From Paychecks to Passion: What I Learned Starting My Own Business

Starting my own business was one of the biggest leaps of faith I've ever taken.  After spending most of my life in the corporate world, I found myself feeling more and more out of place as I further explored yoga and other healing modalities.  I’d done yoga on and off for years, but when I did my yoga teacher training (and the additional trainings after that), I just loved it.  I learned so much, and felt so at home, and at peace while exploring all the possibilities out there. 

Despite the fact that I’d worked in the corporate world for decades, it just didn’t really ‘fit’ anymore.  It was a strange feeling — one that didn’t quite make sense to a lot of people - including me.  A couple of people suggested perhaps I would be better suited doing something more aligned with my own beliefs and values?  I have to admit, it took a little while for me to really accept it – after all, the corporate world was part of my identity for so long – what do you mean it doesn’t fit anymore??!! 

However, the more I immersed myself in yoga, Reiki (energy healing), and various other healing modalities, the more I realized that my heart just wasn’t in the corporate world anymore.  So, I made a choice that felt as exhilarating as it was terrifying - I left behind the comfort of a steady pay check, and jumped headfirst into creating my own business.

Now, you might be wondering, why was it so scary?  Well, for one, I had a close family member who went bankrupt with their own small business.  It was a great business, but things just didn’t align the way they needed to — whether it was the timing, the marketing, or something else.  That experience was always in the back of my mind, a reminder of how easily things could go wrong.  On top of that, I had to confront my own fears – the fear of failing, the fear of putting myself out there, the fear of being judged, and yes, even the fear of not selling anything at all.

But despite all that fear, there was a drive inside me that I couldn’t ignore.  I had knowledge and experience that I wanted to share, and a deep desire to help people live their Best Lives.  In the end, in order to go ahead with it, I thought of all the adventures I’ve had in life, and how I’ve always found a way to navigate through them.  This business, I realized, was just another adventure — one filled with new things to explore, new lessons to learn, and new connections to make.  Regardless of what happens, I’ll still be learning, and growing – and at least I’ve tried, rather than living with regret of what ‘might have been’ had I not had the courage to pursue it.

It took a while for me to work out what I wanted to teach, and how.  I kept thinking of various things I wanted to cover, and it seemed to be much bigger than yoga and a healing modality or two, which is what had been bubbling in the back of my mind over the past few years.  Over time, I realised that what I wanted to do really encompassed helping people live their Best Life.  So I explored that a bit further, bought the rights to the web-site from someone else who had it, and Your Best Life Academy was born.

As I started to build Your Best Life Academy, it became clear that this was the perfect platform for me.  It brought together all the things I wanted to do, and could expand with additional knowledge, and modalities I keep finding that I want to learn as well.  I’ve always had a wide range of interests, and I didn’t want to limit myself to just a couple of things.  With Your Best Life Academy, I could explore anything and everything that appealed to me, from health and fitness, to mindfulness, and building a community.  I’m also planning to collaborate with like-minded souls, as this is a big topic, a big undertaking, and the goal is to help people – and no one person has all the answers.  Community will also be an important part of this business, as I noticed how many people are longing for support, understanding, and a sense of belonging, on their own journey to living their Best Life.  It also allows us to all share our learnings, get support from others who might have a different perspective, and feel supported while we learn from others, thereby accelerating our rate of growth. 

Of course, the building a new business path hasn’t been without its bumps.  Take my website, for example.  I bought a site that was designed for coaches, thinking it would be a perfect fit.  But it turned out the platform had only one technical person behind it, and nothing worked the way it was supposed to.  It took weeks to get anything fixed.  So I spent a bit of time creating my website – then did it again, using another template, as the first one didn’t work properly!  (I’m not telling how web-sites I created on their platform!) 🤫  Then they changed ownership, and decided to change their whole business strategy, and it just didn’t work for me anymore.  Unfortunately I had used a card without insurance attached to it to buy the web-site, so I wasn’t able to get my money returned (as it wasn’t ‘fit for purpose’).  Let’s just say, lesson learned — always make sure bigger purchases are protected prior to buying!

I was so excited about everything I wanted to offer that I started creating a stack of courses and bundles each time I got a new idea.  It’s great, in that I have a lot of ideas, and a lot of information on each of them.  But guess what?  Most of them are not yet finished, which means they’re not out there helping anyone yet.  I will work my way through them, and I have a couple that are near completion. 

My first offering is the Busy Life Health Boost Bundle, as there is a fantastic opportunity to join with other like-minded people, and all help each other, and all our combined clients.  We all contribute at least one offering that is normally paid, but will be free for a short time (26 August to 6 September 2024).  We will be sending out the coupon code to get the offerings for free via our emails.  So if you want the opportunity to get a some helpful courses and bundles for free (you get to choose which ones you like!), sign up for our newsletter at one our links, such as the one on the Home page!  I am so excited to be a part of this!

The Busy Life Health Boost Bundle has 10 ebooks, 4 meditations, a 35-page Health Journal, an affirmations page, and 2 mindfulness colouring pages – and it will be available FREE to all those on my mailing list!  As well as around 40 other courses/bundles, on various topics, from different people!  What a great opportunity for people to get some helpful information!  And you get to pick and choose which ones appeal to you – you don’t have to get all of them, just what you think could be helpful and beneficial to you.  I’m so excited and grateful to be a part of this great offering!

Some of these products will have an additional (optional) offer after the free one, in case that is of interest.  I may receive an affiliate commission if you choose to buy an optional add-in after the free offering, if you use my affiliate link.  The link below will take you to the waitlist page (between 23-25 August 2024), and then to the registration page (from 26 August- 6 September 2024) -  https://yourbestlifeacademy--magicalplants.thrivecart.com/back-to-school-bliss/669940a6b5f95/.  I hope you love it, and get all the information you are after – at no cost to you!  😊

My first available course is a FREE course on core values, called The Values Code:  Unlocking Your Best Self.  This course is designed to help you discover the power of aligning your core values (what is most important to you) with your daily decisions.  This free course is designed to bring clarity and purpose to your mind, so you can incorporate this intention and purpose into your life. Identify what truly matters to you, align your values with your goals, and refresh your current values, so your life journey is more fulfilling and purposeful.

In the end, starting Your Best Life Academy has been one of the most rewarding adventures I’ve embarked on.  Yes, it’s been challenging at times, and yes, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes (but who hasn’t)?   My first video was a prime example.  I made a smoothie, and was talking about it on camera, and needed everyone to see the actual smoothie.  I was tipping the cup toward the camera, and noticed that the cup had a large chip – front and centre of the camera – nice and clear, just to make sure that nobody missed it.  And then I proceeded to tip the smoothie – right onto the table, right into the camera!!  🤦🤷‍♀️🤣🤣

The bonus of this is that I got a great story out of it, and everyone had a good laugh – including me, as seriously, wouldn’t you check the cup first?  And not spill it on the table??!!   But every step of the way has taught me something valuable —about having a sense of humour, about business, about people, and about myself.  I’ve learned to embrace the uncertainty, to trust in my ability to adapt, and most importantly, to keep moving forward, no matter what.  (But also rest if I need to – I often get so excited that I work long hours, and then get caught up in what I’m doing, and forget to take a break – or even eat! 🤭)

So, if you’re thinking about starting your own business, or if you’re in the early stages, and feeling overwhelmed, remember this - it’s okay to be scared.  It’s okay to make mistakes.  What matters is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in what you’re doing.  Your Best Life, and your best business, are waiting for you on the other side of that leap.

P.S.  I have tested SO many different software packages during my journey so far.  Some I love, some are a bit unstable/temperamental, and some are powerful yet complicated.  One of my favourites is one that helps with Social Media, and is called SmarterQueue.  I recommend it to everyone, as I find it really intuitive and helpful.  You can link your social media accounts, and they provide all the tools you need to create pretty much any post you want to, and then schedule it according to the categories (which you choose).  Very easy, flexible, and powerful.  I use it to schedule posts in advance, so even if I am away, or run out of time, I know new posts are still going out.  SmarterQueue has a special on at the moment - an exclusive 30-day trial - a limited offer, 50% longer than our usual one.  Note the link above is an affiliate link, so if you use it to buy the software, although it won't cost you any more, I will earn a small commission.  As I said, it’s one of my favourite software packages – I hope you love it too!  😊   

Until next time!

Paula, Your Best Life Academy