have to actually do your homework and invest in a really good headshot photographer. So it really just started to add up” (06:06).

Strategic Business Management

Sam appreciates Adriana's honesty about the privileges that facilitated her side hustle. They discuss the strategic approach Adriana takes to manage her business without it overwhelming her acting career. Adriana explains how she keeps her business simple by primarily using Facebook for client acquisition and relying on freelancing to maintain flexibility.

Notable Quote:
“I use my phone to call them. Other than that, I use my paper calendar, which I use for everything” (20:01).

Simplifying Systems and Operations

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on Adriana's minimalist approach to business operations. She eschews complex technology, opting instead for basic tools like Venmo, Zelle, and handwritten records. This simplicity allows her to manage her business efficiently without the added stress of intricate systems.

Notable Quote:
“I have an LLC and then I have like insurance for my business. Just because when you’re going into people’s homes, you have to have a little bit of security through that” (20:38).

Future Plans and Scalability

Adriana envisions maintaining her current business model, which allows her the flexibility to prioritize her acting career. While she acknowledges the potential for scaling, she prefers to keep her business manageable, ensuring it remains a supportive foundation rather than a competing priority.

Notable Quote:
“My main goal is to make this acting career successful. So the more successful that this gets, the more I will start dropping away the extra things that just support the acting career” (23:00).

Decorating Tips for Actors

Towards the end of the episode, Adriana shares practical decorating and organizing tips tailored for actors. She advises keeping self-taping spaces simple and clutter-free to maintain a peaceful environment. Strategies include using collapsible clothing racks, storing props cleverly, and adding personal touches like throw pillows or curtains to make small spaces feel homey.

Notable Quote:
“Find what feels homey to you and then lean into that and pull back on everything else” (35:54).

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Sam concludes the episode by highlighting the synergy between acting and having a side business, emphasizing that both can complement each other when managed thoughtfully. Adriana's experience serves as an inspiring example for actors considering side hustles, illustrating that with simplicity and strategic planning, it's possible to nurture multiple career paths without compromising one's primary aspirations.

Notable Quote:
“Without that, the acting career wouldn’t be where it was. So they need to go hand in hand” (25:08).

Key Takeaways

• Dual Careers: Balancing acting with a side business can provide financial stability and personal fulfillment.
• Simplicity is Key: Keeping business operations simple can reduce stress and improve manageability.
• Strategic Planning: Being upfront with clients and strategically managing workload ensures that side hustles do not impede primary careers.
• Personal Fulfillment: Choosing a side business aligned with personal interests enhances satisfaction and sustainability.
• Flexible Systems: Utilizing minimal technology and basic tools can effectively run a side business without added complexity.

Resources Mentioned

• Adriana's Organizing and Styling:

  • Facebook Page: Adriana's Organizing and Styling
  • Instagram: @adrianalacitra

• Side Hustle Academy: Upcoming course launch on October 21st, offering comprehensive guidance for actors to build and manage side businesses.

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