It's been a year since I launched Fitalicious Nutrition. Where has the time gone?!? It's been an interesting year. I've learnt a lot, I've met some interesting people, I've had some late nights and some early mornings... Was it worth it? Hell yeah!
Before the launch...
1. Technical struggles
The process of setting up the business wasn't easy. It all started with a logo. I'd done a lot of research to find someone who could design me a logo without it costing me a fortune. I came across the People Per Hour website which has a portfolio of freelancers offering their skills and talents at reasonable prices. I had to input the name of my company and provide a description of my business. I then started to receive lots of messages with some drafts. I found a company that I liked and began the process of designing the logo. I chose one of their drafts and started going back and forth with amendments. My dad helped me a lot with this. With his artistic eye and imagination, we created the final logo which you can see above. The company was very helpful and patient. They really listened and made sure I was happy with every little detail in the logo. All of this at a set price! Even better!
Creating the website took months. I decided to build a website myself as I wasn't in a position to pay hundreds of pounds to have one designed for me. I researched a few websites that provide free templates. I found that Wix offered a good variety of templates and was easy to navigate. Without the technical know-how it was frustrating at times as I wasn't seeing the results fast enough. However, once I got the hang of it and started to see this little blank canvas becoming more and more like a website, it was very rewarding. With a full time job at the same time, the only time I had to do any work on the website were early mornings and late evenings. I slept 5 hours most nights but I loved every minute and was so proud of every new page or paragraph. I'm very happy with how it turned out.
2. But is it good enough?
Being a perfectionist is a curse. Before the launch of my website I knew it was far from perfect. I wanted more recipes, more blog posts, more to offer... more... more... more...
On the other hand, there was the fear of being judged or laughed at. I wasn't sure whether I was good enough, whether I knew enough or whether I was ready to coach people.
I realised that with this attitude I was never going to get anywhere. After all, what is perfection? And how can I be sure that what might seem perfect to me, is also perfect to other people? Am I actually going to please everyone? Is it even possible to know everything? Do I want to wait until I feel ready or until I feel good enough? The answer to that was NO.
I was lucky enough to find my passion and I knew that I wanted to help others change their lives for the better and I wasn't going to let my fears or doubts stop me. I had allowed my fears to influence my decision-making for far too long, enough was enough.
After the launch...
I was shocked with the amount of positive messages I received after announcing the launch of Fitalicious Nutrition. It gave me a huge boost of energy.
I had my first client and I couldn't wait to start. I didn't know what to expect as I'd never done coaching before but after the first session I knew it was going to be great. I was spending an hour in the morning and a few hours in the evening working on analysing Dominika's food diaries, creating meal plans, planning our next sessions... I loved every minute. What I loved the most was seeing my client changing. Not only did her weight start to go down but also her mindset started to change. This is when I realised that I had made the right decision. Dominika and I had helped each other - I gave her the tools she needed to change her life and she gave me a huge confidence boost.
I recently interviewed Dominika as it was her anniversary of starting the programme a year ago. I wanted to check in with her to see how she was doing. Keep your eyes open for next week's blog post!
What hasn't been easy is maintaining the website. I needed to prioritise and decided to focus my time and energy on other things. Working with clients, studying, having a full time job, training and trying to have a bit of a social life at the same time is challenging and requires some dedication and compromise. I have moments when I feel overwhelmed by it all and I am still learning how to balance everything. This definitely requires some good organisational skills and also knowing when to take a break.
What's next? This past year has taught me a few lessons and given me some new ideas. The next 5-6 months my focus will be on qualifying as a Clinical Weight Loss Practitioner, improving my business, growing my professional network, going out of my comfort zone and challenging myself. I am very grateful for the last 12 months and for every client that I had the pleasure to work with. I am curious about what this year will bring and excited for the future! Thank you for all your support. Every like, every share and every positive comment means the world to me! Much love x