The Everyday Entrepreneur with Elizabeth Kendig : How she turned her necessity for healing into a profitable business
Welcome, welcome to my new series, The Everyday Entrepreneur!
Here you’ll find interviews with a newly highlighted business owner on the first Tuesday of every month.
With this series, I’ll be aiming to alleviate some of the starting-a-business-jitters by showcasing people who were once in your shoes who are now waving from the other side. They’ll share tales of their journey along with what, why, and how they did it and where you can start in your own personal journey.
I want to pump you up with so much inspiration from real-life examples, that there’s no way you can push your big idea to the back burner any longer!
Today’s spotlight is on my dear friend of mine, Elizabeth Kendig. Like me, Elizabeth is a fellow Minnesotan and we were introduced by a mutual friend when she made her way west to The Golden State!
Elizabeth kendig
Elizabeth is the founder of Healers, a virtual community and content platform for the spiritually curious, as well as the host of Healers podcast. Since launching in 2017, the show has received more than 500k downloads and supported countless listeners on their healing path.
In a past life, Elizabeth served as an editorial director and content strategist for Fortune 100 companies as well as an accidental influencer with an award-winning beauty blog and more than 5 million Pinterest followers.
But that’s only half the story…
Plagued by decades of depression, crippling perfectionism, and an autoimmune disease, she immersed herself in every holistic treatment and spiritual practice she could get her hands on. From shamanic journeys to chakra balancing, and silk cocoons to colonics, what began as a self-help bender eventually became a way of life—and saved her life.
Committed to making holistic health more accessible Elizabeth created Healers, offering virtual healing experiences, a growing network of trusted practitioners, and resources to help people heal themselves.
It’s all of the woo without the weird and everyone is invited.
Holly Knoll: Thank you so much for doing this. I'm super excited. This interview series is something I've been wanting to do forever. I'm obviously excited to be doing this with a good friend, first!
Elizabeth: Thank you for having me!
Holly Knoll: Yes! Okay, so let's get right into it. So the Everyday Entrepreneur was created to share the real-life stories of amazing people running businesses. Everything from what made someone start their businesses, to what’s made them successful.
Holly Knoll: You know there's tried and true tips and tricks in the industry that business owners can share. And that's what I want to bring to light here. I want to create a place for business owners to share what they've learned and what's helped them, and help others realize they can start businesses, too.
Holly Knoll: Does that make any sense? (laughs)
Elizabeth: It does. I'm going to have to listen to your show.
Holly Knoll: Right now it's just a blog so you'll have to read it. But a heartfelt thanks.
Elizabeth: Yeah, we're all just finding our way in the dark. There's no magic to running a business.
Holly Knoll: So, do you recall that moment when you decided, this is it: I'm going to break free and start my own thing?
Elizabeth: I do. I started my first business more than a decade ago and I bring this up because it sort of becomes addictive. Once you are an entrepreneur. It's in your blood. And there's really no going back.
I was a magazine editor and I had started a blog, back when blogs were new. I was getting traction with my blog. I also realized that by consulting and freelancing I could ease my way into working for myself.
I did my spreadsheets, my pros and cons, and my budget. And then I was all in.
Holly Knoll: was your first business a consulting and freelancing business? Is this when you were you testing to see if business ownership was right for you?
Elizabeth: Yeah, it was. I was an editor and a writer and what I was actually starting besides that was becoming an “influencer” before there were influencers. I was in beauty and wellness space and I knew that I could consult and work with corporations on their editorial strategy. In parallel, I toiled on my own brand, which included a blog social media collaborations with other brands.
The thing about owning a business, is that you don't always know where this road is going to take you, but I really knew that the subject matter and creating a business around beauty was what I wanted to do and I would figure it out as I went.
Holly Knoll: I love it. Testing the waters of business ownership with freelancing and consulting and being super passionate about beauty, health, and wellness on the side.
Holly Knoll: Did you have a steady income coming from the freelance work that allowed you to also experiment with the beauty side?
Elizabeth: When I launched my beauty business, and more recently with Healers, my healing wellness platform, there were definitely savings involved. I've self-funded both times. The first time I had freelance and consulting work as steady income. The second time was definitely a decision for my family to go 100% out on my own. My husband said, it's your turn to do this.
Holly Knoll: Tell us about the business that you have now. You've recently launched Healers, your second business. What would you say to those people at home that want to start a business, but don’t know how or if they have a good idea?
Elizabeth: Right. Launching Healers felt like one of the biggest risks that I've taken professionally because it hasn't been done before. I knew it was a good idea because it makes holistic healing accessible with content. We have a podcast where I talk to practitioners and we have a network of trusted healing practitioners. So everyone from acupuncturist to tarot card readers.
And we also have a virtual membership community so that when you're ready to dig in and work more with those healing practitioners, you can do that through live sessions. We just had a holistic nutritionist on the show sharing her recipes!
I knew that there was a need from not only having a couple of years under my belt as a podcaster but by listening to my audience’s needs, they wanted one place to find all of these incredible people to work with.
Holly Knoll: Did you ever wish something like Healers existed as you've gone through various states within your own mental health journey?
Elizabeth: 100%. I had a therapist once call me the walking wounded, which is a psychological term for someone who's a high functioning depressed person. I combated my lifelong depression with ambition, perfectionism, and overachievement. At some point, I burned out and hit a wall. My professional life was everything I had hoped it would be, and I still felt terrible.
So people started introducing me to their healers who would ultimately save my life by introducing me to myself. I found peace, the love of my life, and a whole new career path that I hadn't planned on. I know. Yay! Right?
Holly Knoll: I love it, I love it. So many, if not most, entrepreneurs have created their business (me included) based upon a pain point we’ve had. We get the idea and run with solving the problem!
“I don’t know how you would build a business around something that you don’t care about.”
Elizabeth: Yes, I don't know how you would build a business around something that you don't care about.
Holly Knoll: The amount of just sheer effort that goes into creating and running a business, you have to care about it and it has to come from your heart. And I think if it doesn't, you won't succeed.
Elizabeth: Not gonna resonate.
Holly Knoll: What would you say to someone who is starting a business, whose family and friends aren’t supportive, or just don’t get it?
Elizabeth: Three things. Smile and say thank you. Find people who are in your space who do get what you're doing, because you're going to need that village.
And then, meditate a few minutes a day. Get quiet and remember why you're doing this in the first place. When you tune out all that noise, whether it's sitting on a cushion or just going for a walk, you hear what you need. And that's all there really is at the end of the day. Yeah. Yep.
Holly Knoll: I totally agree. I fall on and off the meditation wagon and you know it's really not a lot of work per se, you're just sitting down and not doing anything but yet you are doing so much! Some days the hardest thing I do is stay focused and present.
Holly Knoll: So getting more tactical. How do you find clients?
Elizabeth: The advice that I've always given to people who want to start a blog or want to start selling something that has some content component is to make someone else famous or include someone else in your work, because if you interview them like you're interviewing me, I'm now going to share this interview with my community.
And help someone. Because that has a synergistic effect just by the law of attraction.
Holly Knoll: I love that. I strongly believe that what you put out there, you get back.
Holly Knoll: My last question, imagine you're back in your corporate America days and you are doing work you no longer are interested in. Going through the motions. What would you tell that person sitting in their desk right now on how to get started?
Elizabeth: Start by enjoying the job that you have right now. Figure out how to feel good in your current role because that will shift your energy to see the possibilities, versus making a change from a place of fear or frustration.
Holly Knoll: Yes, there are so many people that I interact with on a daily basis that are going through the motions and don't love what they do. Why not find a way to bring something in that you're passionate about or interested in, even if it's a side hustle.
Holly Knoll: Elizabeth, a final thing as we wrap up. I promise. Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you feel would help my audience or you want people to know?
Elizabeth: Well, this is something that you and I have talked about. I’ve always felt more confident that I can tackle self-employment when I have a part-time or steady situation.
Because I've done it both ways. And I would say there's nothing wrong with sort of easing your way into self-employment. We tend to be really black and white and just want to, like, go for it. But having a strong safety net and stability really takes the pressure off.
“There’s nothing wrong with sort of easing your way into self-employment. We tend to be really black and white and just want to, like, go for it. But having a strong safety net and stability really takes the pressure off.”
Holly Knoll: So totally agree. The whole “overnight success” myth.
Elizabeth: I don't buy into the hustle like lifestyle because it's not glamorous.
Holly Knoll: I always say, it’s never cute to be poor! I mean, take life by the horns. Do your passion. That's great. Just don’t be reckless.
Holly Knoll: So where can people find you online?
Elizabeth: Everything you need is at healerswanted.com. You can listen to our podcast there and join our community. You can find a healer and the link to our Instagram from there.
Holly Knoll: Thank you so much for doing this. And for being the very first guest on the Everyday Entrepreneur!
Elizabeth is such a genuine inspiration of what it looks like to shake off your corporate and inner cobwebs to allow yourself the freedom of running your own business.
I hope you found her story encouraging. Over the next couple of months, I aim to showcase a diverse pool of business owners in this series that are bound to shed some much-needed light on what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Spoiler alert: it’s not as scary as it sounds!
Now head on over to Healers and sign up - you’ll get your first month FREE with the code healerswanted.
I would love to hear any questions you have or feedback on this new series too so don’t be shy to send me a message!
Holly works with professionals to create services-based businesses using expertise and strengths they already have. Holly is the creator of The Consultant Code, a program will have you up, running, and profitable with your services-based business in 60 days or less! Want to learn more? Drop her a note at: holly@hollyknoll.com