I was always the type of kid who was going 90 miles-per-hour. I set goals. I became laser focused on them, I achieved them and said okay, next. But the thing was, none of it just came “easy” to me. I was never the person who was “just a natural” at everything I did. I always had to work hard, sometimes extra hard. But I always conquered whatever it was I put my mind to. If you told me I couldn’t do something, I’d say watch this. Then put my head down and work until I could do it and prove someone wrong. I had a really strong work ethic and always wanted to do my best and be the best. I thrived off recognition and in my mind, I could not fail. I just did it over and over again until I got it right.
Somewhere along the way, I learned to be afraid of failure. I learned to care more about what others thought of me and their opinions about my choices more than I cared about what I wanted. Somewhere along the way, I did things just to fit in and focused on what “everyone else was doing”. I questioned my own abilities and worth. I started to let the voices in my head of “you can’t do this” stop me.
TIP 1: Believe in yourself and know your worth.
But then, I found a fitness community that also shared with me personal development. I started reading and listening to positive, “self help” and leadership books that totally transformed my life and brought me back to ME again. I grew in my career. I found my future husband. Life was good. And then I was let go from my job.
TIP 2: Invest in your mental health.
I did some soul searching in 2017, and tried to figure out what type of job I wanted. One with flexibility. One where I wasn’t micromanaged. One where I didn’t have to play into that corporate bullshit. But I let fear hold me back. For so long. I ended up taking another full-time job at an agency, and it was everything I remembered that I hated and wanted to get away from. So I pushed forward with launching my own PR and marketing company as I had a couple freelance clients I had found during the 6 months I was unemployed. My plan was to get my business up and running for 6-12 months and then quit. Within a day of launching my website, they found out and told me to either take it down or I couldn’t work there. My immediate reaction was okay I’ll take it down, I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted some extra freelance work. But I went home and talked to my boyfriend and he reminded me I hated that job, and I had worked too hard on this dream already to let them stop me. He supported me in going all in on it.
TIP 3: Don’t let ANYONE kill your dream.
So I quit. It was the scariest thing I have ever done. I was afraid to tell my parents I walked out of the cushion-y 9-5. I was afraid of what people would think. Who would hire 26 year old me? But people did. I slowly became more confident. I realized I enjoyed what I was doing, but I really wanted to find a way to work more with entrepreneurs. THOSE were my people. So I took my knowledge of marketing and PR and paired it with my love for systems and technology, and my type A organized personality and discovered what an online business manager (OBM) was. And THEN I launched another business - the one I have here today. I became an OBM because I saw a need in the space. When I was working on my branding, my brand strategist asked me what is it that you truly help people do? And I said “IDK, I just help them get their shit together.” And that’s where my brand was born. Now, eight months later, I am fully-booked, busting at the seems, which I couldn’t be happier about, but I still want to grow. I am back to that little girl who wants to do more, be more. It’s amazing to watch her come out again and truly believe in myself, my abilities and know that even if I don’t know it all, I will always be willing to go the extra mile to figure it out.
TIP 4: Be resourceful.
Now, I wish I could say once I launched my OBM business I just had clients flying in the door left and right, but I didn’t. But I wanted to do it right. Produce good, quality content. Build a brand that people could trust. And that doesn’t happen right away. I’ve talked about the know like and trust factor before, and it was/is true for my business too. I had to show up every day when no one was watching, listening, or paying attention to build that KLT factor. And then, I realized I needed more help. I found a business mentor that was specific to my niche as an OBM and I hired her. She helped me fine tune my processes, shared her templates with me, gave me confidence on discovery calls and even filtered leads my way. I was and am SO GRATEFUL for her. As my business would not be where it is today without her.
TIP 5: Hire a mentor/coach.
Now, I look back and I’m grateful for the path that I had that led me to where I am today. Though at times it was difficult, frustrating, and seemingly impossible to be where I am today - living a successful (by my standards) life and building a business that has allowed me the freedom and flexibility I’ve always imagined. But the thing is, I’m not done. I want to continue to expand my business. I have SO many more things up my sleeve that I want to do in the coming months and years. I have a vision greater than me to make an impact on other women that is so large I actually am not sure I can comprehend it. I want to empower other women to be successful and step into their own power. So baby, I’m just getting started.
Also, I have some EXCITING news! I am not offering something that I think will be a total game-changer for your business! Do you have four hours to learn how to put in place and manage customized systems that will save you countless hours of time, and make your life 100x easier? I’m now booking clients for 4-hour Systems Intensives! I want to help you set your business up, or get your business organized with all the best systems and processes to help you THRIVE, save you time and reduce your stress friend!! Learn more here.
Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.
After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.
Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.
Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.
