This past weekend was the 3 year anniversary of my website and Lifestyle Blog!
If you follow me on Instagram stories you would also have seen me share that next month is also my 10 year anniversary of being a blogger, online entrepreneur and nutritionist. I can’t believe it, really!!
For those of you that do not know my story, I’ll give you a little background….
My first online company was called Eating Pretty Nutrition.
It was my baby, my identity and my passion for many years. From 2008 to about 2013 I was blessed to work with over 25,000 women from across Canada and the US.
You have to understand that in 2008 people were barely using Facebook yet. There was no Instagram, no Instagram models and there was not a diet on every corner of the Internet! It was a totally different time – which was both a blessing and a curse for my business.
A huge part of the large number of clients I gained was because I struck a deal with Groupon International and my diets were sold online every single day to their entire database. It was the big break I had been waiting for! I had been working so hard over the previous 5 years for this.
But to my surprise, it felt terrible.
Even though my dream was coming true, a voice within me kept screaming:
“You are meant for so much more than teaching women how to be skinny for a living!”
And as the voices of our soul usually are – it was right.
So I listened to the voice and decided to take a step back from the company. We closed our office doors and I was pretty much going through an identity crisis.
The next year was one of the hardest of my life. I felt like I wasn’t only losing my business, but I was also losing who I was, who people knew me as and I had zero idea what to do next.
Fast forward a year and I started working as an ‘Influencer’ – LONG before influencers were even a thing. You need to remember before I graduated as a Holistic Nutritionist, I went to school for and worked in Brand Marketing.
So, I pitched myself to huge companies like Larabar, Annie’s Organic, Flirty Girl Fitness, and so many more. I partnered with them in so many different ways: As a marketer, or flying around the country as an ‘ambassador’, or running an in house nutrition program. I created these and so many more random opportunities for myself leveraging the following I had acquired in my previous business. Win win!
My friends call me Chandler Bing (Friends reference) because no one ever really knows exactly what I do. ha!
In many ways this is still how I run the marketing side of my business today. That’s what I love about marketing, you’re never doing the same old boring thing day in and day out. The jobs are ‘made up’ and the opportunities are endless.
But I was missing my creative writing side big time. I was also missing my connection to the women I had worked with and become so close to. Also, I’m so passionate about so many more things than just healthy food. I was craving more.
Which brings us to 3 years ago when I started this Lifestyle Blog!
I did it with no expectation of making money and did NOT think it would ever be the integral part of my business that it is today.
It was just my happy place! The place where I could use my storytelling, writing, photography and creativity skills to share whatever I wanted to. And lucky for me, people were interested in what I wanted to share and started reading!
Fast forward to now, 3 years later! My little blog houses 4 different business – Website & Branding Development, Business Coaching, My Gift Shop & the business of Blogging which looks different everyday. I’m still Chandler Bing, but I love it!
I’m sharing my story today to just encourage you to start whatever you feel passionate about today!
The key is to just create without expectations. I’ve watched so many friends try and create online businesses for the money and fail. Because people can smell the desperation from a mile away. It’s business repellent!
My free Coaching advice to you today is to do whatever you love to do simply because you love it. Write a blog, start a YouTube channel, cook and share recipes, or create art and share it online – just because it makes you happy!
And also – don’t wait! We live in a world that is moving completely online and being a pioneer always has it’s advantages. The landscape of the digital world changes daily and your little passion project could turn out to be your full-time happy place without you expecting it. The universe shows up for aligned action, always!
In my case, people seem to love my personal stories the most! Which is great, because I love to infuse a little piece of my life into everything I share. The blogs where I really open up are always my most read. See a list below of my most popular blogs over the last 3 years.
Most Popular Blogs
REAL TALK: BIG ARMS, BIGGER BOOTY AND WHY I’M SAYING SCREW IT!
This is my number one most read blog of all time! It still get’s over 1000 views a week. I think it’s being passed around. The road to loving ourselves and loving our bodies is a long one and I’m glad my journey can be relatable to others.
I also include 5 ways to stay loving towards yourself in it! Things I still practice daily and I hope you do, too!
MY HASHIMOTO’S STORY: PART 1 and PART 2
Again, both these blogs seem to be passed around quite a bit. Auto-immune disease is on the rise and it’s actually unbelievable how many women I know in their 20’s and 30’s that have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.
I’m really glad my story can help others to make what they are going through feel normal. It’s a crazy journey but I promise you can find a normal life after diagnosis.
I’m so glad you all love this blog because I love looking back on my wedding and remembering all the details!
I’m going to do another one of these soon because I’ve introduced some new products I can’t wait to share. I love that you guys want to know what I do each morning – ROUTINE QUEENS FOREVER!
I wrote this this past year on Bell Let’s Talk Day. I’m pretty sure people all clicked on it because of the photo! I wrote this when I really was going through a tough time. We all go through dark times and I’m so tired of it being taboo. Perfectionism is so uncool to me. Real Vibes Only!
NETFLIX: GIRLY AND BINGE WORTHY
This one has only become popular recently and mostly in Europe! I’m getting a few hundred hits on it a week. I’m not really sure how it happened but – I’ll take it 🙂
If you need a good Netflix show, check it out!
Thanks for coming over to read about my journey and celebrate 3 years with me! Stay tuned as I hit my 10 year of blogging/business/nutrition next month – I’m working on something awesome (and free!) for you.
PS – I’d love to hear about how you found my blog (aka my happy place) – please let me know in the comments below.
