I am a 27 year old lawyer supporting my family; Female breadwinner

Sephora Gray is an attorney who started a law school admissions company after launching a podcast.
Grey’s company helps people study law and find jobs and has grown through TikTok.
Her business supports her family financially and is generating more than $300,000 in revenue this year.

This as told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sephora Graya 27-year-old attorney and business owner in Mississippi. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

My college journey began in 2015. I attended LSU in Baton Rouge for two years and then transferred to the University of Florida.

I studied political science and took out student loans to pay for college. I graduated in my third year in 2018.

Six years later I am one lawyer supporting both myself and my family.

I had not done the necessary preparation to study law

After graduating, I decided to work at a financial investment firm for eight months to earn money to pay off some of my student loans.

While I worked, I studied and prepared for the LSATwhat I went through. Then I went to Georgetown Law School. I received a large grant, which covered my living expenses, so I did not work during my stay law school.

I will graduate from law school in May 2022

I studied for and attended Washington, DC Bar exam that summer. I then worked for a year as a federal judicial clerk at the US District Court for the District of Maryland. I then accepted a clerkship with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, also with the Federal Circuit, which ended in August.

During my internship, I started a law school prep podcast. I wanted information about law school to be freely available to people like me. I interviewed women attorneys, major law partners, major paralegals, and high-ranking government attorneys.

The podcast led to starting my business

I was often asked how I could study law. That led to the idea of starting a law school admissions consulting and coaching business.

I now help individuals get into law school, perform well, and find a job after law school. I wish I had had mentorship in law school in my life; there is so much I just didn’t know about the process. It’s a lot of people you know in the legal field.

I started sharing information about law school on TikTokincluding the lessons from my podcast. People reached out and my TikTok grew. I realized this could be a business.

I accepted my first payment and made the company official in August 2022

The business grew as I took steps to scale it through marketing, creating more content on TikTok and spreading the word to my followers Tops the curve.

I had great success with my first round of clients – they went on to receive grants to attend major law schools such as Ohio, Boston, Georgetown and Boston University.

Initially, I offered one-on-one coaching, charging $150 per hour

Customers could meet with me or send documents for review. I would examine their materials in depth, line by line. In my first five months I made $15,000.

The business grew as my TikTok grew. I joined a coaching group program to help me understand marketing and scale a business. I learned how to do webinars to book more clients and build an email list, which now has over 2,000 people.

I eventually dropped the $150 individual sessions and stopped editing documents. I now only offer more expensive longer term packages and online courses.

This business allowed me to support my family

In November 2022, my parents purchased a trucking company that we thought was successful, but later realized had many hidden costs.

In April 2023, the company’s revenues continued to decline, from $50,000 to $60,000 per month to $10,000 to $20,000 per month. The high costs associated with equipment and insurance were also killing the company.

My family originally lived in another part of Florida and then moved to Miami for the company – so there are two houses and two types of expenses. I live in Mississippi, where my court clerkship was located.

I started helping my parents and four siblings by giving them $15,000 to $20,000 monthly to make up for the shortfall in business income.

My law school coaching business generated over $300,000 in revenue this year, and I was paid $85,000 during my internship. Roughly speaking, my internship income supports me, and my business income supports my family.

At first, I felt pressure to support my family as the female breadwinner

Sometimes I’m afraid that my business will no longer do well and that I will no longer be able to support my family. It can also be stressful because I still work full time while running my business.

I have grown and stepped into my role as female breadwinner. I am grateful to be able to help my family, and they have told me so many times that they are grateful. Even though I support my family in this way, I live a good life.

They don’t ask me for money; I’ll send it as soon as I get it; I like to do that. My mother is still a nurse and works full time.

I wondered how my boyfriend would feel if I supported my family

I have a romantic partner, but we Keep our finances separate. Being unmarried, we don’t believe in pooling our finances until we are.

I’m grateful that I don’t have a boyfriend who is jealous or angry because I make this kind of money and support my family. I don’t let anyone else dictate how I live my life.

I’m hoping my parents’ business can be sold, which they are actively trying to do, as it would take some of the stress away. I’m also excited to start a new full-time position at a law firm in a few months, and I’ll be continuing my business.

Ultimately, I would like to build a full-fledged admissions consultancy with consultants under me.

Are you a female breadwinner and would you like to share your story? Email Lauryn Haas at [email protected].