15 valuable pieces of advice for female hustlers

Miami, a city known for its luxurious, mostly out-of-reach lifestyle, is a party promoter’s dream. There are droves of beautiful people spending buckets of money to appear larger than life—but that wasn't enough for Julieanna Goddard.

Better known as YesJulz, Goddard got her start as a party promoter in Tampa, Florida, but later launched her own marketing agency that focuses on “bridging the gap between cool and conscious.” One example of this ethos in action is #hashtaglunchbagmiami, a recent project that brought more than 1,000 lunches to children in the community in need.

But the self-proclaimed "Director of Vibes" still knows how to throw one hell of a party. Goddard's 1AM Vibes parties bring out boldfaced names like Wiz Khalifa, Future, DJ Esco, Ian Connor, and Joey BadA$$, among others. Those who aren't able to attend a YesJulz party can always vicariously catch the vibes via Snapchat, a platform she uses to broadcast her fast-paced life, as well as the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur.

NTRSCTN sat down with Goddard in her Miami home, where she shared 15 lessons she’s learned on her path to success.

Not only does playing to your strengths help you stand out as an individual, Goddard learned, but it also helps build your business.

“I’ve always had a knack for connecting the dots,” she said, “so I realized I had relationships with a number of individuals from all walks of life—from athletes, to singers, to people who owned agencies, to the people who were representing brands.”

“Having all these relationships, I thought: Wait a sec—I can do my own events! And not only can I do it, but [I can also] improve upon things and make it better. So I decided I would start my own agency."

Once brands began sponsoring YesJulz events, she quickly realized that there was more money to be made.

“I started thinking, if they’re giving me X amount of dollars for this one event, how much money are they spending on events for the whole year, and who’s doing their events? Could I be the person doing their events?”

Shortly after, Goddard began proposing ideas to people she knew at various brands, and the rest is history.

Realizing there were few female promoters working in Miami nightlife, Goddard made it her mission to both run the scene and hire other women to join her.

“In this scene, you usually find women serving, bartending, or hosting, and the minute I felt I was ready to step out of that—let’s just say it was not welcomed," she said. "So I felt I should take matters into my own hands, and not only run the scene, but also give women that wanted to be a part of this world the opportunity to be a part of it, as well, but on the business side."

"That’s one of the reasons I prefer to hire girls. I’ll look specifically for female graphic designers, female DJs, or any girl who’s doing their job just as good as a man.”

Goddard knew that staying quiet about what she was doing would get her nowhere. So, the entrepreneur spread the word, but also let her work speak for itself.

“When you’re an attractive female, it then becomes an issue of people trying to sexualize you all the time, and not paying attention to your work,” she said. “So you so gotta be extra loud with it—your work that is.”

More often than not, you’ll find Goddard rocking the latest Kith release or some fresh Asics, which she says helps her become more productive.

“It allows me to be the best me, so if I’m annoyed because my feet hurt, then you’re not going to get the best response from me as a human being," she said. "My conversation is not going to be as good because I’ll be focused on how uncomfortable this dress is or why my feet hurt."

Goddard says Snapchat is like starring in her own version of The Truman Show, which is an asset in her eyes.

“When Snapchat came out, I was like: Man, this is my chance to really be my authentic self and show people what my life is like for real. I told people, 'This is the next television.' People were like, 'What?' Nobody understood that television is out!" she explained.

"And now everyone in the world has the opportunity to have his or her own network, essentially. I’m excited to see who else is going to turn up with it.”

Goddard and her team work hard, but they also love what they do—something she feels is important to succeed.

“We’re like the working Spice Girls. We’re a collective of six fly-ass girls that all have our own swag, personalities, and following. We’re friends, but the majority of day, we sit around and talk about cool ideas that excite us, and we connect the dots and find ways to do it and get paid for it. That’s how I look at it," the entrepreneur said.

"It’s crazy, because we say #NeverNotWorking because it doesn’t feel like work. As corny as that sounds, you really have to love what you do."

“Tell people exactly what you want! I feel [women] get intimidated sometimes, and are afraid to say, ‘I want to get paid this much for this and this is my budget, or this is what I do and don’t like about this project,’" Goddard said.

"But the truth is: When you try to please people and be nice all the time, in the long run, you just end up pissing people off because you’re hiding your true intentions and what your true want is.”

“I don’t know many that hustle more than I do—like, at all. I just understand the importance of thinking on my feet, and I just have boundless amounts of energy, and I love to work," Goddard explained.

"You put those three things together and that’s me."

“Ask for equity; don’t build somebody’s brand for a small check. Yes, you have to put your work in, to establish yourself, so yeah, maybe advertise for people at first, " Goddard advised. "But going into my second year with some of these brands, I’m like, where’s the ownership?”

She broke down one particularly pertinent example:

“You can’t just ask for things. I always come to the table with my own plate before I ask for something off of someone else’s plate," Goddard cautioned.

"I pitch it like: 'I have X,Y, and Z I can do for you, and by the way, can you do this for me?' You gotta have a little finesse."

When it comes to being a boss, Goddard says, don't just talk the talk—you also have to walk the walk.

“A lot people say they’re a boss, but a boss of what exactly? If you have a platform, use it correctly, find a way to give back, whether it be through inspiration or monetary," she advised.

When asked to define "boss," Goddard said, “If people are eating because of you, you’re a boss. If you’re inspiring people to be better versions of themselves, you’re a boss. Those are two things that make a boss to me.”

“I always remind myself that it’s not that serious, remember why you’re doing this, chill. Like, who are you trying to impress? Why are we buying certain things? Why do we care so much what others think? Those things don’t matter," Goddard said.

"What truly matters is family, friends, and your health. It may sound clichéd, but it’s true."

The biggest lesson Goddard says she's learned so far in her career was about people—and how they don't always have the best intentions.

“People lie. People lie everyday! So unfortunately, you have to go into situations with your guard up," she said. "You have to protect yourself, your brand, your feelings. Always set yourself up to be protected.”

Goddard's biggest piece of advice for aspiring hustlers is to keep learning—by living.

“I’m evolving in the sense that all this is going so fast and I’m keeping up. I’m in the trenches every single day, and I’m learning these lessons. There’s nothing better than real-life experience. I know what it's like in Jamaica; I can hear that music, and picture that island, and go back to that," she said.

"All these experiences are shaping me into the person I am. It’s opening my mind. It’s not like just reading a book, and knowing about something, or seeing it on TV—you have to go out there and live!”

Photos by Corey Chalumeau

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