Exploring Ella's Journey Beyond the 9-to-5 Paradigm
Introduction to Emmanuella Ndukwe-Obiukwu (Ella) and the Free At 50 Interview Series.
Ella is a self-taught Flexibility and Fitness Lover, who got tired of the conventional workout exercise process, and is currently on a journey to helping her audience exercise, get flexible and have fun doing it. Her passion is to help others live a healthy life. She is an entrepreneur at heart, living the dream of life outside of the traditional 9-5.
Read her Free At 50 interview below and check out all the interviews of inspiration and perseverance in designing a life outside the 9-5 in case you missed any!
Disclosure: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share, but it does not change your price.
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
1 Please tell us how, when, and why you decided to become an entrepreneur:
My journey towards entrepreneurship started in 2018. In my third year in college, I decided to help my brother sell his handmade bags. He wasn’t really good at the sales part, so I decided to help him.
It was a really tiresome process, going door to door selling them to fellow students, but in the end, I had sold almost all of it. It was CRAZY, plus I didn’t know I had it in me to actually sell something. So, I decided to look for ways to strengthen the skill and make something out of it.
I first started by trying to build an online presence, in the form of my blog in 2020, and I just went on since then.
Photo by Filip Kominik on Unsplash
2 What inspired your blog?
My little position as my brother’s sales representative, plus the crazy 9-5 internship I had was what inspired my blog.
It was a crazy month as an intern, and I told myself it wasn’t something I enjoyed doing. Honestly, I didn’t see myself doing that. So, I decided to look for ways to make money from home, and for my work to revolve around my life, not the other way around.
I decided to start my blog and base it on what I really love i.e. Fitness, Flexibility, and Lifestyle. These are things that I enjoyed doing, so why not turn my passion into a business model?
Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
3 Did you utilize resources, courses, or coaches to build your business?
I did utilize resources, and I still do. I make sure I use tools like Converkit (email marketing software) Canva, and Tailwind among others. These tools make my work so much easier, so I have more time to myself and creating more and more content for my subscribers.
I didn’t have a coach when I first started, and I didn’t use one when I first started, but I may do so later on as I grow my business.
And as for courses, I am obsessed with the courses available on HubSpot, and I also recently purchased a course on Pinterest marketing. I strongly believe that if you want to grow your business, you need to invest in yourself do much, so your skill and value will grow and you will be able to put out more in the competitive marketplace.
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
4 How did you determine your Ideal Client?
Getting to determine my Ideal client wasn’t such a huge task for me. I simply asked myself some questions:
· What is your business about?
· What value does your business offer to people?
· What kind of people are you serving?
· What are you giving to these people?
· If you were in your buyer’s shoes, why would you buy from yourself?
These questions are so simple yet so effective and these questions helped me draft out my ideal client and my mission statement which is:
“I help people enjoy their daily workout by providing fun and effective exercise and stretch routines”
Image by zuzyusa from Pixabay
5. How Long did it take you to meet your income goals?
I haven’t reached my income goals yet. However, I am working on a project that will help people actually have fun during their workouts and not feel like it is a chore.
This is such a huge way for me to serve my clients and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Photo by Ikhsan Sugiarto on Unsplash
6 How has your life improved by being an entrepreneur?
Honestly being an entrepreneur isn’t an easy task, but the rewards are well worth it. By consistently pursuing my goals daily, my world has opened up to new possibilities and opportunities.
I wasn’t always the type with a growth mindset, but I began to see things in a new light by being an entrepreneur. I see myself growing every day, mentally, physically, and emotionally and it is a path I will never regret choosing.
Photo by Katia Mk on Unsplash
7 Please share one book you will recommend for our readers and why?
Since 2020, I have immersed myself in various books and this may not be an easy pick. But to niche down, and based on the fact that a lot of people want to be entrepreneurs also, I will recommend a good book that helped me start my business with little capital. The name is ‘The $100 Start-up’ by ‘Chris Guillebeau.’
Why did I pick this? Because this book showed me exactly how I can start my business with $100 or less. You don’t need thousands of dollars to start a business, all you need is a product or service, people who will purchase and a way to get paid.
This is a must-read for every new entrepreneur, and this book helped me in so many ways.
However, Since I am such a book lover and always on the hunt for good books, I highly recommend you check out the books I have on my blog as well. I only pick the best and give the best.
Image by Надежда Дягилева from Pixabay
8 What is the Biggest tip you would give someone wanting to start their own business?
I will give you a little tip which I got from books I have read:
“Work on your Goals for just 5 minutes Daily”
I loved this tip I received myself, because it shows that 5 minutes a day every day, is better than nothing to reach your goals. And the crazy part about it is that you may think you will spend just five minutes, but trust me, you will spend much more than five minutes daily on your work.
Even if you find it boring, dedicate just five minutes every day to your craft and watch yourself grow more than you imagined.
Connect with Ella:
Pinterest: eeellarh
Facebook: eeellarh
