The TRUTH? Owning Your Own Business is NOT Always Glamorous

Today is a hit splits episode for Author Audience.

Welcome to the Author Audience show, the podcast that helps you reach more people with your message, create a book, connect with your audience, change lives. Here's your host, Shelly Hitz.

Welcome to this edition of Author audience. This is a hit splits episode. And, you know, it's interesting because I tend to do regular podcasts every Tuesday.

And I was feeling pressure. I've been having a lot of changes in my business lately, and I've had to work some extra hours to make those changes. And I'll talk a little bit about that more later. But I was feeling pressure to get this episode ready and I thought I can adapt. You know, I have my own business. And so I decided this week to do a hits plus episode. And my husband said C.J. is back with me again. Hey, C.J.

Hey.

I love it that he's coming on to the podcast more often with me. And we're going to talk a little bit about the truth that owning your own business is not always glamorous. Can I get an amen for that? And we've been in business full time. My husband and I both have not had full time jobs outside of our business. We've had, you know, little things here and there, but for over four years now. Right, C.J.

Yeah. It's amazing how quickly time flies. I guess we, we probably got into it about the, the last presidential election. Oh, boy.

Yeah, that's one way to put it. And it hasn't always been glamorous, has it?

No, not at all. You know, it's amazing. You know, we've tried several different things over the years. And this even goes beyond the four years that we've been, you know, in business full time and trying to make a go of it. And, you know, there's definitely been ups and downs, but, you know, with all the things that we've tried through the years that have failed, and certainly we've had our share of failure.

Oh, man, that's true.

It really just reminds me of the scripture in Proverbs 16, 9. And many of us are probably familiar with it in terms of plans. And it simply says, we can make our own plans, but the Lord determines our steps. And it's just a good reminder that as, as followers of Jesus, you know, we're looking to him, we seek his direction. But there's a lot of times when we get a whim or we get a, you know, impression like, hey, I want to try this, I want to try that. And we think this is a great idea. Only to realize that perhaps after some trial and error falling on our faces, scratching our heads, maybe even having a little disillusionment because of some financial loss at times, we can step back and after the dust settles, we can realize, you know what?

The Lord is guiding my steps, and there are some things he's going to have me learn some hard lessons on, and there are some things that are definitely going to succeed. But the biggest and most important point in all this is to realize that we have to seek Him. We have to seek his direction. And so many times so much heartache can be saved by seeking him first. Even before we undertake a business aspiration, especially making financial commitments and risks, he wants to save us some of that heartache.

Yeah. And I think we have a couple stories that would be great to share on another podcast that dive even deeper into. Into that. But in this episode, I really had on my heart to just share in a real way, because what is the quote? It says, you know, we often compare our bloopers to someone else's.

Someone else's.

Real. What is it?

Oh, I got a brain fart right now.

Me too. But anyways, we basically, it's. We compare our weaknesses to someone else's strengths or what we see on social media. So we. Their highlight reel. So we compare our bloopers to their highlight reel.

Yeah.

And many times what you see, even of CJ and I, might appear that everything is just awesome. Everything is awesome.

And yet the reality is we all go through ups and downs, right?

Oh, exactly. And many times more downs than ups. I mean, we live in a fallen world.

Yeah, that's very true. And so. And I just. I just wanted to be real. Because I want you to know, first of all, you're not alone. We all go through those ups and downs. And second of all, it's worth it. I love the verse in Galatians 6:9 when it relates to business, because this is the way I felt over and over and over again in what God has called us to do. Says, let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. And there's some very exciting things happening in our business right now. And to be honest, I have no idea how I've done everything that I've done in the last month. Like I tell cj, if you really knew everything that I do, your mind would just spin, right?

Oh, yeah.

But God has gifted me and he's given me a team, and it's been it really honestly, has been a bit of a blur, you know, only by the grace of God. I ended up deciding to change my entire membership platform, and this is a pretty large membership to a new platform. I decided to change from a forum to a Facebook group, and it has been the best change. I feel so, so good about it. I've gotten confirmation after confirmation that this is what I'm supposed to do. So many good things are happening in the Facebook group for authoraudienceacademy.com and it's been amazing. But, you know, even in the midst of the busyness, like, I've been learning to have more balance, and CJ and I have been taking little weekly hikes or adventures, and that's been fun.

Yeah. Kind of filling that adventure tank.

Yes. We live in Colorado. Why not, Right? We have adventures within a day's drive all around us. And I've been trying to get out and do daily prayer walks, so I've been trying to find that balance, too. Cause I am a recovering workaholic, I will admit. But coaching authors, writing books, and speaking is my passion, and it's incredibly rewarding. However, growing a business requires a lot of perseverance. And many of you know, and I shared in the very, very first episode, it was episode zero, my story of how I got into what I do. And I shared how I had resigned from my physical therapy job in 2011. And, CJ, you were 100% into that decision, right?

Oh, definitely. Yeah. I could sense it was time, you know, to move on to a new season. And it did have some risk and some uncharted territory, but it was, in my opinion, worth it.

Yeah. And I'll tell you, I'm more of the planner, and CJ's more of the visionary. So he was like, let's go. Let's do this. And he's like, it's fun, you know, to trust God and see where the money will come from. We had money in savings. And, you know, it wasn't like a complete, complete step of, you know, faith in that way, but we took that step of faith. However, a couple years after that, I sensed God leading me into even a bigger leap than that, at least in my opinion. And I don't know about you, but sometimes we have our plan Bs. Like, okay, I know that this is where God is leading me, and I sense this is where he wants me to go, But I have this plan B. If this doesn't work out, if God doesn't come through, and that's. Honestly, I hate even saying that. Out loud. But I've had those thoughts. And my plan B was to go back to work as a physical therapist with good pay and a regular paycheck. Because being an entrepreneur, our paychecks go up and down. We get paid different month to month. And, you know, I would think about this plan B regularly. Cj, do you remember me talking about it, like, talking about going back, even temporary on call, or, you know, getting another part time job again?

Oh, yeah. We've definitely had those seasons where we. We had a little more doubt and it was easy to maybe try to fall back on something. Our own efforts, our own way of security.

Yeah. And I think that's a good way to put it. It's like, I don't know. I think as a woman too, I think women tend to be a little bit more this way, wanting that security.

But it was a couple years ago, and it was one of the hardest decisions I personally have had to make because it was also a huge sacrifice, in my opinion. But I remember talking it over with cj. I remember getting wise counsel. I remember getting confirmation from even God's word and just spending time in prayer. And at that point, I decided to obey. And the big leap was that I literally left my physical therapy career behind for good. I totally gave up the option of even going back to practice as a physical therapist because I gave up my physical therapy license. I did not renew it, and unless I take the licensure exam again, I can't practice again as a physical therapist. Which, you know, that exam was hard enough to pass the first time right out of college.

And I remember talking that over with you, C.J. and, you know, you were in agreement about that and, you know, ready to go into that this next season of life.

Mm. Yeah. And I think the thing that's so intriguing about it is whenever you're gonna make a big life change like this.

When you let a license like that run out, what you do is you're essentially saying, I'm burning the ships.

We'Re not going back. We won't have that option.

Some people might call it irresponsible, but we were at a point where we wanted to move on to another season. What that forced us to do was, was.

Put more effort and energy into that aspiration of wanting to see our own business succeed and to be able to.

Not necessarily work a 9 to 5 job and have to answer to someone else. And not that that's wrong, but we were just ready to be our own boss.

It creates this atmosphere where, where you're forced to press on because you've eliminated that option.

Yeah. And you made a good point. This is not something that we're recommending everybody do. This is simply what God confirmed and led us to do specifically. And everyone has to seek this out for themselves. We know that many, many people are called to be light in the marketplace. They're called to have nine to five jobs. That's what they. What God has for them. But for us, he had, you know, called us and led us into a different direction. But I was held back. It was almost like when you were talking, it reminded me of, like, a ship that had an anchor. It's like cutting that rope to that anchor. And it was like we could finally.

Start sailing and move out to deeper waters.

Oh, wow. I just got chills. I never thought of that illustration until right now. But that's what happen. We cut the anchor. What is your anchor right now in your life? Is there something that God has asked you to do? And you know that, you know that you know, but you have an anchor. There's something that you need to let go of or you need to move on from that you have not been ready to do. And I will tell you, I cried. I grieved, because I worked really, really hard for that physical therapy license. And it was stability. It was a great career. I was respected for it. And when I would tell people I'm an entrepreneur, I'm an author, speaker, they just kind of look at me strange, like, you can make a living doing that, like. But when I would tell them I'm a physical therapist, it was an immediate respect. And so there was a part of my flesh, too, that I was giving up my identity, was giving up that respect. And to be honest, I wrestled with God. And I was like, you're asking me to give this up, too? Come on. You know, it was so hard, and it's still hard. And last week, we honestly didn't know how we were going to pay some of our bills. And CJ was traveling, and I remember texting with him a little bit, and he said, shelly, it really just comes down to we have to trust God. And, you know, but God, you know, he provided once again. And, you know, it's like, why do I worry? But this is an area that God is really working on in my heart big time right now. And the saying that I have written across my calendar, my yearly calendar, that's on my wall in my office, it says, it's time to rise above fear and live in faith, even though I've obeyed and I've done things that were hard. I've still held on at times to that fear and the worry. And I'm ready, like, I'm ready to move forward to a new level. You know, I sense a breakthrough coming for our business this year. I don't know if you, you kind of sense something too.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. We've seen some neat signs of breakthrough and.

Fruit of hard work, and it's.

Been really neat because I think one thing that we've really come to realize in the last year, like CJ is more behind the scenes, but he is the mastermind of the creativity and he's really that foundation of our business. And what we've realized is when we both operate out of our strengths, something amazing happens. And so CJ is just really stepping into even a bigger role in the business, which is really just amazing. And then, you know, I changed my whole membership author audience Academy. We're on a new path for that. I just launched my new inner circle Mastermind, and that is exciting. Exciting. I have some Mastermind members that have joined in the launch. And if you want to check that out, you can go to authoraudienceacademy.com options and check out more about that. But there's just a lot of exciting things, speaking opportunities opening and a lot of connections and things that are going on. We're actually like, CJ is helping me research places to have an in person writing retreat later this year.

Yeah, we've got a few pretty neat options possibly opening up right here in Colorado.

Yeah. And CJ's been telling me to do this for a while.

Oh yeah, this is, this is an idea that I think a lot of people would enjoy. And you know, you get that personal touch and just a beautiful setting. It's definitely something that could be inspiring.

Yeah. So stay tuned for that because that's going to be exciting as well. But.

You know, has it been worth it? I mean, there have been so many hard times. You know, even last week I was struggling again. And I can say with a resounding yes, it has been so worth it.

Would you say the same thing?

Yes. I mean.

As we've mentioned, you know, there are the hard times and sometimes there can be uncertainty, but the rewards and the payoff.

Are well worth it. And it's just been awesome to continue to see growth. And again, just, you know, Shelly and I are really living just part of a dream. Being able to work together in more ways and kind of bounce off each other's gifts and complement one Another in those ways. She's strong in some areas, and I'm stronger in some areas. So it's just really neat to see God weaving more of our story together and seeing success there, even on the business side of things.

Yeah. And it seems like God is reminding me almost daily, whether it's an email or a post in the Author Audience Academy Facebook group, or it's something that someone tells me in person, but I'm almost reminded daily, daily of how God is using our obedience for good and to glorify him. Because what God is doing through us is birthing books and businesses and ideas and just allowing other people to use their gifts to glorify God. And it is exciting. It is. But has it been hard? Oh, yes. It's been a lot of work, you know, with people who say, you know, the get rich quick. This isn't a get rich quick business. You know, I mean, it's. It has taken a lot of work, a lot of learning. I'm a lifelong learner. CJ's a lifelong learner. We've continued to learn and grow. But you know, what I was thinking about and reflecting about this week is I honestly think if I would have kept my PT license active a couple years ago.

I honestly think I would have gone back to that job and financial stability at some point.

And I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it, because I think God knew what was ahead and what I needed to do in order to move forward and not look back. He knew I needed to let go of that anchor so we could sail to the next destination, so that what's happening now could happen. And it's amazing when you take those steps of faith in the right time, when God leads you as he leads you in, in obedience to him, what can happen? Anything worth having is worth working for. Right?

No doubt. Yeah.

I mean, you're a runner, and so you know what it means to work for something in the athletic realm.

Mm. Yeah. You really get what you train for.

Yeah, exactly.

You know, it takes hard work and sweat. There's no way around that. It takes getting in key workouts, and it's really just something that. It's a great illustration for all of life where you really get what you put into it in terms of yielding.

Fruit and talking about that yielding fruit. Just want to remind you of that scripture again from Galatians 6, 9. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest. If.

What if we do not give up?

If we do not give up. Up. I truly believe the harvest is waiting for you and for me and for us. For cj. When we obey God, even when it doesn't make sense to everyone around us. To be honest, I didn't tell many people that I let my physical therapy license expire. Most people will not understand, and you may not understand even just listening to this podcast. But when we obey, even when it doesn't make sense, I truly believe that God will have a harvest waiting for us. And my motto for this year is, it's time to not just survive, but to thrive.

Thank you so much again for joining us for this week's podcast. This week was a hit splits and it was a double hit. Splits, yeah.

Double the fun.

Yeah. I love having CJ on here because he brings a little more of that fun loving, humorous side to things. But I appreciate you. I appreciate you listening. And if you've got any value from the podcast, would you just take 30 seconds to rate it on itunes and leave a review? It lets me know you're listening. It encourages me, but it also helps get this podcast to more people on itunes. So we appreciate you. We encourage you to ask and pray and seek God. What is the anchor in your life right now, in your business right now? Is there something that you can cut that anchor, let go of that anchor so that you can truly sail? I'll see you next time.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Author Audience Show. Connect with us online@authoraudience.com where you'll find all the resources mentioned in today's episode. While you're there, grab Shelley's free video video training on how to write and publish your book using her Six Step Ascent method. Join us again next week to learn how to reach your audience with your message.