How to build a business you can depend on.

Every February I spend a few weeks talking about what I’ve learned about business and life since becoming an entrepreneur in 2009. I strive to include advice and inspiration that will be helpful to you, whether or not you own your own business. I promise to be real, revealing, and giving. Today, I want to start off with part of my business story, and what to do when you need to depend on your business financially – because many of us can’t afford to have an expensive hobby!

On a Tuesday morning in June of 2011, I stood alone amongst a huge pile of moving boxes in my new living room that I now shared with my husband of three days after “following him” to San Francisco from New York. Jonathan started his 6-year surgery residency that day, and I stood there wondering why I’d left my seventeen in-person health coaching clients, friends, and family to come to a city where I knew one person. Some honeymoon.

I spent about a week eating chocolate and feeling bad for myself and then got to work on building my new life. Here are a few things I knew I needed:

1. Friends. Preferably entrepreneurs like me, so I could go out to lunch with them on a weekday.
2. Money. We could barely afford our one-bedroom apartment on Jonathan’s salary, and I wanted to have the freedom to travel, buy healthy food, and invest in self-care and personal development.
3. Work I loved that was also flexible. When we moved to SF, we knew we would be there for 6 years and then move back east, so I didn’t want to spend the whole time building a local business that I would have to leave when I moved like I had to in NYC. Plus, we knew we wanted to have kids at some point.

The first step for me in going “all-in” was educating myself. If I was going to make the kind of money I wanted and have the kind of impact I wanted to have, I had to learn how to get my message out there in a big way.

I had met this amazing woman, Marie Forleo, when I lived in NYC, and I was instantly drawn to her growing success, no-bullshit approach, and obvious marketing chops.

So in February 2012 I took her free marketing training (you can take it yourself here) and then enrolled in her online marketing program, B-School, and learned everything I could about creating and growing an online business.

Using the skills and strategies I learned in B-School, I created Live More Weigh Less, and 28 people enrolled that first year. Now, six years later, I have almost fifteen hundred graduates.  

Learning about online business and marketing not only allowed me to do what I care about, but it gave me the skills to build a company that supports my family in the way I desired, on my timeline.

It doesn’t take a rich partner, a handout, or luck to have the life you want. It takes knowing that YOU can create anything you want, plus hard work, education (this is why I partner with Marie every year), some natural talent (you’ve got it, don’t worry), and magic (more on this in a few days).

If you also want to create a business you can depend on but still need the foundations of business and marketing to really soar, I highly recommend you take Marie’s free training. This is what you’ll learn in the first video:

• A simple 6-step roadmap to launching and growing your business online
• Why big-hearted creatives are wired to succeed as modern entrepreneurs
• What you should focus on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on to avoid overwhelm and take consistent action

You can watch it here. It’s totally free!

For me, creating and building an online company wasn’t about having extra cash or something to fill my time (although I actually think those are great reasons to have a business), it was about taking the lead on my family’s financial picture while Jonathan was in training and giving us something to depend on as we grew from a family of two to four. Now with two toddlers and one on the way, I’m so grateful I have a career that allows me to make my own hours and be with the kids when I want and need to be. None of this has been easy or stress-free, but I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

The steps Marie teaches in this video are the exact ones I took to create a successful business in 2012 and grow it into the international company I have today.  

Being a proud graduate of B-School and a partner, I am offering an incredibly unique, soulful bonus when you enroll in B-School through me this year. Enrollment isn’t open until February 20 but you can get a sneak peek in the P.P.S.

Love,
Sarah

P.S. In this video Marie talks about the benefits of being a “multi-passionate entrepreneur” and how it set her and her business free. If you ever feel like you can’t be put in a category or find a niche (like me), you have to watch this video.

P.P.S. Every year I offer a bonus when I partner with Marie for the women who want to enroll in B-School through me. This year I’m excited to serve women entrepreneurs in the most creative, spiritual, and intimate way I could think of. I can’t wait to share the details with you next week.

I’m a proud affiliate of B-School, and although I may earn a referral fee based on my recommendation, I only share programs that I have personally experienced first-hand and really believe have the power to help you create the life you deserve.