Podcast Episode: If I Had to Start Over Today: 10 Things I’d Do Totally Different

Eleven years. That’s how long I’ve been building businesses online, starting as a network marketer in 2014 and evolving into the digital course creator and educator you know today. And let me tell you something – if I could go back and whisper some wisdom into that eager, overwhelmed woman’s ear, there are 10 things I’d do completely differently.

This isn’t about regret. I’m grateful for every goddamn lesson, every failure, every moment of doubt that got me here. But if you’re just starting out, or if you’re a few years in and feeling stuck, these lessons could save you years of spinning your wheels.

These aren’t just tips from the last two years in the digital space. These are hard-won insights from 11 years of building an online presence to create multiple income streams, from network marketing to course creation to community building.

So buckle up. We’re going deep.

1. Stop Trying to Convince Broke, Skeptical People to Buy From You

If you’ve ever been in network marketing, this one probably just hit you right between the eyeballs. We’ve all been there – thinking if we just show them one more thing, say the right words one more time, we can convince that resistant person to buy.

Here’s what I learned the hard way: Your job isn’t to drag people to success.

“My number one lesson would be I would speak in my external marketing and my external branding to the ready, not the resistant.”

When you speak to people who are ready – who already know they have a problem and are actively looking for a solution – the window between finding you and buying from you shrinks dramatically. These people don’t need convincing; they need proof that you can help them.

Stop wasting your energy on people who need to be convinced that online income is real, that investing in education matters, or that they should try something new. Speak to the people who already believe these things.

The resistant will drain your energy. The ready will fuel your growth.

2. Remember: You’re a Business, Not a Therapist

I literally have this on my website: “I’m not here to inspire you. I’m here to help you succeed.”

Here’s the truth: if you’re looking for external motivation and external inspiration, you’re going to fizzle out fast. And if you’re trying to be everyone’s motivational cheerleader, you’re going to burn out even faster.

“I help the willing, the coachable, the ready to implement.”

This was especially hard for me because I’m a true empath. I take on other people’s energies in a way that sincerely affects me. For years, I didn’t offer one-on-ones because I would absorb the desperation that people brought and feel like it was my job to fix it for them.

That’s not good for your health, your enjoyment of your business, or your bank account.

Boundaries equal profitability. Set them early and hold them firm.

3. Build Offers Around Transformation, Not Information

When I first created my courses, I made a classic mistake. I built them around what I wanted to teach, not around the transformation I wanted to create.

“Nobody needs 10 modules. They need a result.”

My Ultimate Social Sales Course was packed with 20 years of sales experience and 9 years of online business knowledge. It was my favorite thing to create and teach. But it was heavy on information, light on clear transformation.

Now I reverse engineer everything from the outcome. What specific result do I want to give people? What’s the transformation? Then I build the minimal viable content needed to get them there.

If it takes 10 modules to get the result, fine. But start with the destination, not the journey.

4. Create Evergreen Systems Sooner (Automate with the Big Boys)

There’s basic automation, and then there’s “automating with the big boys.” I waited too long to level up.

Sure, I had basic email sequences. But I was missing out on highly targeted email flows, strategic checkout experiences, order bumps, upsells, tripwire funnels – all the things that create a sales engine your business can run on.

“When you create evergreen systems sooner, you create a sales engine that your business runs on top of.”

The learning curve is steep. The tech knowledge required is significant. But the payoff is exponential growth without exponential effort.

5. Treat Social Proof Like Actual Currency

Social proof is everything. Screenshots, testimonials, voice notes, casual DMs praising your work – collect it all from day one.

“Nothing builds trust faster than social proof. Well, not being a scam artist probably builds trust faster. Social proof is number two.”

But here’s the thing: if you’re just starting and thinking “How do I get social proof if I haven’t launched yet?” – give your product away for free to 10 people in exchange for testimonials.

People always resist this. “I don’t want to give it away for free!” But you’re not giving it away for free. You’re trading it for social proof, which I just told you to treat like currency.

Stop being stingy. Start building trust.

6. Learn to Sell Daily

This one’s going to sound crazy coming from someone who’s been in sales forever, but I had to learn the importance of selling daily.

In network marketing, we followed the 10-4-1 formula: 10 posts about you, 4 posts loosely related to your business, 1 post directly selling. We weren’t hard selling every day.

But when you’re building a business as just you – not a team, not residual income – you have to be your own sales engine.

“Selling daily equals daily sales.”

It doesn’t have to be pushy or weird. It just needs to be an intentional, strategic mention of your product or service every single day. Whether that’s through organic content or paid ads, you need that consistent sales engine running.

7. Stop Asking People Who’ve Never Built a Business for Business Advice

This mainly goes back to network marketing, but the lesson applies everywhere.

I used to let friends and family plant seeds of doubt. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe it is weird. Maybe, maybe, maybe.” I’d maybe myself to death.

These people love me dearly, but they’re nine-to-fivers. They don’t see what I see. They’re not willing to do what I’m willing to do. They’re playing football while I’m trying to play baseball.

“If you wanted to become a triathlete, would you go ask your Uncle Joe, who hasn’t left the couch since 1985?”

Other people’s opinions are irrelevant – not just because they’re not paying your bills, but because they’ve literally never done what you’re trying to do.

Find mentors who’ve walked the path you want to walk.

8. Simplify Your Tech Stack and Learn It Faster

I relied on basic tools for too long because I didn’t understand the importance of advanced tech strategies.

Now I know: your checkout experience, conversion optimization, email sequencing – all of this matters enormously for scaling.

Don’t overcomplicate it at the beginning, but also don’t stay in beginner mode for years because you’re afraid of learning new systems.

The time you invest in understanding technology pays dividends in automated growth.

9. Create a Signature Framework From Day One

Your process is your product. Your method is your differentiator.

“If you don’t have a method or something that stands out, you’re just another health coach.”

Whatever you’re good at – sales, fitness, organization, creativity – that skill needs to become a teachable methodology if you want to monetize it effectively.

A signature framework gives you:

• Consistency in delivery
• Credibility in the market
• Easier content creation
• Clear differentiation from competitors

If you don’t have a method yet, brainstorm with ChatGPT. Seriously. Brain dump your knowledge and ask it to help you create a methodology around it.

10. Trust Yourself More (The Most Important One)

If I could drill one thing into your heart, it would be this: Your lack of self-trust is holding you back.

For years, I’d think “I’m not the expert at X, so I need to find a guru to teach me.” I’d hire the expert, invest in their program, and then realize I already knew most of what they taught me.

Then the next challenge would come up and I’d do it again. And again.

“It has taken me over the last year to really differentiate between those two voices – my intuition and my brain trying to mess with me.”

Learning to distinguish between your gut instinct and your anxious brain chatter is a game-changer for business decisions, investments, and strategic moves.

Exercise for building self-trust: Keep track of all the promises you make to yourself and actually keep them. The more evidence you have that you follow through on your word, the more your brain will trust you to handle bigger challenges.

We think keeping promises to others is important, but the most crucial promises are the ones we keep to ourselves.

The Thread That Connects Everything

Looking back at these 10 lessons, there’s a common thread: Stop looking outside yourself for validation, direction, and solutions.

• Don’t try to convince people who aren’t ready
• Don’t let others drain your energy
• Don’t ask the wrong people for advice
• Don’t build what you think people want instead of what they actually need
• Don’t wait for perfect knowledge before trusting your instincts

Every successful entrepreneur I know has learned to trust their gut, set boundaries, and focus on serving the people who are ready to be served.

The resistant people aren’t your people. The broke skeptics aren’t your people. The energy vampires aren’t your people.

Your people are the ones who see the value in what you offer, invest in themselves, and show up ready to do the work.

Build for them. Speak to them. Trust yourself to serve them well.

Everything else is noise.

What’s Your Biggest Takeaway?

These 11 years have taught me that entrepreneurship isn’t about having all the answers from day one. It’s about being willing to learn, adjust, and keep moving forward even when you’re not sure of the next step.

The woman who started this journey in 2014 was scared, unsure, and looking for external validation at every turn. The woman writing this today trusts her instincts, sets clear boundaries, and builds businesses around transformation rather than information.

That evolution didn’t happen overnight. It happened through 11 years of small decisions, tiny pivots, and learning to trust myself more each day.

If you’re just starting out, or if you’re a few years in and feeling stuck, remember this: you already know more than you think you do. You’re more capable than you give yourself credit for. And the people who are meant to work with you are out there, ready and waiting.

Stop trying to convince the resistance. Start serving the ready.

Trust me on this one. Better yet – trust yourself.

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