What Mastitis Taught Me About Online Business
10/10/22 • 51 min
If you’ve had mastitis before, you know how terrible it can be. If you haven’t, there are some things you might want to do to avoid it if you’re ever going to be breastfeeding.
But this episode isn’t about mastitis itself. Instead, I want to talk about what it taught me about running an online business. It really is an example of how there’s always something to be gleaned from any experience, good or bad.
The Value of a Niche
The first lesson that I learned from all this was how valuable it is to work within a niche. When I was lying in bed dealing with the symptoms of mastitis, I was desperate for a solution. So I bought a course all about healing from mastitis.
This got me to realize that having very specific expertise that solves a very specific problem places you in a position where people will be willing to buy from you with less effort on your part.
Often, we want to stay broad with what we offer clients. But this experience drove home the importance of having something specific that you solve and clients are ready to buy.
Getting Out of Your Business So It Can Grow
The second lesson I learned was that I need to structure my business so that it can run smoothly without me. There was a lot that I wanted to get done the week that I was sick. A lot of it had to be put on hold. However, I am so thankful to my team who were able to get the time-sensitive aspects done without me.
We have goals for our businesses. While I was sick, I realized that you can actually hold your own business back from hitting those goals when the unexpected occurs. Being able to build systems, delegate, and automate can help you avoid this pitfall.
The Importance of Your Village
Finally, I came to understand the importance of having people you can call on for help when the need arises. For me, that began with my husband and mother who were able to watch our baby when I wasn’t able. I believe that being able to rest when I needed to allowed me to heal faster and get back to work sooner than I might have otherwise.
Beyond this, there was also my online village of health experts. Many of them shared wonderful advice and resources that reminded me that we can all lend a helping hand, no matter how trivial it may seem. Finding solidarity and empathy makes a huge difference when faced with a challenge.
Where can you turn for support when you need it the most? Leave a comment on the episode page!
In This Episode- Laura’s experience with mastitis [1:40]
- Finding a specific niche to help your clients [6:30]
- Getting out of your business so it can grow [18:40]
- The importance of having a village [33:30]
“I definitely noticed some things during this time, good and bad, that informed not only how I’m approaching my own business, but also how I’m coaching my clients who are growing their online health and nutrition businesses.” [6:07]
“This is really the ideal business model to have where you have such a specific problem that you solve and such a high pain-point problem that people will buy from you even if you just came across them minutes ago.” [9:30]
“It’s definitely been a crash course in surrender and adaptation in the last three months and I know it’s going to continue and get more challenging. But I think it’s a good challenge.” [33:06]
“The time that I spend cultivating relationships is so important at those times that I need somebody to literally be there in person for me.” [37:14]
Review Fed and Fearless on Apple Podcasts! Send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll send you my Overcoming Undereating eBook. If you post your favorite episode in your Insta stories and tag me @LauraShoenfeldRD, I’ll also send you my 14-Day Calorie Challenge Recipe Guide!
LinksGet the free Profit Planning Workbook!
Your Two Jugs | Mastitis Treatment Professionals
Leave a review of Fed and Fearless!
Sign Up For The Free Training: The 5 Secrets of Fearlessly Healthy Women of Faith
If you’ve had mastitis before, you know how terrible it can be. If you haven’t, there are some things you might want to do to avoid it if you’re ever going to be breastfeeding.
But this episode isn’t about mastitis itself. Instead, I want to talk about what it taught me about running an online business. It really is an example of how there’s always something to be gleaned from any experience, good or bad.
The Value of a Niche
The first lesson that I learned from all this was how valuable it is to work within a niche. When I was lying in bed dealing with the symptoms of mastitis, I was desperate for a solution. So I bought a course all about healing from mastitis.
This got me to realize that having very specific expertise that solves a very specific problem places you in a position where people will be willing to buy from you with less effort on your part.
Often, we want to stay broad with what we offer clients. But this experience drove home the importance of having something specific that you solve and clients are ready to buy.
Getting Out of Your Business So It Can Grow
The second lesson I learned was that I need to structure my business so that it can run smoothly without me. There was a lot that I wanted to get done the week that I was sick. A lot of it had to be put on hold. However, I am so thankful to my team who were able to get the time-sensitive aspects done without me.
We have goals for our businesses. While I was sick, I realized that you can actually hold your own business back from hitting those goals when the unexpected occurs. Being able to build systems, delegate, and automate can help you avoid this pitfall.
The Importance of Your Village
Finally, I came to understand the importance of having people you can call on for help when the need arises. For me, that began with my husband and mother who were able to watch our baby when I wasn’t able. I believe that being able to rest when I needed to allowed me to heal faster and get back to work sooner than I might have otherwise.
Beyond this, there was also my online village of health experts. Many of them shared wonderful advice and resources that reminded me that we can all lend a helping hand, no matter how trivial it may seem. Finding solidarity and empathy makes a huge difference when faced with a challenge.
Where can you turn for support when you need it the most? Leave a comment on the episode page!
In This Episode- Laura’s experience with mastitis [1:40]
- Finding a specific niche to help your clients [6:30]
- Getting out of your business so it can grow [18:40]
- The importance of having a village [33:30]
“I definitely noticed some things during this time, good and bad, that informed not only how I’m approaching my own business, but also how I’m coaching my clients who are growing their online health and nutrition businesses.” [6:07]
“This is really the ideal business model to have where you have such a specific problem that you solve and such a high pain-point problem that people will buy from you even if you just came across them minutes ago.” [9:30]
“It’s definitely been a crash course in surrender and adaptation in the last three months and I know it’s going to continue and get more challenging. But I think it’s a good challenge.” [33:06]
“The time that I spend cultivating relationships is so important at those times that I need somebody to literally be there in person for me.” [37:14]
Review Fed and Fearless on Apple Podcasts! Send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll send you my Overcoming Undereating eBook. If you post your favorite episode in your Insta stories and tag me @LauraShoenfeldRD, I’ll also send you my 14-Day Calorie Challenge Recipe Guide!
LinksGet the free Profit Planning Workbook!
Your Two Jugs | Mastitis Treatment Professionals
Leave a review of Fed and Fearless!
Sign Up For The Free Training: The 5 Secrets of Fearlessly Healthy Women of Faith
Previous Episode
Courageously Defending Your Nutrition Beliefs with Annette Presley, RD
Are you standing up for what you believe when it comes to nutrition, wellness, and health? I know that many health entrepreneurs are nervous to stray from what they learned in school or the recommendations of their professional organizations. However, in order to best help our clients, we may sometimes need to go an unorthodox route. Today’s guest is here to discuss how to move past this fear so that we can be of the most service to those who need us.
About Annette Presley
Annette Presley is a registered dietitian of over 30 years, certified Functional Nutritionist, certified Theta Healer, author, speaker, and creator of the REVIVE Method.
After discovering that the diet advice she'd learned as a dietitian was contributing to chronic disease, Annette changed course to learn about Functional Nutrition and Nutrigenomics (how nutrition impacts genetic expression), and the Root Cause Protocol. Now Annette helps women get to the root of their health issues so they can stop feeling like crap and get their life and their joy back.
The Art of Asking Questions and Finding Answers
In this episode, Annette describes how early in her career she was called out for teaching what was at the time counter to established practice. Time has since vindicated her beliefs and she learned a lesson in the importance of maintaining her sense of professional integrity.
Through all this, Annette has come to understand that science is the art of questioning everything. Look into things. Trust your instincts, but verify them. Most of all, Annette wants us to be fearless in the face of potential criticism from those toeing the line of established practice.
How Being an Entrepreneur Helps Us Chart Our Own Path
One example of Annette’s unorthodox practice and beliefs centers on iodine. Although past animal studies have shown a link between iodine intake and hypothyroidism, Annette saw that the study’s conclusions did not match the study’s data. Exploring the issue further, she found that iodine can actually have numerous health benefits.
This leads us to the advantage of being an entrepreneur in the health space. We have the freedom to chart our own path - to research what interests us and apply the results for the benefit of our clients. This goes beyond just making money. It’s about really helping people.
Have you ever found yourself questioning accepted beliefs in your field? Tell me about it in the comments on the episode page!
In This Episode- Lessons Annette learned about staying true to her beliefs [5:00]
- Why skepticism is an integral part of science [13:20]
- Dealing with the criticism that may come with following your conscience [20:10]
- How examining beliefs around the health impacts of iodine indicates the importance of questioning established practices [33:30]
- The freedoms that come with being a health entrepreneur [45:00]
“I didn’t care what the truth was, I just wanted to make sure that what I was teaching was the truth.” [12:25]
“Science is all about asking questions and challenging answers. If we can’t do that, then it’s a religion, not science.” [13:46]
“I believe the truth is such that it is perfectly fine answering questions and debating. It’s when we don’t have the truth that we want to shut everything down. The truth can overcome a lie but a lie can never overcome the truth.” [36:53]
Review Fed and Fearless on Apple Podcasts! Send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll send you my Overcoming Undereating eBook. If you post your favorite episode in your Insta stories and tag me @LauraShoenfeldRD, I’ll also send you my 14-Day Calorie Challenge Recipe Guide!
LinksNext Episode
How I Handle Disappointment and “Failure” In My Business
Failing is a part of doing business. We all fail from time to time but we are not failures. Today, I want to talk about what happens when things don’t go as planned as an entrepreneur. We’re taking the shame out of failing so that you can fail successfully in business.
Set Goals That You May Not Reach
Often we feel like failures when we don’t reach a goal we’ve set for ourselves. But setting easily achievable goals isn’t the solution. Doing so will limit the extent of achievement you could possibly achieve.
For instance, when it comes to revenue targets, we often set goals based on past achievements. When we do this, we restrict our potential to profit even more. Doing so could trap you in a state of mediocrity. When we reach higher, we push ourselves to improve, even if we fall short of that goal.
Be Open About Failure
We often think that these failures are indicative of our own abilities. When we don’t openly discuss these failures, it’s easy to think that it’s not something everyone experiences. That’s why I think it’s crucial to start normalizing failure and make it something we talk about without shame.
This isn’t to say that we won’t ever feel frustrated or disappointed. But regret isn’t helpful. Instead, these are opportunities to examine what happened so that we can learn from it and do something different next time.
What We Can Learn After Failing
When we experience failure, it’s really easy to believe at the moment that this is indicative of your future in business. Don’t catastrophize these kinds of things!
In my experience, some of my biggest disappointments have been some of the best things to happen to me. They have shown me where to pivot and get my business better aligned with where I truly want it to be.
What has the fear of failure been holding you back from doing? Leave a comment on the episode page!
In This Episode- Why we need to set goals we may not reach [2:20]
- The importance of discussing failures as entrepreneurs [9:00]
- Why you are not defined by failure [22:30]
- Practicing the mindset of being okay with failure [33:00]
“When you’re setting goals based on past experience, you might be limiting what’s possible for you in the future because you’re afraid to set a goal you may not hit.” [7:49]
“That [failure] was a situation that helped me see that the path I was on was not the right path for me.” [26:00]
“If you’re not taking risks on a regular basis in your business, then you’re probably not getting the kind of results you want to get.” [34:24]
Review Fed and Fearless on Apple Podcasts! Send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll send you my Overcoming Undereating eBook. If you post your favorite episode in your Insta stories and tag me @LauraShoenfeldRD, I’ll also send you my 14-Day Calorie Challenge Recipe Guide!
LinksGet the free Profit Planning Workbook!
Leave a review of Fed and Fearless!
Sign Up For The Free Training: The 5 Secrets of Fearlessly Healthy Women of Faith
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