Why I Let Go Of A Multi-6-Figure Online Business
The Best Decision I Ever Made
What would you do if you had a multi-6-figure business that you once loved, but fell out of love with it? Would you stay married to the business or would you let it go?
Today I'm sharing how and why I made the decision to let my wildly popular website/business go and why it was the best decision I ever made!
As a female entrepreneur who specializes in serving other women, it was important to me to stay aligned with what I believe in, now and in the future. This is the only way that I can serve my audience to the fullest.
The Start of Whole Lifestyle Nutrition
I started Whole Lifestyle Nutrition in 2011 when my young children were entering elementary school. I wanted to start a business that allowed me to work for myself and still be there for my girls when they returned home from school.
I liked the idea of creating a business online because I knew it would have low overhead and high-profit margins, and it would provide the ultimate flexibility AND FREEDOM.
But I didn't know if I could realistically make a living online and more importantly could I do it again being a mom of three small children? Was it possible to be a good mom and a successful business owner?
If you're a mom, I'm sure you can relate. Being a mom is a full-time job in itself.
I didn't know how to get started, but what I did know is that I followed a lot of other moms online and watched them go from nothing too wildly popular...so I knew it could be done.
The Success of My Business
The most important step that I took to start my online business was just to get started. As I learned in my first business that I started in 2001, the journey is what I loved most, and figuring out how to make things work is what brought me so much fulfillment.
So I started networking with other like-minded women from all over the world. I studied what was working, and what wasn’t working.
I was consistent and little by little, my business started to grow and then it passed a milestone…100k unique monthly visitors and it continued to grow from there. It grew bigger than I could have ever imagined.
My business was so successful that I had to hire people to help manage it.
Success Is Possible Through Motherhood!
My biggest fear when starting out with Whole Lifestyle Nutrition was not knowing if I could be a great Mama and be a successful business owner at the same time. For those of you who are wondering…it’s 100% possible.
Here are 2 pictures, one at the start of my entrepreneurial journey and one currently with my well-adjusted young adult children and my husband.
For over 20 years I’ve only worked for myself and was able to raise my girls in an environment that I had always envisioned for my girls.
THEN
NOW
Giving Myself Permission To Let Go Of My Business
It was a wild ride and I continued to ride it up until 2019 and that’s when I started to realize that I was no longer enjoying my business as I once had.
I started to lose my passion for it and it started to become more of a chore for me to show up for my own business.
I went through the motions for a few years, but I began to resent my job and the time commitment required to keep it going.
I hired a coach to help me work through some of these emotions and to my surprise we revealed that my business was no longer serving me and my vision moving forward.
So I decided to transition out of my business slowly and permitted myself to take a new direction in my life. It was the best decision for myself and my business!
“Dream and give yourself permission to envision a You that you choose to be.”
Taking The Leap Into A New Direction
The freedom that I gained from being okay with letting Whole Lifestyle Nutrition go was life-changing for me.
In 2021 I explored my passions and started my next business, Halle Cottis Photography where I help other female entrepreneurs to personally brand themselves through photographs.
I was in my area of expertise, but I wanted to do more for women who were looking to start online businesses.
So I started writing my fourth (and final) book, the Women’s Startup Academy. It’s not done yet, but through the writing process I gained complete clarity of my vision of the Women’s Startup Academy as a business.
The Women’s Startup Academy
In 2022, I started to build out my vision of Halle Cottis Photography LLC and the Women’s Startup Academy LLC working together as the ultimate way to serve women entrepreneurs.
I’m alive again. I love showing up for work again. I’m ridiculously passionate about helping women reveal their hidden talents and turning them into a profitable business all while authentically branding themselves in the process.
I remind myself often that we only have this one life to live and we need to live it in a way that allows us to feel connected in the best way possible.
Are you in alignment with what you truly want to be doing with your life?
If you're stuck in your career and are looking for a change, I can help you reveal the passion that might lie deep within you and show you how to turn it into a profitable business.
I Invite You To Watch My Free Workshop
If you’d like to learn more about how to unlock the business you have buried deep inside you, I invite you to watch my free workshop.
We take an in-depth look at how you can turn the skills and services that you already have into a profitable business to increase your income, create time flexibility, and give you the freedom to live the life of your dreams.
I promise it will be so worth your time…I look forward to seeing you there.
