I’ll never forget the first time I went live.
It was 2015, and live streaming was just becoming a thing. Periscope was the app. I had spent days hyping myself up to finally go live and talk about stress and the HPA axis (because that’s what I thought people wanted from a functional practitioner turned online coach).
I was in my tiny apartment in Nelson, BC. Wearing a V-neck tee. Sitting on my couch. Slightly sweaty. Nervous AF.
My friend Kim was there in the comments to cheer me on. The second I hit “go live,” people poured in.
But they weren’t there for the content.
They were there to comment on my chest.
“Nice tits.”
“Show more cleavage.”
“Do a spin.”
I was mortified. I ended the stream. Slammed my phone down. And sat there feeling exposed, humiliated, and kind of digitally groped.
That moment made me question everything.
Was I really cut out for this? Did I really want to build a business where this was part of the deal?
Turns out… yes.
Because that moment, as horrible as it felt, taught me one of the first big truths of online business:
You have to show up — even when it’s uncomfortable.
And that’s just one of many things you’ll need to accept if you want to succeed online.
This blog post is not a cozy inspirational Pinterest quote.
This is a wake-up call for anyone who wants to create a real business online — the kind that supports your life, pays your bills, and gives you freedom.
If that’s what you want? Keep reading.
1. You Have to Create Content (Even If You Don’t Want To)
I know. You didn’t sign up to be a content creator. You signed up to help people.
But here’s the deal:
If you’re not creating content, your business doesn’t exist to most people.
Social media is not optional. Content is not extra. It’s the actual mechanism that allows you to connect with, educate, and build trust with the people you want to help.
It’s your storefront. If you’re not creating content, your shop is invisible.
Wanting an online business but refusing to create content is like opening a restaurant and refusing to put up a sign or menu.
I’ve heard it all:
- “I don’t like social media.”
- “It feels so draining.”
- “I don’t know what to say.”
Guess what? I didn’t know either at the start. But I learned. Because I had to.
Content doesn’t mean you need to dance, go viral, or be fake. It means you show up in your authentic voice, consistently, in a way that educates and inspires.
Start messy. Post when it feels awkward. But post.
Your people need to hear from you.
Think of content creation as a long-term relationship. Not every day is romantic. But if you ghost your audience for weeks at a time, they forget you exist. You need to show up and nurture that connection.
You can build a simple, effective content strategy without spending 8 hours a day on Instagram. Use content pillars, repurpose your posts, and focus on connection, not perfection.
It’s okay if your first videos suck. It’s okay if you feel like no one is listening. That’s part of the process. You have to be willing to be bad at something long enough to get good at it.
2. You Will Be Rejected (Over and Over Again)
This one hurts — but it’s true.
You’re going to pour your heart into a post and get 3 likes.
You’re going to pitch someone you admire and get ignored.
You’re going to do a beautiful sales call… and they’ll say, “I need to think about it,” and never reply.
Rejection is not just part of the process — it is the process.
The only way to avoid rejection is to avoid opportunity. And that’s a fast track to quitting.
Rejection in business is like rain on a hike. You don’t cancel the trip — you bring a raincoat.
It’s easy to make rejection personal:
- “They didn’t reply — I must suck.”
- “They said no — I’m too expensive.”
- “Nobody’s buying — I must not be good at this.”
But most of the time? It’s not about you.
People are distracted. They’re scared. They’re not ready. They’re unsure.
Your job is to keep showing up. Keep refining. Keep inviting.
The “yes” you want might be five rejections deep. But you’ll never get it if you quit at the first “no.”
Every successful coach you follow? They’ve been rejected dozens — if not hundreds — of times. The only difference is they didn’t make it mean anything about their worth.
Learn to expect rejection without internalizing it. Track your “nos” like wins, because they’re proof that you’re in the game.
3. You Have to Show Up When You’re Not Inspired
Inspiration is amazing. But it’s also flaky as hell.
If you’re waiting to feel like it before you write, post, or show up in your stories… you’re going to be waiting a long time.
Success isn’t built on inspiration. It’s built on consistency.
Think of it like brushing your teeth. You don’t do it when you’re inspired. You do it because that’s what clean-toothed adults do.
You don’t need to feel like a radiant thought leader every day.
Some of my best content was written when I was overtired, bloated, and kind of cranky.
You’re building a relationship with your audience. And like any relationship, it thrives on regular, real interaction — not dramatic disappearances followed by grand re-entries.
You don’t need to show up perfectly. Just show up.
Even when you’re in your hoodie. Even when the algorithm hates you. Even when your last post flopped.
Because that is what builds trust.
And trust is what leads to clients.
If you treat your business like a hobby — only showing up when it’s fun — it’ll pay you like a hobby. If you want real income, you need real discipline.
Build routines. Create systems. Schedule your content in advance. Batch record when you feel good, and use that to carry you through the dips.
The difference between entrepreneurs who scale and those who stall? The ones who scale keep showing up even when it’s boring.
4. You Have to Invest Before You Feel Ready
This one will make your palms sweat.
At some point, you will hit a ceiling. You’ll realize that you can’t keep DIY-ing everything. You can’t keep spending 14 hours Googling tech tutorials and never making decisions.
And in that moment, you will face this question:
Am I willing to invest before I feel 100% ready?
That might mean hiring a coach. Paying for a program. Outsourcing your admin. Upgrading your systems.
Whatever it is, it’s going to feel uncomfortable. You’ll wonder if it’s worth it. You’ll try to logic your way out of it.
But here’s the truth:
Waiting to invest until you feel ready is like waiting to be fit before joining a gym.
It doesn’t work that way.
My biggest breakthroughs always came after I put real skin in the game. It forced me to rise. It called in a new version of me.
It’s okay if it feels scary. Growth usually does.
No one becomes a CEO by hoarding every dollar and watching free YouTube videos for five years. You can absolutely bootstrap in the beginning, but long-term success will require bold decisions.
I’m not saying go into debt without a plan. But at some point, you need to put money where your vision is. Time, energy, and cash — those are your ingredients for growth.
5. It Will Take Longer Than You Want It To
This one is a buzzkill. But it’s also the one that will save you from quitting too soon.
Every entrepreneur starts with hope. Excitement. Big dreams.
But somewhere along the line, they realize it’s not a 3-month sprint.
Building a sustainable business takes time.
Like… years.
Think of it like a tree. You plant the seed. Water it. Wait. Nothing happens for a while. Then suddenly, one day, it blooms.
You need to expect a 3–5 year runway to build something that actually replaces your income.
Not 30 days. Not 3 viral reels. Not one launch.
You can make money before then. Absolutely. But that solid, consistent, dependable business you crave?
That takes time.
And if you expect it to happen faster, you’ll feel like a failure when you’re actually right on track.
Normalize the timeline.
You’re not behind. You’re just still planting.
Your success doesn’t look like a viral moment. It looks like 1,000 small decisions you make daily. It looks like building brick by brick when no one’s watching.
The people who win are the ones who keep going after year one. After the first flopped launch. After the 200-follower plateau.
They didn’t have magic. They had stamina.
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Final Thoughts: Let It Be Hard (So It Can Also Be Worth It)
Most people don’t fail because they weren’t talented enough.
They fail because they weren’t willing to accept these hard truths:
- That it would take time.
- That it would require visibility.
- That it would bring rejection.
- That it would demand consistency.
- That it would cost them before it paid them.
You can resist all of that. You can throw tantrums. You can try to find the shortcut.
Or you can decide:
“I’m in. Even when it’s hard. Even when it’s boring. Even when I’m scared.”
That mindset? That’s what separates the ones who make it from the ones who quit.
Let the process change you. Let it build your character. Let it test your commitment.
Because that’s what this is.
Not just a business.
A becoming.
