Sixteen Years of Self-Employment: The Highs, Lows, and Everything in Between

For all the new followers here—and the old—I thought we’d go on a little journey through the last 16 years of being self-employed. I get real about the ups and downs, and the ways my business has changed and evolved along the way.

Getting Started

When I graduated from massage school in 2009, the first step was getting my license and deciding where I wanted to practice. I knew I wanted to be somewhere with established foot traffic—not completely on my own. I decided to rent a room at a nail salon.

The owners were a Vietnamese couple, and the salon was always busy. It turned out to be a wise choice, though I didn’t stay long. They offered me free rent for the month of December, but since I wasn’t licensed yet, I couldn’t charge for massage. So I sat there for hours—introducing myself, giving free chair massages, answering their phone, and waiting for my license to arrive in the mail.

From January, when my license arrived, to April, I worked at the salon during the day and waited tables in the evenings.

The owners brought their kids to work, and—as you’d expect—those little bodies were bored and loud, running all over the salon and occasionally into my treatment room. One day, Kaley, a friend and former massage instructor, came in for a session and casually said, “Wanna get out of here? You can rent a room with me for $200 a month.” I was sold.

The Long Haul

It only took a few months of working on my own to realize I had to quit my night job. People wanted massages at 5:30 p.m., and I was expected at my other job at 5. In my gut, I knew that as long as I had a backup plan, I’d never fully commit to building my main business. So I gave my two weeks’ notice—scary, but necessary.

I worked hard to build my clientele. Often, I had a client scheduled at 9 AM and then not another one until 4 and 5:30 PM. Most days I sat around just in case someone walked in. Then, in February 2011—just over a year into my practice—I found out I was pregnant. I worked until I was 37 weeks along. The day I had Nora I had massaged all day and finished at the hospital that Friday evening. Kaley and I supported each other through both our pregnancies, covering rent for each other and treating each other’s clients when needed.

The Diet Doc Years

Five years into my career, I added group fitness and personal training to my repertoire. Then I leveled up and bought into the franchise, The Diet Doc. I was now splitting my time between massage therapy and nutrition and weight-loss coaching.

During this period, I moved into a larger space and said goodbye to my coworker of seven years, who was relocating. It was my first time taking on a space that required construction to make it my own—an intimidating but rewarding leap.

Over my five years with The Diet Doc, I expanded my space three different times. I hired two coaches and a personal trainer as the business grew. It was an exciting, busy chapter in my career.

Cancer

As often happens, the highs were followed by a low. In 2019, my husband at the time, Armando, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. It had a far greater impact on my career than I realized in the moment.

Until then, my work had been the centerpiece of my life. But when faced with a life-changing diagnosis, everything shifts. I may not have been the one with cancer, but I became a full-time caregiver, stretched thin in every direction.

One day, during a consultation with a nutrition client, I broke down—tears mid-session. That was the moment I knew I couldn’t keep coaching at full capacity and still show up as my best self. Thankfully, I had a supportive team, and from then on, I referred new clients to my colleague, Angie.

I never fully bounced back from that season. By 2020, as COVID changed everyone’s world, Armando and I were finding our new normal. He was cancer-free but learning to live without a stomach. Around that time, I took a part-time job as an office manager.

My new schedule looked like this: nutrition clients from 8–9 a.m., office work down the street from 9–4, and one massage at the end of the day from 4:15–5:15. The space away from health and nutrition coaching was unexpectedly refreshing.

Be Well Studio

That change brought another big decision. I was no longer utilizing the franchise support from The Diet Doc, so in 2022, I stepped away and rebranded as Be Well Studio.

Soon after, more shifts came. Angie left to pursue a new career. I returned to massage full-time, became certified as a UESCA Ultrarunning Coach in 2024, and reduced my hours as an office manager.

Today

Now, Be Well Studio is just me—and I love it that way. My days are a mix of massage therapy, online run coaching, personal training, writing, and content creation. I also help my husband, Sam, with admin work for his businesses.

At the end of 2024, I leased part of my office to Danielle, a physical therapist and owner of Root to Rise Therapy. Next month, we’re adding another PT, Rachel Dillavou of Athletic Advantage.

I love sharing a space with physical therapists—it creates a community of professionals who truly care about helping people move better and recover well. We refer clients to each other often, and it feels like a natural partnership built on shared passion.

Lessons for Aspiring Business Owners

If you’re dreaming of starting your own business—whether it’s massage, coaching, or something entirely different—here are a few lessons from my 16 years of doing this:

1. Start where you are. You don’t need the perfect space, brand, or website to begin. You need clients—and you get them by showing up consistently.

2. Bet on yourself. There will never be a “safe” time to go all in. At some point, you have to trust your gut and take the leap. But too many safety nets might keep you from diving in fully.

3. Build relationships. Your clients are people, not transactions. Care deeply, listen well, and word-of-mouth will do more than any ad ever can.

4. Expect evolution. Your business will change as your life does—and that’s a good thing. Don’t resist growth or reinvention. There were so many days, months, and even years when I felt like the shifts were failures. But they were necessary steps and changes.

5. Rest is part of the plan. Burnout helps no one. Take days off, delegate when you can, and protect your energy like you protect your income. My days ranked at the top of a large franchise were rewarding, but it was never sustainable, and it was incredibly stressful trying to figure out how I would stay there. My current season feels sustainable. 

6. Break up with “shoulds.” One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in self-employment is feeling like my day should look a certain way. I’ve caught myself feeling guilty if my schedule isn’t packed from 9 to 5—forgetting that one of the perks of being self-employed is flexibility. You get to design your day around what truly matters, not what others expect it to look like.

Closing Thoughts

Being self-employed has been one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done. It’s taught me resilience, flexibility, and how to rebuild—again and again.

Sixteen years later, I’m still here, doing work I love and helping people feel and perform their best. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade a single step of the journey.