Do you ever get in your head about not being enough, knowing enough, or doing enough?
That imposter syndrome is real.
When I think back to the 2013 version of myself, I am so thankful I didn’t let those thoughts sway me.
In 2013 I made a decision one day sitting in traffic.
I was on my commute home from work – a 9 to 5 job in public health that I didn’t love.
I was HUGELY pregnant, driving in the sticky summer heat in a car with no AC.
Windows down, sweat dripping, back aching, and I had just spent the day doing work that didn’t light me up…
… and now I was spending another hour of the day in that traffic jam.
In that moment, I decided that THIS – the commuting, the job I didn’t love, the “living for the weekends” – was NOT going to be how I lived my life.
Especially, once my baby got here.
I didn’t want to have a maternity leave and then go back to that lacklustre life.
I wasn’t willing to settle.
So, I decided to get serious about creating a different version. To build out a business that could let me have the freedom I wanted.
I decided to trust and believe in myself.
I kept pursuing what others probably thought of as my “cute side hustle”.
And after I had my daughter, I pulled out my laptop during every nap time and went after what I wanted.
It’s not like I launched and had a 6-figure business out of the gate.
I took weird side gigs and pursued lots of business ideas to keep money flowing through the door.
Oh, there were plenty…
- In person craft workshops with one of my besties (like “paint nights” but with way cuter DIY projects)
- Decorating weddings for people (I think I ended up doing like 4 or 5 weddings?)
- Interior decorating projects (people would find me through the blog or one of my friends would say “hey Gemma has great style! Email her!”)
- Creating websites for people (one for an artist, one for a music store, one for a woman who wanted to start a blog, and one for a professional science association)
- Part time contracts with my old 9-5 job and my Father-in-law’s consulting firm
- Furniture flipping – I’d find furniture at yard sales, re-finish, and sell them (my quickest sales? Anything painted a minty turquoise!)
- Selling art prints and other handmade goods at craft fairs
- Growing my home decor blog and making money with brand deals, affiliate marketing, an online shop, and ad revenue
I love looking back at that list now.
Everything I was willing to try and do, all while also launching my first online course, testing strategies, and diving deep into digital marketing.
All of that zig-zagging to figure out my path.
A path that ultimately led me to something I LOVE doing every day – helping other entrepreneurs grow their businesses with online courses and digital products.
Wherever you’re at in your business, be thankful for how far you’ve come.
You’ve accomplished way more than you give yourself credit for.
And get excited for all that lays ahead!
If creating and launching a course or group program is one of the next steps you want to take, I invite you to register for my free class.
I’ll teach you how I turned what I knew into a multiple 6-figure course business, and how you can use the same methodology to launch your own.
