Paid ministry comes and goes. After decades of ministry work, I didn’t want to return to a traditional corporate job.

I firmly believe that work shouldn’t compromise your health, values, or dreams. But dreams are lost in today’s overwhelmed 9 to 5 culture.

Did you know I used to sell physical products–botanically-based cosmetics. I loved the products, but the business model wasn’t right for me.

The experience taught me much about sales; I met and networked with many business owners and volunteered at the Chamber of Commerce.

During the recession in 2007, I launched and co-hosted a radio talk show called BizTalk. We interviewed local businesses, providing them with free advertisements.

I sold airtime, wrote copy, and even recorded the commercials. Heck, that’s what you do in a small town to keep things going when the economy tanks.

Yesterday’s Experience Wasn’t Enough to Succeed Online.

When I decided to launch a website, I thought my experiences would translate easily into the online space, but there was so much I didn’t know about the virtual world.

Back then, I still lived in Redding, CA. When I reached out to the Small Business Development Center, they asked, “How do you plan to monetize the site?” Mone-what? I responded.

I launched my site, but I was so green.

I knew I had to align with people who had gone before me, but who?

I searched online. Regrettably, I bought expensive and terrible courses.

One day, I came across Social Media Examiner. They were having a virtual summit. Back then, they didn’t have their annual physical conference in San Diego.

The summit introduced me to some fantastic thought leaders. I aligned myself with experts like Marie Folio and Amy Porterfield. I joined Michael Hyatt’s Platform University in 2013. My “with who” list became longer than my to-do list.

A 5-Year Blogging Struggle Led to a Sabbatical.

I was blogging weekly, but I had no idea what to do next. I didn’t have a framework or a scalable plan.

It was in Michael Hyatt’s membership forum that I saw this guy Jonathan Milligan. He was everywhere, helping, supporting, and sharing knowledge. Who is this guy? Does he work for Hyatt?

That was my first connection with Jonathan—a relationship that eventually marked my life and helped me confidently move forward, building a lifelong friendship.

With his calm demeanor, Jonathan taught step-by-step processes for helping bloggers go full-time. Jonathan’s membership had different educational levels, so no one felt overwhelmed or under-challenged.

I joined his membership community but soon realized my premise or core message was wrong, and I had to start over.

Sometimes the answers we seek aren’t found in managing but in surrendering.

Exhausted, I decided to take a break–a two-year pause.

Rebranding Wasn’t Easy, But I Had a Hero.

“So now that you quit blogging, are you planning to do something else?” my husband asked.

“Quit?” I snapped back. “Who said anything about quitting?”

I had quit in my husband’s eyes, and that ticked me off. I don’t quit. I couldn’t quit. I had too many ideas.

Have you scribbled ideas on post-it notes and then–nothing. I pasted so many around my desktop; I created a yellow sticky frame.

I had a sticky mess–ideas, ideas–no execution.

My two-year blogging sabbatical gave me time to think about my relaunch with a new brand identity, Resilient Creator, but starting over seemed arduous. 

By now, I had become a certified copywriter and realized I wasn’t the only one struggling with clarity. My pain would be someone’s gain.

I took a deep breath, sat straight in my office chair, and fired up my computer to begin again. Finally, I was ready to relaunch a passion-driven, work-from-anywhere online business to help people solve one specific problem–online marketing. Ironic, right?

I was still a member of Jonathan’s membership site, so I started over–module by module.

I kept training at home or out of town because Jonathan had the qualities and achievements I aspired to develop. Whenever I was stuck, I’d get answers from one of Jonathan’s Facebook LIVE calls. He became my virtual hero.

Meet Jonathan Milligan

That’s why I traveled to Florida in June 2019 to attend Jonathan Milligan’s Blogging Your Passion Live. I knew if anyone could help me relaunch, Jonathan would help me flesh out ideas. 

It was amazing meeting him and his wife, Charity, face-to-face. Although he’s tall (or I’m short), I managed to hug his neck. The conference felt like a family reunion. It was encouraging, and I learned so much in two days.

Jonathan is the most genuine and generous entrepreneur I’ve met. In addition, he’s a gifted online expert and teacher.

He’s been blogging and running online businesses for over a decade, teaching hundreds of others how to leverage their blog and create a sustainable business.  

Jonathan helped me expand my business vision. As a result, I walked away with a clear plan, strategies, and the motivation to take bold steps. 

In business, we learn to accept failures as part of success, but we don’t have to do it alone. When a mentor helps you recover from a setback, you realize the power of influential leadership. Here’s the best news, we can all become influential leaders.

Your Message Matters, so who will you influence?

Marisa Shadrick