Lisa Found Clarity and Confidence by Bringing Her Passions Together Online

Q: Can you share a quick overview of your business — what you do and who you help?
A: Okay. Well, mine is actually a funny story because at the time I started the cohort, I really didn't think I had a business. Right now, I've been more studying coding, learning about websites. But a few years ago, I did publish a book and for different reasons, it didn't have a site of its own. I was only given three words as an option for what would be for the book. So, it kind of felt like it's just sitting there, but is it really a business or not? So, it just kind of felt blah that way. That's kind of the mindset I was in when I started the cohort.

Q: What is your book about?
A: It's called Thyme and Seasonings. And it's kitchen analogies, but it's also inspirational and it helps people figure out where they're at in life. It's a self-help style. So, it's really good to give some real insight.

Q: Congratulations on publishing a book! How long have you been writing?
A: Well, I started writing in 2012, but I didn't really call myself a professional. I've done several blogs through the years. I've attempted other businesses. At one point, I was creating jewelry and trying to sell jewelry and I just haven't been able to find that niche. It just seemed, okay, why is this not working? What is going on here?

Q: Do you have any team members or collaborators?
A: No, that's why everything felt so clueless. So just imagine something just sitting on a shelf virtually, because it's online, and you don't really know what to do with it. It's there. You love it. You just don't know what to do with it. Anything you've tried hasn't really worked. So you're going in this other direction of, I want to learn more about websites because I've created them through different sources where you fill in the blanks for everything. But I wanted to understand more how they work. And I have realized you still need both to make things happen because managing everything by yourself is a lot of work. Writing everything in. But so you could average me as clueless before starting the cohort.

Q: What problems were you hoping to solve by joining the cohort?
A: I was looking for some type of direction. I felt comfortable with who the course was offered by. So, I wanted to delve in more and see more what I could find out, and I had no idea what type of journey I was about to go on.

Q: Had you tried improving your digital presence before this?
A: Oh, sure. I tried social media years ago. Didn't get what I really thought was needed for it. So, I just kind of felt lost.

Q: Have you seen any tangible results since implementing what you learned?
A: Well, since I haven't really been able to get customers just yet, but now I have more knowledge and I have a bigger set of goals and ideas of what to do. I actually am looking at developing a website that doesn't just feature the book, because that's where I was struggling. It's, well, is my identity just this book and that's it? And I didn't want it to feel like a pitch. But I've actually realized what a lot of people need is just a place to be able to relax for a few minutes, just to be able to get away from everything. So that's also what the site really is going to be about.

So imagine a site with tips and tricks on different ways to relax, having beautiful pictures, nice music, just a place to get away for a few minutes and recharge.

Q: That sounds wonderful. What inspired that idea?
A: It's my way of paying it forward with what I'm learning because I've always cared about helping people. That was the purpose of the book before, and I think now it's evolved into something more.

Q: Do you feel more confident with your digital skills now?
A: Oh yes, I do. There are still areas where I need help, but a lot of these courses caused me to take a clear look at myself because I kept asking myself, well, what is it I can really do with this? What is the purpose behind this? Knowing there's a reason I'm here in these classes, but it wasn't becoming clear at first.

So, I kind of had the forms, okay, how can I really answer this? And it was, okay, I can answer, I'm studying code right now, or I have a book. And it was kind of tossing between both of them. And through taking this course, realizing how it all really is merging together.

Q: What were your biggest challenges during the cohort?
A: For me, because I deal with just a certain amount of energy level, that has definitely been a challenge—keeping up with that, which is partly why I've been on this journey for so long. But also just understanding the concepts, feeling more comfortable with somehow I misjudged myself at where I am with certain things of what I can do and realizing other people's comfort level. Listening to the community has been a big help—realizing I'm not so far off as I thought I was with things and that everybody, we're all just trying and learning and trying new things. We're just doing. And that's what I learned—instead of being on the sidelines, I can be in that too.

Q: What other skills would you like to learn next?
A: Well, I wrote a few things down. Let's see. Definitely more about being able to do video calls, podcasts. Definitely more about creating images. Chat GPT, love it. With marketing, how to keep a good pace and not getting burnt out—that's really important.

Definitely want to learn more about the design for the website, creating the content calendar and how to keep up, because I did have blogs years ago. What happened to me is I actually got burnt out because I was trying to do a post every couple of weeks and that ended up being too difficult—writing a blog every couple of weeks and trying to keep up with that.

And to shock you, at one time I did run three blogs at once—yeah—and writing books. So, I really jumped, and I need to find how to stay focused, not jump too far, just enough, but still be able to keep going.

And a lot of these other skills—definitely with social media, I'm clueless in that world. I did try it years ago. I don't think it was the right choices for what I'm trying to do with it because I didn’t get where, after all those years, I really had followers follow the book, which doesn’t make sense. So there’s something I’m missing with that.

Also, learning how to do some digital cleanup because I’ve found that some of the information I’ve had is incorrect—such as on Goodreads where they have my book mentioned more than once published—and just some of the tedious back and forth on how to manage, how to do the paperwork of an actual business. There’s a lot of things that I can use help with. Probably too many to describe. I described quite a few.

Q: Did you feel supported in the GeekPack® community?
A: Completely. That’s one of the things that really encouraged me to step forward with it because I didn’t feel alone. If I had done this by myself without community, I would have felt so lost. I really would have. I would have been going through the motions.

But there are so many things that I’ve learned that are out of my comfort zone, and just to even hear, “Oh, what you’re doing is okay,” or, “That’s normal to feel that way,” or other people saying, “Yeah, I’m struggling with that too,” that helped a lot instead of feeling like I’m the one on the sideline watching everyone else run a race.

And that’s what I’ve struggled with for a while. So community is highly important with all of this. I think without it, I don’t know if I could have finished. It would have been just persistence, but I don’t think I would have been able to be who I am now. It changed me. It did.

Q: What was your biggest takeaway from the cohort?
A: I think it was around week four or five when it really started to click of what I could do. The first couple of weeks I was learning everything but still, “How do I really answer these questions?”

Website design—I was into that one. Definitely important with colors. But I think it was when I started learning more about the SEO, actually, because that’s when it clicked that I can have more SEO words for what I have instead of just two or three small choices that are there right now, which is nearly impossible for someone to really find the book.

And I realized I can create something. It dawned on me there really hasn’t been an avenue for anyone to learn anything about it. And that’s when it dawned on me that I could create something.

So I guess I take it back—it really is week two that I started really feeling it with starting to think about a website again, because remember as I said before, I’ve tried designing websites before. So I kind of know the motions of where you fill in the blanks. Okay, I put my image here, I place this here. Also with doing my own blogs. But with this, this gave me more of a business perspective that I didn’t have before.

Before I was just guessing—“Okay, I think these colors look great.” Now I realize there were a lot of mistakes I made in the past. But when I had a chance to really start thinking about the SEO, that’s when it really woke me up that this isn’t done—not to ignore the book part, even though I’m studying and learning websites—not to let go of the book part of me too. I hadn’t done that in a long time.

Q: What did you find most valuable about the program?
A: That’s a tough question. It’s tough because you really can’t sum it up into one. There are multiple things about it—such as the community, that’s a huge piece.

Also, the way the courses are designed, even the order of them—starting with strategy and branding. The order of the courses was genius. It opened my eyes. And I absolutely loved the Zoom replays as well to tie everything together through the week. I looked forward to every web session.

Q: What does the future look like for your business now?
A: Since now I have an idea of what to do, I’m looking forward to designing the website. I feel like I actually have a goal placed for myself. I’m looking at attempting social media, even though completely out of my comfort zone—just learning how to do the posts or how often. That’s an area I’m completely uncomfortable with.

I’m very shy and very behind the scenes. So, for me, creating the website and realizing that it’s more than Time and Seasonings, that there’s more to this, is exciting.

Before, I had one blog specific to Time and Seasonings, another for helping people who deal with chronic pain, another for fiction writing, and one for food writing. I had all of them separated, thinking that was the wise direction—huge mistake. Never try to balance that many blogs at once. It’s exhausting.

What I’m looking forward to is having a website where all those pieces of who I am can blend into one spot instead of being so scattered.

Q: Any final thoughts or feedback?
A: I just wanted to say thank you for offering this course. It’s fantastic. It really opened my eyes. If it opened my eyes, which were totally clueless, I can only imagine what it’s going to do for someone with more direction before they start.

I’m looking forward to how this evolves and grows. I’m excited to hear that a lot of people are really enjoying this, and that’s really important—to enjoy the journey. I’m excited about what I’m doing. I’m scared at the same time, but I’m just going to go for it.