Diana Jung graduated college and quickly found herself interviewing celebrities on the red carpet as a correspondent for E!; but it wasn’t enough. A lucrative job in marketing was next, but still not enough.
Diana, an “ambition-aholic”, has kept chasing her dreams and making her way straight to the top. Today, she owns and operates four businesses – but it’s all in a day’s work. Diana and HerExchange founder, Stephanie Goetsch, met in Phoenix, Arizona to discuss reaching for big dreams – and getting them! Read Diana’s inspirational story and learn how you can achieve your big dreams, too!
SG: You are a self-proclaimed serial-entrepreneur, good title for a woman with four businesses to her credit! Is being your own boss in your DNA?
DJ: I wish I could be content with a 9-5 day job, but I got tired of working for “the man” straight out of college. I hated my corporate job; I sat at my computer and thought, “Is this the rest of my life? This sucks.”
I was in a cubicle, building someone else’s dream and not able to complete my own dream.
SG: After college, you went to work for E! (Entertainment TV) – the dream of so young women; how did you get your foot in the door and land the job?
DJ: When I was 15, my dad asked me what I wanted to be and at the time I wanted to work at a magazine like Vanity Fair or Cosmopolitan. My dad encouraged me to write letters to every major magazine editor-in-chief and ask for advice. I wrote lots of letters and said, “I want to be where you are – how do I get there?” Many editors wrote me back and all gave the same advice, “Internships, internships, internships!”
After high school, I went to college at the University of Arizona and majored in journalism. Even though I decided I didn’t want to work in magazines, I knew that internships would still be a strong foundation for my career. I started my internships right after freshman year of college and began building my resume. You also build great connections that way; everyone you meet is a potential contact.
I made a list of television networks I wanted to work for after graduation and pursued them. I just don’t take no for an answer, I find a way to get in; when you have a dream, you just don’t stop.
SG: Networking is critical; is that how you ended up at E!?
DJ: I moved to Los Angeles after college. I had a contact from a former internship that was able to get me a contact at The Sharon Osborne Show and I got hired. That connection was such a blessing because it led to the next job I had at E!. I was interviewing celebrities on the red carpet; a million people wanted that job and it was fun but I wasn’t really satisfied.
SG: After you left E!, you moved back to Arizona – what was your next step?
DJ: I stayed in journalism and worked fashion and entertainment. I went on photo shoots, styled models, wrote articles and did interviews; I did it all and I was happy enough doing it – but I still wanted something more.
A friend encouraged me to go to a job placement agency, and I was placed in a marketing job. I worked at that job for nearly 5 years, until very recently.
Here’s something important, I got a salary increase every year at that job – because I asked for it. This is important for women to hear, I asked for a raise every year. Women have to be confident in the work they do and understand their worth. I kept track of my accomplishments throughout the year, so when I asked for a raise, I had the proof of my success to back it up. Be bold!
SG: Great point! How women approach salary is often a reflection of how they personally value themselves; having the confidence to say ‘I’m worth it’. Your Christian faith is an extremely important part of you, what place does it have in your businesses?
DJ: It’s trusting that when the phone isn’t ringing with business, I still get out there and do it. When you think you’re about to give up and you start going crazy, you just realize that you’re not in control of things and let go of control. It’s how I conduct my phone calls, how I write emails and how I work with clients. I weave it in where it’s appropriate.
SG: What words of advice do you have for ambitious women who aspire to follow their dreams?
DJ: My motto is I will not fail; whatever it takes it’s important to just have a no-fail attitude.
If you think about the hours in a day, doing something that you don’t like to do, that’s a lot of your life. You have to know yourself and know your drive – then go out and do it. The corporate world is still going to be there. I can always work for “the man” again, so why not try and create my own dreams?
Find out what you love to do, and find a way to make money doing it. It’s that simple.
Diana Jung…simply fabulous.
Follow Diana’s lead with a no-fail attitude; go out and get your big dreams!
Want more Diana?? Get her on Facebook, Twitter & Blog.
-Stephanie Goetsch, February 2011
