Welcome to another Student Success Story here at Horkey HandBook… All of our student stories are awesome, and this one is truly incredible!
We love featuring people who have taken the 30 Days or Less courses and have taken massive action on what they’ve learned. Today’s post is an excellent example of that! Every story is a little bit different from the others, and they all have some unique wisdom to share.
In this post we’re featuring Qat Wanders, a health and wellness writer and practitioner who has just published a bestselling book about yoga. We love Qat’s ambition and dedication to her niche, but what impressed us the most is her deep belief that she’s finally doing what she’s meant to do.
Name: Qat Wanders
Website: www.qatwanders.com
Course enrollment date: January 2017
Business launch date: January 2017
Date hired by first client: January 2017
Hours worked per week: I have no idea. But A LOT!
Average monthly income: $5,000 – $35,000
Top three services: Ghostwriting, editing, blogging. Mostly in the health, wellness and spirituality niches.
Hi, Qat! Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have been a writer since I could pick up a pencil.
I have always had a natural talent and the words to seem to flow out of me.
My two biggest passions in life are writing and yoga. And I have finally figured out a way to marry the two, to make a difference in the world and help raise the global vibration. This is my life calling. I know this for a fact because as soon as I threw myself wholeheartedly into this, everything just fell into place for me. It has expanded more than I could ever imagine.
I have also been correcting people’s grammar and finding typos in written works since I first started learning about the English language. I have now studied seven languages and I have passionately pursued writing, translating, and editing because of this.
What about your business?
I am a best-selling author, wellness mentor, and freelance writer.
I specialize in helping people overcome chronic pain through yoga and prepare for the end of their life. I do this through coaching as well as writing – it’s what my website focuses on.
How did you decide to start working online?
There were a couple of reasons actually.
Number one, I have been suffering from a lifetime of chronic pain. This makes it very difficult for me to get out in the workforce and be independent because my health could be so unpredictable. Normal jobs just weren’t an option for me. I had to find something that I could do on my own schedule.
Number two, writing was the obvious next step. Like I said, I have been writing my whole life. I have always had a talent for it and I decided it was time to go freelance with it. I had been doing editing work for many years so I decided to take that leap.
How long did it take you to earn your course investment back?
I actually earned it back about six days before I even completed the course with my first client – a $250 blog post.
What was your biggest fear before you started your business?
I had no time for fear, I’m a single mom. I just stuck my blinders on and plowed forward. Full speed ahead!
What was the most challenging part about getting started?
The technical side of things was very difficult for me. I can’t even express how grateful I was for how specifically the 30 Days or Less course laid everything out for me. It is literally the launching pad that started my entire business!
How did you overcome this challenge?
I overcame it through a ridiculous amount of effort. I can’t even count the number of hours I must have spent trying to figure everything out and getting my ducks in a row. I had to get a business license, bank accounts, EIN, a website up and running, figure out how to take payments… Setting up all sorts of different profiles … That was a lot to handle at once!
What has been your biggest success since you’ve started?
Where do I even start? So much has happened! So much success!
I am finally doing what I have always wanted to do. What I was meant to do.
I wake up in the morning now, and I actually look forward to working.
I love my career so much I could just explode! It is rare to find such a satisfying career.
Can you tell us about your highest paying project?
Haha! That’s an easy one. I recently had a recurring blog post client — so someone I have been writing weekly blog posts for for the last 6 months — decide she wanted me to ghostwrite a book for her. My rates are $1 per word, she wants her book to be around 60,000 words … You do the math!
What are you working on right now?
Quite a lot! I am still trying to perfect my website so that it is as efficient as I would like.
I am also running a coaching business as well as an online program now (after I published my recent best-selling book that brought me multiple chronic pain clients).
So on top of editing, ghostwriting, coaching, social media expansion, and website design, I am also putting the finishing touches on my second book, which is about to come out this month, called Overcoming Chronic Pain Through Yoga.
What are you looking forward to most over the next 12 months?
Taking my business to the next-highest level. And then onward from there!
I have written a few novels that will be hitting the market pretty soon as well.
Qat Wanders has wandered around the world for most of her life. Her nomadic nature has given her a deep passion for world languages, world religion, and different cultures, along with an insatiable urge to help people who are suffering. She is a professional health and wellness writer, end-of-life coach, and sought-after wellness mentor. She is the best-selling author of Yoga for YOU, and a monthly contributor and editor for Spiritual Biz Magazine. You can find her work at www.QatWanders.com.
