From 9-5 To Online Business Owner

But there’s a whole corner of the online world that I didn’t really know existed. I’m talking about online courses, coaching, or selling your services online.

The way I found out about online business was just by stumbling upon a few different podcasts

I honestly can’t even remember how I heard of the very first podcast I listened to – I want to say it was “The Goal Digger Podcast” by Jenna Kutcher or Amy Porterfields’ “Online Marketing Made Easy” podcast. These women were so inspiring and they introduced me to other female bosses through their podcasts.

 

When I started listening to these, I still didn’t put two and two together
– that I could become an online business owner as well!

I was a creative person but my mindset was very limited, if I’m being completely honest!

I had one dream for my career and that was to become a successful hairstylist. I never thought of becoming an Online Business Owner!

And even in that career I didn’t really stray from what I knew. For example, I thought I would work as a hairstylist behind the chair for the rest of my working life! But there are sooo many other options just within that one industry.

 

So you can imagine, when it came to an industry that felt quite new to me, I didn’t even once imagine I could become an online business owner myself and live a life of freedom like these other women were.

 

I just thought listening to these podcasts was inspiring and they did have great business advice I could use in my hairstyling career!

But I do believe everything happens for a reason and I believe everything happens when it’s meant to happen!

 

I had stumbled upon website design when I was building a website for the very first business I ever launched – a mobile blow dry bar (still believe this is such a great idea and very needed in most cities!) and I started playing around with Squarespace to build my website

I had a vision for what I wanted it to look like and I couldn’t get it there myself. So I purchased a Squarespace template… but I still couldn’t get it to be quite what I wanted it to be! And this really just came down to my lack of knowledge in website design at that time!

Nevertheless, the seed had been planted. This was in 2020 and I remember saying to myself and my close people – one day I will make websites for other people and make money doing it.

I would think about this every now and then but I was pretty committed to making my blow dry bar work at this time so I didn’t pay too much attention to that little nagging feeling that there was something else for me.

**But the universe has its plan for us and, if we let it, it will take us to exactly where we are meant to be!**

Between 2020 and 2022 I went through a really really hard time, which I’ll chat about in a minute. But just to preface my situtation, If you haven’t heard me talk about it yet, I suffer from chronic pain which started from a car accident in 2015.

 

So much happened between 2015 and 2022 that brought me to where I am now but I won’t bore you with every detail.

Long story short, I had to give up hairstyling due to the pain and had transitioned into education and eventually sales within the beauty industry. I was working full time as a Professional Development Coach and a Business Consultant from 2018-2022

 

I had done a treatment called Prolotherapy in 2018 which slightly helped ease the pain. This lasted about a year but started wearing off in 2019. And slowly just got worse and went back to how it was before I did these treatments.

 

I was really struggling working a full time job. And not to mention, this full time job expected so much from me and everyone working at this company.

 

I went back for more Prolotherapy treatment in 2020. And it was horrific! I am in tears writing this because I still have PTSD from it!

Trying to keep this long story short I’ll skip to 2022.

The second round of treatment had not had the same benefits and I was a mess! I could not manage the pain, I was suffering from anxiety, panic attacks and depression caused by the chronic pain. And over top of that I was working an extremely high demanding job – that quite honestly, didn’t even pay me enough to do the amount of work that I was doing.

Remember that Blow Dry business? I had tried to launch that in 2020 as well. I don’t know what I was thinking doing all of that at a time that was so difficult. But I think in the back of my mind I thought “I’ll be doing what I love again and I can leave my full time job and make the same amount working less”.

 

But doing hair is still doing hair and it caused me so much pain and I knew it wasn’t going to work!

So come January 2022 and I told my boss I was going to give my two week notice and quit my job

I didn’t really know what I was going to do since I couldn’t do hair as much as I thought I’d be able to. But I just knew I had to make a change. I knew I had to choose myself and my health. I knew that if I left this toxic job, got healthy, focused on healing my body – I would finally be able to think straight and I trusted that I would figure it out!

My boss asked me to stay on for a couple of more months and I agreed. I ended up leaving the job end of April 2022.

But guess what? The universe works in mysterious ways…

Remember that online business idea I had back in 2020 that had always lingered in my mind? That popped back up when I somehow landed on a Squarespace website design course by Paige Brunton

 

Honestly, I don’t know how I stumbled upon this course at this time. I had registered to Paige’s Newsletter so I would get updates about her programs all of the time. But I never paid attention. And then this one day, mid January when I knew I had to make a change, somehow I landed on this Squarespace course.

And I just knew, I knew this was my blessing in disguise. Everything clicked. I had been listening to these online podcasts for years and now it finally dawned on me that I could be that person. I could launch an online business and work from home on my own terms and make money doing it!

 

All of a sudden it all made sense! I enrolled in the program. I started learning website design and launched my website design business.

 

Now I am happier than ever! My body is healthier, I still have pain and get flare ups but I can manage them! My mind is healthier! I just feel so good.

 

This is my story. This is how I got to where I am today. And if I’m being brutally honest, sometimes I get scared.

There’s so much more for me to learn, so much more for me to grow in the online business space.

But I would way rather learn and grow than be stuck doing something that makes me so unhappy.

It’s actually a great trade off! Even if you’re not an expert yet, or other people are so much farther than you – you’re still learning and growing – that’s beautiful!

I sometimes think to myself what it would have been like if I had just started the website design biz when I learned about it in 2020 and saved myself so much heartache and physical pain.

I also think, what if I had known about website design when I graduated highschool and went to University for it and had been doing this since 2006!

The truth is, there will always be what ifs. You will always be able to come up with scenarios and think maybe that could have been better. Or you wish you had done it sooner. But the reality is, you didn’t.

You’re doing it now, and that’s better than not having ever done it or figured out you could do this.

 

Everyone’s story is different. You have your own story and your own reasons for wanting to start an online business. And I wouldn’t always recommend doing what I did and quitting your job when you’re still figuring it out. You have to do what’s best for you.

I do hope my story inspired you and got you thinking about how you do have another option.

We don’t have to stay stuck in the 9-5 mindset. There’s a whole world of online business owners who are making money and living their life on their own terms. You can be a part of that world as well. You just have to work at it and be committed and keep showing up!

 

If you have a story to share, I would love to hear it! You can send me an email here and tell me about yourself. Tell me what you are doing now and what you dream of doing.

Posts you will also love…

5 Signs It’s Time To Hire A Showit Website Designer

6 Mistakes You May Be Making On Your Website

5 Reasons Your Website Should Be On Showit

10 Questions To Ask During A Free Consultation Call With A Website Designer

8 Elements You Need on Your Homepage