Meet Rachel

“Instead of hoping for the best and seeing if it pans out, I’m making it pan out.” — Rachel Norman

“I was helping people, but it was not a business”

Rachel started a parenting blog for fun to share lessons she learned raising 4 young kids. At first, nobody read it. But after a few months, she started hearing positive feedback.

“I had readers who would say, ‘I can’t believe nobody told me this.’ ‘I can’t believe I didn’t know this.’ ‘My life is so much easier.’”

Though the advice she was sharing seemed obvious to her, it was new and insightful for her readers. And, she realized, there might be a way to turn the blog into a business.

The hidden cost of “free” advice

Rachel thought she could build her business using free material she found online. But most of the advice was short-sighted tactics for getting traffic — not building an actual business. She was overwhelmed by all the tactics and technical advice bombarding her.

“I lacked the information that I needed. And when I tried to get that information, it could take me hours and hours of research. And who even knew if what I was reading was even sound? I kept banging my head against the wall trying to find answers.”

The only strategy she had for building her business was to “write posts and wait for people to come.” How would that work?

After two years of blogging, all she had to show for it was 44 subscribers and $100 she made off a $2.99 ebook.

From wasting time to meeting goals

Frustrated and worn out, Rachel realized she had taken her blog as far as she could go on her own. She needed help from someone who had done what she wanted to do. Someone who would give her a proven system for building a business that would keep her from wasting any
more time.

She joined Zero to Launch and immediately saw the value of the course.

“When I first logged into Zero to Launch, I thought, ‘Finally, some clear, basic information that is going to work!’ It was clear, concise, and there was a method and a strategy. It was easy to understand and already far more valuable than all the free stuff I was trying to wade through.”

Unlike the plethora of free material online, Zero to Launch showed Rachel exactly what she needed to do right now. It gave her a step-by-step system, with each step building off the one before it.

“I’m actually meeting goals and moving forward and doing things, instead of just [blogging] whatever I feel like.”

“It’s a pleasure to work instead of a burden”

Rachel learned how to make every one of her posts valuable and get them in front of the right people. As a result, she’s grown her email list to 7,491 subscribers.

She also learned how to monetize her blog (beyond selling $2.99 ebook) and now makes $2,000-3,000 per month. All from a business that’s still growing.

Having a steady stream of income under her control even gave Rachel the freedom to quit her job and spend more time with her kids.

“I now see my job and my work as something that I’m in control of. And I can use it to be at home with my family, which was my entire goal.

“I’m able to craft the life I want to have with my family. Instead of just hoping for the best and seeing how it pans out, I’m making it pan out.”

Along with the freedom and flexibility, Rachel loves the work she’s now doing.

“[Zero to Launch] has changed the way I view working. It’s a pleasure to work now instead of a burden.”

Learn more from Rachel’s journey

We recently flew Rachel in so she could share more of her journey with Zero to Launch. Check out the full 16-minute interview below and hear:

• One technique she was afraid to use that turned out to be “a total game changer” (8:10)
• How Rachel won the support of her skeptical family when starting her business (10:00)
• Her recommendation on how to know if Zero to Launch is right for you (15:58)