⁠2 years ago I timidly started posting on my social media account about a new business endeavor I was starting.⁠

⁠Within a month I left my full-time job, moved to a new state (with no place to live) and my husband started a new job as the head coach.⁠

Year 1

We were 6 months into marriage and living in a studio apartment in some guy’s basement as we began figuring things out.⁠

I left my corporate job to pursue a passion I had – serving others. Yes, that truly was why I started this business. I wanted a business where I could call the shots about where my time and energy went, where I could combine my passion for foster care and orphan advocacy with my talents, and where I could full-heartedly serve MY clients (not my boss’s).

Online Mastermind + niching down

The first 9 months of my business were me dipping my toes in a little bit of everything, while keeping my eyes on the end goal. I tried logo design, website design, social media, and photography. I am pretty sure coaching crossed my mind at one point as well. After working with a mentor and being a part of a Mastermind, I realized my passion was in website design, and from there I went running.

I dove headfirst into the deep end, pursuing my ideal clients and figuring out a system where I could have my end goal of service at the forefront. I worked hard with an accountant and my husband (aka my financial advisor) to figure out a price point that would still attract my ideal client (nonprofits and small businesses) while allowing me to give 10% of the proceeds to go to the organization that ignited my passion – Reach Out Orphanage Ministries, and producing enough of a profit to support my family and be able to fly home EVERY TIME instead of driving (truly, that would be a dream come true 😂).

Year 2

This year was all about honing in on my vision and ideal client. I navigated some really difficult circumstances with clients who caused me tons of tears but also a lot of growth.

I started off year 2 with THE WORST MONTH OF BUSINESS IN MY EXPERIENCE! You read that right. I thought for sure I was done for. I was going to throw in the towel. But I also was able to spend a few weeks working from my cabin in Minnesota and it was such a pull with something that brought me so much joy with a feeling of inadequacy.

My biggest investment EVER

I made my biggest investment (besides my Macbook Pro) half way through year 2 (a course all about helping my clients define their brand). This really helped me leverage my clients’ designs and have more strategy behind it.

They always say that you have to spend more in order to make more and if you aren’t willing to invest in yourself and your business, why would others be willing to invest in you? So I decided that I needed to take another opportunity of hiring a coach or doing a course. I did a thorough analysis for different courses and figured out the one which would help my business and serve me the best. The Brand Strategy School helped create a little bit more of systems in my business and it definitely helped me come up with a strategic approach to help my clients discover their ideal client as well as brand colors etc.

I launched a course

I will be honest, this is a BIG DEAL. I have wanted an evergreen content idea for a while now and a Squarespace SEO course was the perfect fit! But can I be honest with you? After launching it the first week of quarantine (maybe not the best decision) and getting ZERO SALES, I felt like a complete failure.

My husband was quick to rebut those negative feelings encouraging me that not only did I create a course + videos, but I also created it on my website instead of using a course platform. I learned a TON in the process and that has to be worth something. After I came to that conclusion, I sold 5 courses. So apparently the Lord just wanted to teach me real quick that it isn’t all about the $$$.

Website in a day

This was quite possibly the biggest pivot in my business that I’ve ever made, and that had the best pay off! At the beginning of COVID I realized that people couldn’t pay for those big ticket offers, so I created a service that would serve them in that season where they had extra time to learn, but still needed more help. Within a week, my calendar was booked. Within 2 weeks I had to increase my prices. Best of all? I realized I REALLY LOVED IT! I loved the opportunity to serve new business owners who know the importance of a website but don’t have the funds yet.

What DIDN’T Work

All right, now on to the fun stuff — what didn’t work. First off, my YouTube channel. When I look at the numbers I do not see a direct correlation between making a profit and creating YouTube videos. That being said, I still enjoy doing them on occasion and serving my clients in that way so I will probably continue them (just less often) in year 3.

I would have to say the biggest bust of my entrepreneur journey was opening my online shop. I learned a lot about integrating Shopify Lite with Showit, however I made zero sales so that would be a bust.

Now on to the facts and figures!

Year 1 (June 2018 – May 2019) = $24,074 (before taxes and expenses)

Year 2 (June 2019-May 2020) = $48,870 (before taxes and expenses)

What a ride this business has been! If you are new to business and feeling like you aren’t doing well enough, I’ve been there. And I am here to tell you the World needs your genius! Especially right now.

Want to keep up on this crazy journey of growing my Showit and Squarespace website business? Meet me over on Instagram, send me an email, or learn more at rebekahreadcreative.com/! I can’t wait to hear from you, my sweet friend, and thank you for supporting me the past 2 years! ♥️

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