Today we’d like to introduce you to Skylar Croft.
Skylar, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a former professional tennis player, I moved to the United States when I was 14. While I practiced in California, Granite Bay I was playing tournaments and gaining my points. At 17, I received a few full-ride offers from different universities but I wanted to be closer to New York City so I could fly back and forth to Europe and my family. So I began my education at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ, and completed their Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in Marketing and Business Analytics. Then I got accepted to NYU in New York and received a modeling proposal from MSA Models. I ended up modeling and helping my husband back then by renting out all of our properties on Airbnb.
I loved that business: by turning our luxury penthouse and Hamptons summer home into 5-star mini-hotels, I rented my places to many celebrities including Kylie Jenner. The business of real estate was very alluring to me and I wanted a home of my own. But property taxes in New Jersey and New York seemed infeasibly high. I’m 2017 I ended up separating from my husband and that gave me a push to change my life 180 degrees. I moved to Florida to buy my first property there in Hallandale Beach. I began coaching tennis again and joined the dream business that I always wanted to open: a medical spa.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has never been a smooth ride, especially living a life of a first-generation immigrant in the U.S. from constant competition for the number 1 spot, concerns about immigration paperwork, job search, consistent income, divorce, and other hardships life throws at you, and many others. Yet, I am incredibly grateful for this country and the multiple opportunities it has given me. Of course, we want life to go as planned and the ride to be smooth and easy. But without challenges, there would be no personal, physical, or spiritual growth. And that’s what I have learned this year. Before I would get angry and jealous at times, why do some people have it easy (or at least make it seem that way): why some people are born into rich families, why do some date very rich men and do nothing but look pretty and shop all day, why some have more power than others?
And I think the hardest part for me was accepting the uncertainty of today’s world and developing a flexible mindset. I am all about punctuality, setting goals, planning, and achieving my targets. And 2022 and 2023 have proven to show only one consistency – their inconsistency. From COVID, war, unstable world economy, digital dollars and etc., the hardest part for me was adjusting my character to this turbulent world and growing through its ever-changing reality. Right now, I stopped looking far ahead. I am still investing and diversifying my assets, but now looking through the prism of a 50%/50% chance at everything. I’m focused on today and very grateful for my family and my health.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At the moment I am managing online marketing for a bunch of companies: 4 of them are large franchises in the US. (Dimeads.com is my company) I have been certified in Google/Facebook/LinkedIn/YouTube/Instagram (practically major social platform ads). I enjoy analyzing the market and learning more about my audience. I find it very intriguing when you are able to forecast human behavior and redirect your marketing efforts accordingly. Especially seeing your clients happy and their businesses thriving due to increased conversions and online sales is very rewarding,
I still coach tennis sometimes before or after work. I came from a very intense tennis school, so I honestly prefer working with amateur players that already have a good base and technique. They tend to be very involved in the practice process and give their everything to improve, unlike little kids who you have to discipline and I feel like babysitting most of the class doesn’t get me wrong. I love kids and I have a 4-month daughter of my own, but I prefer to be a hitting partner (meaning you run and hit with the student all lesson instead of simply feeding the ball from the basket).
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The first lesson that I have learned is to be very grateful for everything you have. If you are grateful, the universe sees that you are ready and sends more blessings your way.
The second lesson is you must develop a positive mindset, which will help you grow further and develop a “rich” mindset. I treat everything now in life as a lesson rather than a hardship or challenge. And instead of being frustrated, angry, stressed, or upset, I try to distance myself emotionally, look at the situation as a person who came to watch a movie, and say “How interesting”. Being an “observer” helps me solve problems and find solutions.
Lastly, life itself taught me the final lesson: there is no consistency but the inconsistency of life itself. And this has been the hardest lesson for me to accept. My character had to experience a major breakdown and 180 turnovers. As an athlete, I have always been very disciplined. When I was in college I did nothing but performed academically and physically.
I graduated with a 3.96 GPA, earned MVP awards a few times in a row, and was New Jersey Women’s Athlete of the Year. I used to have a calendar with daily tasks, I would never be late for any meeting, all my outings with friends would be planned two weeks in advance and etc. Now, I have learned to be patient and enjoy every minute of the day, and don’t plan far out because everything keeps changing rapidly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dimeads.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/skylar_croft?igshid=MWQ2ODkyMjM=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksenia-kuzmenko-4b4a7a12b
