Introducing Biz & Life
This past week, I quit my full-time job to pursue the multi-passionate entrepreneurial lifestyle I've been dreaming of for a while now. And I have decided to take you, my friend, along for the ride.
Why are you starting this newsletter/blog?
(Why thank you for asking, hypothetical reader.)
I decided to start this to force myself to document my journey - to make me slow down and reflect on what I am doing and learning, and so that I can look back later on where I am today. But I am sharing it here because I think you (my hypothetical reader) might get some value from it.
Perhaps there will be lessons that you can glean from the experiences I share. If you are on a similar journey (or want to be), you can have someone to commiserate and celebrate with. Or perhaps you are the type of person who just enjoys reading about how other people choose to live their life.
To sum up, I have 3 reasons for writing this:
Documenting my journey so I can reflect now and look back later
Sharing lessons learned (maybe)
Entertainment value for you (I hope)
The enjoyment of writing [I didn't say this above, but I enjoy writing and having a different format and outlet will be enjoyable for me (even when it sucks)].
How did it feel to quit your job?
It's a very weird moment, because I actually cleaned out my office almost 12.5 months earlier when I left to start a maternity leave. So even though I just quit my job, I've been working on stuff while being at home with my baby for months now - and not actually working at that job.
Mostly, I feel relief. It has been weird trying to talk about what I am trying to do while still being on maternity leave. I wasn't trying to sell anything, but I had hoped to start building an audience so I would have people to sell to when I was ready (aka now). However, that has not been the case.
So what is your business anyway?
Main business: I am a registered dietitian in Ontario (Canada) and I have a private practice. I help people with inflammatory arthritis reconnect with their intuition and combine that with learn health and nutrition information so they can go and actually live their lives.
Freelance: I also have a contract job that I am starting now. I will be seeing their clients in my scope as a dietitian. (There isn't a conflict here because a. they have a different target audience and b. my personal brand isn't part of their marketing. I am a cog in their machine. That is a terrible analogy, because I am actually very much looking forward to working with them and they seem to have a good team atmosphere and I will of course do my best to help the clients. Words are hard sometimes.)
Blog: I also have a blog - that was actually the first thing I did online - Foundations for the Good Life. It has been on hiatus for a couple years but I want to refresh and probably rebrand it. I also have an idea for a youtube channel associated with that.
Newsletter: Oh, and I'm starting this newsletter.
Future Ideas: I am very much in love with Notion and I think I would like to sell my set up as a template.
So I've got a main business, a contract job, and a couple of side projects. I also like to take time for creative hobbies, but that is something I just do for myself.
Oh and I have an almost 1 year old who is currently not in daycare. So I'm working during nap time and in the evening when my husband takes over child-care.
That is a lot. Are you crazy?
Possibly. That is why the blog went on hiatus in the first place. I keep wanting to bring it back. Sometimes I even write a little something or brainstorm how I want to rebrand it.
It's the same thing with social media in general. People say how important it is for generating business, and maybe they are right because I don't have people knocking on the virtual door of my private practice. But I don't have a lot of time, I don't particularly like it, so it is always the thing that gets left at the bottom of the pile.
All the things on my plate are also why I love Notion and want to share the system I've cobbled together.
Well, okay then. What's the newsletter going to look like?
Thanks for getting me back on track, hypothetical reader.
This newsletter will go out every Friday. I'll share what I've been working on, wins, challenges, and lessons learned. I'll also share what I'm reading, watching, and learning.
If you're joining me on this journey, I'd love to connect. I'll have the comments turned on at substack, and you can hit reply on the emails.
Until next week,
-Samantha.