The Entrepreneurial Spirit

Me again!

I wrote this one to give you guys an insight into what makes me tick, and what circumstances brought me to where I am today!

Wherever you are and whatever your circumstances in this crazy time, I hope you enjoy a little behind the scenes of Rural Healthstyle!

I've always been bit of an entrepreneur, a bit of a schemer! Looking for any way to earn a bit of money; trying to create something that people would want to buy, or wanting to do a job for someone that would earn me a bit of cash! And that entrepreneurial spirit, along with the fact that I'm not afraid of hard work has pretty much shaped how I ended up here!

My parents have always been semi-self-employed. My dad was a contract grader operator, as well as having a beef cattle enterprise, and as soon as us kids were old enough, mum went back to work, starting a little cleaning and ironing business, as well as doing Tupperware. Then, in 2006, they opened their own business, The Bolt N Fodder Shop! Now they have two thriving shops, after expanding and opening another shop in the next town. So I think you can see where I get the entrepreneur attitude from!

As soon as I was old enough, I started working; I worked part time in hospitality right through high school, even working two jobs through most of year 11 and 12! I knew university wasn't for me, so I went to Agricultural College in Longreach, still working part time in hospitality, and then got a job on a cattle property! I am so thankful for that first job - it taught me so much and shaped my vision. It was there, using horses for mustering and getting to ride almost every single day, that I broke in my first horse! I had always wanted to, but had no idea how I was ever going to learn! I took so much away from there when I left; not least of all the vision of what I wanted to achieve with my horses!

From there, I knew I wanted to breed and break in horses! I got married in 2014, and in 2015 my husband and I started our own rural contracting business. We both enjoyed being our own boss, while still being able to do the work we both love! Contracting gave me the freedom to do a bit more with my horses, and I started breaking in horses for other people, just taking 1-2 at a time, and working with them whenever I had spare days. Eventually we decided to get a job as a couple and we moved out west. After 12 months there, and destocking due to the drought, we came north, to the property we're on now. The only downside; no horse work here! So I went part time; I started breeding my mares, I also had a young one to break in. It was the best of both worlds, I could do the property work I loved, but also work with my horses on my days off! Except, all of a sudden I was only earning half of what I had been on. So 12 months in, and the opportunity to go full time came up and I took it, but it didn't take me long to realise that it wasn't what I wanted. I couldn't even enjoy the work when I hardly had any time to ride my horses!

I started to consider what my options were; not many, since we're an hour and a half from the nearest town, and there's a clause in my contract which says I can't work for any of the neighbours, so there goes any chance of doing some horse mustering for someone else! And then I got presented with the idea of earning an income by working online, and I could straight away see the possibilities! If I could earn a part time wage by working online, then I could drop back to part time at work, and go back to what I was doing with my horses! There was a lot of reasons why I said yes, but ultimately I want financial freedom. I want to be able to work for myself, to create a business with my horses, and not need to rely on a job.

My mind is always working; thinking of ways things could be better, more productive in my workplace. I'm sure it drives my boss and my hubby crazy! When we first came to this job, it was with the intention of doing lots of property improvements, refining the systems already in place and ultimately increasing production. I was in my element! My mind was always ticking over with ideas; ideas to contribute towards someone else's dream. Over time, my enthusiasm towards the project has waned; my ideas aren't always welcomed, and often, when we do implement a positive change, its not long before things slide back to the lax standards that were before! Increasingly frustrated, and needing somewhere else to vent my mind processes, my online business has provided that outlet for me. Giving me a distraction from the sometimes chaos of my working days, I can keep my brain occupied with productive thoughts that are going to benefit my own dreams and goals!

No, my online business isn't my dream job, but it's going to allow me to create my dream life! A life where I can ride every day and I dont need to answer to a boss, a life where I'm responsible for my own future. Creating an online side hustle can mean different things for everyone. Some people join simply for the community and the sense of belonging, some people join because they're already passionate about a product and just want to share that with others, some people want to make a hobby income, and some people want to make a full time income. There's no right or wrong reason, the best part about this industry is that anyone from any walk of life can do it, and for whatever reason they choose.

Have you got the entrepreneurial spirit??