Laptop Lifestyle Secrets: 9 Things No One Tells You When You Start An Online Wellness Business
I’ve been wanting to write this post for quite some time because the whole concept of the “laptop lifestyle” has really gotten under my lemon peel lately!
Between living the Wifi Life, heading off to Bali/Thailand/Hawaii to become a Digital Nomad, drooling over lifestyle design porn, consuming endless income reports, bloggers blogging about how to blog, creating a passive income stream from a dream board, AND taking e-courses teaching you how to become a 6 to 7-figure Freedompreneur… it all spells *BARF*.
I’ve never really done a rant post as I don’t think they truly serve a purpose (other than to release some of the writer’s tension), so I’m going to let this one unfold as I do with many of my posts, presenting you with both sides of the coin, both of which may be entirely my own opinion in this case 😉
The 9 Dirty Little Secrets of Being an Entrepreneur & Online Wellness Business Owner
Let the uncovering of the dirt begin…
Here’s what I wish I had known before I got started with this whole online business (ad)venture!
Prefer to watch, rather than read? Here’s the vlog instead.
1 | How much time it’s actually going to take.
This is one that people often underestimate when they first start their business – including me. I grossly underestimated how much time it would take to get my feet underneath me, get a handle on “my thing” and then build my business with a solid foundation in place.
It was the transition from offline (physical practice) to doing business in the online space that took the most time to navigate and adapt to.
2 | How much money it’s actually going to take to get started (or how much money you’re NOT going to make when you’re just getting started).
Here’s one tagline I recently read:
“Discover How To Escape The 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join The New Rich!
It’s not just about the money. It’s about the lifestyle…Â Go from zero to six figures online.”
Are you freakin’ serious with this crap?! I urge you to not get sucked into this “just buy my system and you’ll get rich quick” garbage.
Set out a start-up budget, do the work, put in the time, and good things will happen. Just remember…
3 | People may not be as supportive as you thought they would
And why is this? Because they just don’t understand what you’re trying to accomplish or the impact you’re trying to make in the world!
I know, I know… you thought when you first came up with the idea to bring your health & wellness business online that you would have a wildly enthusiastic support system, cheering you on from the sidelines as you not only built your epic health empire but as you made your mark on the world.
*cheering is more in tune with fingers tapping silently in the palm*
Have you been met with not only a lackluster reaction to your fantastic business idea but actually resistance and friction — even from those in your closest inner circle?
Yep, that was me too. NO ONE understood what I was trying to do, and asked continuously how I could possibly “make a go of” my 100% online nutrition consulting practice?
4 | How lonely it can be as an online business owner… who also works from home.
You know exactly what I’m talking about — the long days (and nights) spent hunched over your laptop feverishly pecking away at the keys, by yourself.
And when you do have the chance to interact with “the people”, well, it’s either the most exciting thing that’s happened to you all week, or it’s increasingly becoming a bit scary and downright awkward. Noooo, not grocery shopping! (I’d rather starve!!)
Indeed loneliness and a feeling of isolation (often self-inflicted) is one of the downsides of the #EntrepreneurLife
This coupled with your spouse, partner or closest friends and family members just not getting you (or what you’re trying to achieve) compounds the feeling of “well, I guess I’m going it alone!”
5 | You’ve got to be really social and put yourself out there – even if you’re an introvert.
Not showing up, being social, engaging with your community = no trust building = no business. Hmph.
So now that as you’re now faced with having to be really social, and if you weren’t already a self-proclaimed introvert, you might be realizing that you’re more introverted than you thought you were.
At least in a “behind-the-screens-showing-up-on-social-media kinda way, and not necessarily in a face-to-face way. (as per above point)
This can also lead to negative self-talk, poor self-image, lack of confidence, imposter syndrome, and feelings of being a fraud. Sigh.
But, now let’s circle back to being a true introvert – or at least more introverted than you thought you were. You’re now seeing the conundrum of showing up part, right?!
I actually offer up some tips for tapping into your “Extrovert Element” in this INTERVIEW.
6 | You’re probably not going to be the picture of health yourself.
Building a business is stressful, exhausting, time + energy draining by times.
As a Health Practitioner (and now business owner), you’re probably saying “well, this would apply to any entrepreneur, right? It can’t be just ME who feels this way?!”
True, the Entrepreneur Life is not for everyone. In fact, it’s not for most people. (See #9)
However, health & wellness folks are a bit of a different breed, to begin with – in a good way, of course!
But, they have an extra shiny spotlight on them to look, be, and act a certain way – or at least that is still the public’s perception. They’re health experts for kale’s sake – they must have to look, be and act in a certain uber-healthy way, right?
You get my point. And this, unfortunately, can lead to mental & physical exhaustion (burnout!), which in turn, leads to hormone disruption, thyroid, and adrenals issues.
7 | You have to do a lot of “grunt work” and stuff outside your comfort zone – way outside!
It can be a lot of tedious work and the truth is that you’ll be functioning almost entirely out of your comfort zone if you want to get anywhere with your business. You’ve got to pay your dues, so to speak.
FYI – I frickin’ hate tech and it’s not too fond of me either. But I’ve learned it anyway and I’m a better person for it – who drinks a lot more wine since starting my business!
Think of it this way though: the real magic happens outside your comfort zone. Seriously. That’s not just a cute meme!
8 | You don’t have as much freedom as you thought you would.
I mean, who actually sits on a beach or a jagged pile of rocks, sipping an alcoholic drink, with their laptop perched precariously on their knees?
FYI: drinking when you’re working…have you tried it? Not the highest quality content is produced, and job performance tends to plummet!
And let me tell you, I would never let my expensive tool which my whole business world is dependent on even near sand or saltwater, not to mention that the sun would cause a horrible glare on the screen!
It’s true that I do work exclusively on a laptop from home, and could, theoretically, take it anywhere to work from.
BUT…Â I also have school-aged kids, responsibilities to my home, family & community, plus a home office — why would I leave it? I have a big window + reliable wifi!
This leads me to ASS-ume that these so-called Freedompreneurs (who are, by all appearances, sweeping the interwebs by storm) do not have to deal with the following freedom-c*ckblockers:
- a spouse/partner who has no clue what you do and does not help you with your business
- no kids
- no house (with a mortgage or other nauseating debt or similar financial responsibilities)
- no family responsibilities (like caring for babies, school-aged children and/or aging parents and/or pets)
- no ties or responsibilities to the community, like volunteer work
However, if I’m just being a totally jealous a-hole and you do have any or all of these things and you’re just killin’ it as a digital nomad, then PLEASE WRITE THE FOLLOW-UP TO THIS ARTICLE, because man, do I want to know all of your secrets!!
I’m totally serious, the invitation is for real — and please do send me a picture of your cocktail-loving self, balancing your computer on your knees by the ocean as you furiously create your 6 to 7-figure-generating content.
Bonus points if you can capture one with your kids kicking sand at you from behind the scenes – and your significant other pointing and laughing.
All joking aside – I WILL publish your article and shout it from the rooftops!
It’s no wonder I just started up a fun side project (and branding experiment) called Holistically Sarcastic.
9 | Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. In fact, it isn’t for most people.
Being an entrepreneur and running your own business (usually from home if you’re an online wellness business owner), is not as “sexy” as it’s made out to be – as I’ve described in the first 8 truth bombs!
The point being, that just because entrepreneurship feels right for one person, does not mean that it’s a good fit for another.
Personality and work habits play a very big part in whether you’re truly cut out to be an entrepreneur – and can go the distance.
Just remember: there’s no shame, and you are no less of a health practitioner, wellness expert, or person if you’ve come to the realization that the Entrepreneur Life isn’t for you after all.
Trust me, I doubted myself and my abilities daily and came close to quitting dozens of times – in all four of my businesses!!
“You need to practice and train yourself to THINK from a place of abundance on a daily basis. By working from a place of abundance, you’ll take higher quality actions that’ll help you build the business YOU want and deserve. Instead of focusing on what you DON’T have, focus on what you DO have, and on what’s POSSIBLE.”
~ Alicia Streger, founder of Fitness Pro Essentials
On the other hand, along with my “No-Plan-B” philosophy that I’ve adopted (thanks, Anderson Cooper!)…
Here’s what I truly LOVE about my own version of the Laptop Lifestyle:
- Reliable wifi and a functioning laptop are the only 2 business tools I really need
- I make my own schedule, my own rules, and I am 100% my own boss = my business, my terms
- I can schedule clients and meet with them virtually wherever they are in the world, and from wherever I am at the time
- I can work all day in my jammies with my hair in a bun, and shower when/if the mood strikes me
- I take breaks whenever I need or want to = self-care/sanity saver
- If I want to take a coffee break with a friend in the middle of the day, I can (oh, who are we kidding, it’s a wine break!)
- I can get up from my desk and walk downstairs to my home gym (aka, a pile of resistance bands and some dumbbells in the basement spare room) and squeeze in a quick workout so my legs don’t go numb standing at my desk (sitting is the new smoking after all)
- When I do have to go somewhere (*gasp* outside, where the people are?!), whether it’s to visit my parents across the country or to take my kids to music class – I just need wifi, and I can still get some work done while fulfilling life’s other commitments
- I’m home for my kids at all times, as needed (or is that not a perk?)
- If I want to take a vacation with my family, I do
- If I want to take my laptop and work on my vacation, I can (but I shouldn’t because my family gets really pissed off!)
Want to know what it really takes to be a successful Health & Wellness Entrepreneur, regardless of location?
Here’s my own biz journey…
From squeezing some pretty sour lemons into some pretty sweet lemonade…
To building an even sweeter business that I can call home!