Fully Booked VA Blog

How I Grew an Online Business While Dealing With Health Issues

There are a lot of things that can get in the way when you’re trying to start an online business – not enough time, not enough money, not enough motivation. We’ve heard all of these reasons and more from people who were miserable in their day jobs, yet were too afraid to go out on their own.

But today’s guest poster, Elizabeth Neumann is here to show us that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Elizabeth managed to grow an online business despite having to deal with health concerns. Take it away Elizabeth!

online business with health issues

Another day in bed…

Soo frustrating to have another wasted day…

That was my life in 2010 when my health decided to go completely downhill.

I began to experience extreme fatigue, weakness and constant headaches from having low ferritin (iron stores) that left me bed-ridden and having to move back in with my parents. On top of it all, I was not able to return to a job that I enjoyed and I couldn’t socialize and travel like I used to.

Since then my health has been up and down (with more downs), over the last few years.

Luckily, I somehow kept a positive attitude throughout.

I turned to my laptop and cell phone from the bed or couch and found blogs, podcasts and videos that brought me into the online world.

At first, I was taking in the content to learn and keep my mind off of how I was feeling.

But slowly I started to see the opportunities that other people were making for themselves…

I realized that making money online will help in three important ways.

1. It Allows Me the Flexibility to Create my Own Hours

I would have the flexibility to work around how I felt with the convenience of working from the bed, couch or, when I felt better, really from anywhere in the world!

This could mean no more pushing myself physically to get through the workday since I could sleep in if my body was too achy, lay down in the afternoon if I felt tired out or lightheaded or even work less days if I needed to.

Best of all, it would mean that I could conserve my energy and use it to do more socializing and activities like I used to!

I would feel better overall since I would have control of how much I did with my days.

2. It Opens Up Opportunities for Increased Income

Between having to take months off work, spending extra money on looking for alternatives to help me feel better quicker and buying supplements to support my health, my income was going downhill just as my health had.

I continued to learn through the free material that many podcasts and blogs provide.

But when I was back to my normal work hours, I began to invest some money towards courses and services that I felt would help me move forward.

Two of these were Gina’s courses.

Her 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success and 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success* courses gave me the information I needed to start making an income online and see the many opportunities there are out there.

[*2021 Update – These courses are now known as Freelance Writing for Virtual Assistants and VA Foundations, and both are included in our VA training program, The #FullyBookedVA System.]

I also had been teaching Beginner Spanish in person, but it had become difficult to attend each lesson since I couldn’t possibly predict how I would feel come the time of the class.

So, I thought, ‘I can teach it online instead,’ which made it convenient not only for my existing clients but also for anyone in the world. It also gave me the flexibility I needed because I didn’t have to attend the classes in person.

It’s a win-win for everyone!

online business health issues

 

3. It Gives Me Something Positive to Work On

And it gives me something to think about, other than my health issues.

Dealing with health issues can be a true test of how you deal with stress and frustrating situations.

I figured out early on that I had to accept how I felt and work on solutions since I couldn’t afford to waste my already low energy on feeling down or too frustrated.

When the fatigue was really bad, my life was at a standstill. But even though it was tough, I figured being in a negative mood about it wouldn’t take it away (and would make me feel worse since I needed to relax and rest).

Looking at the online business opportunities, my mind started swirling with ideas.

These ideas grew quickly as I started to feel better.

I joined a lot of Facebook groups that had members talking about having a positive mindset along with discussing the different aspects of working online.

As I learned more, I noticed that it gave me a stronger mindset to deal with my health BUT it also gave me something to look forward to and new to talk about to my supportive boyfriend (now husband), family and friends.

Through this time, I learned a few things about working online while balancing it out with my health needs.

If you are going through a long-term illness, injury or even if you are facing a horrible flu, here’s three tips to remember as you work towards your online opportunities.

1. Take Breaks!

I know it’s hard when you are trying to figure something out or when you’re excited to be working on your business, but you have to take breaks when your body lets you know it’s time.

I’ve been guilty of this a few times and learned the hard way that I ended up feeling worse.

I ended up working longer than I should’ve and either ate later than I was supposed to or I was not taking the time to lay down and rest.

I now listen to my body and eat or rest when needed, which actually allows me to keep working that day instead of not feeling well enough to continue.

Sometimes short periods of work can be quite effective if that’s what you can manage.

For ideas on what can be done during short bursts, check out Lisa Tanner’s post 50 Quick Freelancing Tasks to Grow Your Business in 15 Minutes or Less.

So, please remember to take those much-needed breaks.

working online withe health issues

 

2. Take a Full Day Off (or More)   

Apart from breaks, you have to remember to take advantage of the flexibility that working online offers and take complete days off.

This can either be planned days off so you can rest or days off as needed based on how you feel.

When I’m not feeling well and I know that I need to rest, it can feel like a wasted day. That’s when I remind myself that giving myself the day off will help me to continue the next day.

If I don’t, I will instead feel worse and need to rest for more days.

This also applies to those tough emotional days where I would give myself that day to feel frustrated with feeling restricted by my health, but I would tell myself that the next day I would feel positive again.

It’s great to re-energize and be able to continue with things we want to get done, both in our personal lives and our online work.

3. Get Ready for the Ups and Downs of Entrepreneurship

The entrepreneurship journey will definitely be full of ups and downs!

It can get tough at times, especially when we start to work outside our comfort zone by implementing new knowledge and taking care of all of the different parts of an online business.

It’s important to remember these ups and downs will continue on as you will continue learning new things and as you grow your business and online work.

Reading books such as The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and keeping positive messages on my cell phone and on my bathroom mirror have been a few of the strategies that I have used to keep moving forward.

Letting others help you when your health restricts you from doing your regular life is just as important as asking for help online.

 

If you have health concerns and are looking for a way for earn extra income or work full-time, remember that earning money online can give you the flexibility of hours that you need while providing opportunities to increase your income while having something positive and new to focus on.

Please remember to take breaks, schedule days off or take them as you need them. Realize that there will be ups and downs throughout, so plan your best method to deal with them.

Ready to start your own journey in online business? Join The #FullyBookedVA System and let’s do this – together.

ElizabethNeumannElizabeth Neumann turned her love for Spanish and traveling to blogging about strategies to learn Spanish and sharing cultural tips to use when traveling to Spanish-speaking countries at www.spanishforsuccess.ca. She also eases the overwhelming amount of work that entrepreneurs experience by offering Virtual Assistant and Freelance Writing services at www.elizabethneumann.ca.

Gina Horkey

Gina Horkey

FOUNDER & CO-OWNER

Gina Horkey is a married, millennial mama from Minnesota. Additionally, she’s the founder of Horkey HandBook and loves helping others find or become a kickass virtual assistant. Gina’s background includes making a living as a professional writer, an online business marketing consultant and a decade of experience in the financial services industry.

Not sure which services to offer as a Virtual Assistant?

Enter your email and we’ll send you a full list of what you can sell, how valuable those skills are and where to find clients to serve!