Lemons Into Lemonade – How I Built A Successful Online Health Business
I do hope that by sharing my own entrepreneurial journey with you of how I made a rather huge leap from Health Practitioner to Wellness Business Mentor & Copywriter, that you’ll come to understand that each and every journey is not only unique, but it’s a path that each of us has to walk in order to build the business of our dreams – and one that is truly life-changing.
And I’m not saying that path is a smooth one either, nor are there any true “overnight successes”.
So I think the best place for me to start is when I had already been running my nutritional consulting practice for about 4 years in an offline/brick & mortar setting to when I decided that I was done with 1:1 in-person consulting.
In fact, I was starting to feel like I was done with being a nutritionist all together!
I’m done with 1-to-1 Nutrition Consulting… now what?!
My focus had been women’s health & hormones, and after living and breathing nothing else for most of that time – I was completely burnt out, to put it simply.
Turns out I had been struggling with my own hormonal chaos = dysfunctional adrenals, hypercortisolism, and hypothyroidism.
Which, interestingly, these were many of the very health issues I had been counseling my nutrition clients on, doing talks on, and writing articles about — and what had also been staring me right in the face for months!
It’s exactly how it sounds too = pooped out adrenals, continually jacked-up cortisol levels, and a poorly functioning thyroid — which all left me physically exhausted, mentally foggy, an emotional hot mess, overweight, and not recognizing my own body or face in the mirror anymore.
Needless to say, I felt like a complete fraud in my women’s health & nutrition business when I was dispensing health advice and trying to help other busy women to shed those extra pounds that I couldn’t seem to get a handle on myself!!
So I gave up my offline nutrition practice and decided to go 100% virtual.
Side note: But was that so that I could hide more effectively, and not have to “be seen” while still keeping my nutrition biz going?
(Because I honestly didn’t know what else I was going to do if I wasn’t a Nutritionist – it was part of my identity!)
Yep, looking back, that was definitely part of my decision-making, but I wouldn’t fully realize this hard truth until later on… keep reading!
But, surely an online business was going to be an easy transition from an entirely offline one, umm, right?
Except for the fact that I didn’t really know how or where to start as I was now back at home full-time with my kids too, on top of trying to create a brand new business model.
I decided the best place to start was a blog, that I originally called “Making Lemonade” because of all of those setbacks in my own health that I was still experiencing — ya know, those lemons life likes to throw at you?
Well, I pretty much just said, ‘F*ck it, I’m just going to make lemonade!
And, how did I turn this juicy AF blogging idea into a successful online business?
Well, as you may not know, ‘Making Lemonade with Krista Goncalves’ became the name of my nutrition consulting business, because from its seedling stage as a women’s health blog, I grew pretty attached to it, and a personal brand really was squeezed from it.
See what I did there?
{SEPT’ 19 UPDATE: I’m now Krista Goncalves Co.}
But, how did I go from just a blog and make it into an honest to goodness business with some pulp in it?
It was when I stopped treating my blog like a hobby that I finally got my lightbulb moment. I simply had decided once and for all that this “thing” was going to generate a profit if it killed me!
So I went to work, soaked in as much juice as I could about how to profit from blogging, and how to run an online health business, and then I created an actual business plan – which I had never actually done with all of my other businesses. (Umm, whoops.)
Then I dug deep into creating a complete digital platform that would be the home of my virtual nutrition consulting business.
This new 100% virtual practice worked well and thrived for about a year and a half. I was booked out with clients from all over the world and was also really enjoying creating content and downloadable digital products for health seekers like meal plans and healthy living guides.
Do you want to know how to incorporate other revenue streams (some that are passive) into YOUR health, wellness & nutrition business?
READ / WATCH all about that >> HERE
It also became even more apparent to me that I had a real knack for writing and I enjoyed doing it the most for my new business. It was so rewarding to push out a piece of valuable content for my community!
But, there was something that just wasn’t jiving for me yet, and I still kept thinking that I wasn’t fulfilling my true purpose…
And then the answer struck me the day I took on a new client — a woman in her late 20’s (who was also a nutrition student) who was struggling with adrenal dysfunction – yeah, more hormones!
After we had wrapped up one of our nutrition counseling sessions, she asked if she could “pick my brain” – you know how much you love it when people ask that!
I was surprisingly eager to have my business brain picked for a change actually! After all, I had learned so much over the previous 5 years as a nutritionist (4 years offline + 1.5 years online) and had had an exceptionally steep learning curve when I transitioned to a 100% online one.
I like to say that I come from a place of what NOT to do in business, especially online wellness business – it’s just such a fickle, crowded space. More juicy lemons!
So, armed with my experience, knowledge, and newfound passion, I felt like I had much to offer this up and coming nutrition professional. And so it went…
And, now what is my true purpose in business – and in life?
Well, at one time, I thought it was to swim with whales and dolphins, spreading joy throughout the oceans of the world! (Ask me about my days as a Marine Biologist!)
But back to reality, and the here & now…
It’s to help other women entrepreneurs, specifically in the health & wellness space that I’m so passionate about and invested in, to get started in their business (or take it to the next level) without so much confusion, frustration, and lack of confidence.
And to help prevent them from developing a nasty case of comparisonitis — as I certainly did!
The thing is, when a brand new health pro (whether that’s a nutritionist, dietitian, naturopath, chiropractor, massage therapist, energy worker, or fitness pro) gets out of school, finishes their course work, or is handed their piece of paper that deems them a bonafide Health Pro…
They usually don’t know the first thing about running a business, especially online…
or social media & digital marketing…
or graphic design…
or how to set-up and maintain a website…
or…
I sure as shit didn’t know ANY of those things when I first started my nutrition consulting business, which was actually my second health-focused biz, and now I’m on my fifth business — and I still feel that I have so much to learn.
So, that has quite literally become my mission – to empower new and seasoned health & wellness business owners (like you!) to show up, stand out, and freakin’ own it!
Rise up to the level that you're meant to take your business - and to shine in all the ways you're meant to - and make your BIG impact on the health industry and on this world. #riseupandshine Click To Tweet
But, I think what that really translates to is that many of the women I work with also have families and are trying to balance their home lives with building a wellness business.
I know this to be an exceptionally daunting task as I myself experienced multiple health issues, as well as coming close to quitting my business several times due to the stress and overwhelm of it all!
So, ultimately at the heart of what I do, and in my own heart of hearts, is to help female wellness entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building their business while still having a life and keeping their health intact!
I feel like I accomplish this by writing content + copy for other business owners or motivate them to do it more confidently and efficiently themselves. (Yes, you CAN write!)
My greatest failures in building a successful online business, and what I learned from them…
Where to start in my long list of what I would do differently?!
First, I’ll admit that it’s hard not to sit and ruminate on all of my past mistakes, but this just fuels all of my limiting beliefs and keeps me stuck. Been there, done that, moving on.
I’ve had to accept that this IS who I am and that I’m going to hold myself accountable and SHOW UP as the most powerful, joyful, loving, creative, daring, bold, quirky, oddly funny, freaking amazing version of me possible.
That also means that there will be…
NO more apologizing for being who I am, NO more shrinking for others and absolutely NO more guilt about my failures. Failures are simply part of the journey – my journey. #FailUp Click To Tweet
So, I’ve learned to take my biggest mistakes and turn them into my most valuable lessons, and I’ve wholeheartedly embraced the concept of “failing up”.
I think you’re fully understanding the lemons into lemonade thing by now!
10 ingredients that have become my recipe for a successful online business:
(and, once again, I truly come from a place of what NOT to do in business!)
1. Don’t do it all alone. Find support and accountability. Outsource what’s not in your wheelhouse.
2. Don’t compete. Connect and collaborate with other people in your industry, even in the same space.
3. Don’t compare your Year One with someone else’s Year Three, Four… feel confident about where you are.
4. Don’t let social media get you frazzled, and feeling any less of an expert that you are!
5. Don’t allow your business to become all-encompassing. Take time away from your business and make this part of your non-negotiables!
6. Do… get up really, really early, and eat the worm! (Sorry, bet you weren’t expecting that one 😉 )
7. Your story IS different, unique, and what sets you apart. Do… use it, tell it, own it.
8. Do! Multiple income streams: not just a possibility – they’re a necessity if you want to really “make it”, financially or otherwise, in an online health & wellness business.
9. Do evolve, shift, rebrand, and transition in your business. It’s not just about choosing ONE niche and target audience, or area of expertise forever. Go in the direction(s) that feels natural and lights you up! Just be consistent as you do it.
“Be fearless in your pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”
– Jennifer Lee
10. And finally… you may be an amazing Health Pro, Coach, and/or Practitioner, but YOUR health comes first, always.