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When Life Derails Your Momentum: How I Rebuilt After Losing Two Months

If you’ve ever built momentum in your online business only to have life completely interrupt it, this post is for you.

Because what no one talks about enough is what happens after the interruption.

When Momentum Comes to a Halt

At the end of 2020, I had just finished three successful launches of my first digital course.

I had run live cohorts. I had hosted a paid workshop. I was signing one-on-one coaching clients.

Revenue was growing and so was my confidence.

Then I got COVID. Not mildly sick, but two months in bed unable to work, unable to create, and only able to focus on getting better.

When I could finally think clearly, I remember laying there thinking…

I completely understand why people quit.

After working so hard to build momentum, it suddenly felt like everything I built was slipping away.

I could see how people don't come back after a set back. Because it felt like I was starting over and I worried I wouldn't have the energy or ability to "do it all again".

You’re Not Starting Over. You’re Starting Wiser.

Life interruptions aren't always an illness. Sometimes it's a family emergency, grief, unexpected responsibilities, or something else needs your full attention.

Sometimes you do not choose the pause. It simply happens.

And during that season, I couldn’t focus on my business the way I wanted to. But I was deeply aware of the pressure in the background. I needed revenue. I needed this to work, because my business wasn't a hobby. It was income to support my family.

The question running through my mind was:

Do I have what it takes to start again?

But here is what I eventually realized.

I was not starting over. I was starting wiser. I had already launched three times. I had already built relationships. I had already learned what worked.

I was not at square one. I was at basecamp. (Be sure to listen to Episode 8 of my podcast for why "being at basecamp" is part of the journey.)

The truth is, unless you are starting something from scratch, you are never back at zero if you have already taken action. You are restarting with experience, data, and clarity that only action can give you.

Relaunching After a Setback

In March 2021, I decided to relaunch my program, The Digital Clutter Cure, for the fourth time.

But this time, I changed the format. Instead of running my usual five-day challenge, I tested a webinar-style launch that I had learned from Amy Porterfield inside Digital Course Academy.

And I raised the price of my program from $247 to $497.

I hosted two webinar-style masterclasses. That launch generated just over $18,000 and I welcomed 35 students.

I also tested paid ads more aggressively and spent about $4,600 on ads, bringing profit to around $13,700.

It was not my biggest profit margin yet. But it was incredibly important, because it got me back in motion. Starting or restarting is always the hardest part.

Refining, Not Reinventing

What made the biggest difference was not the format. It was how I invited people into the program.

I improved how I communicated the value of the offer. I became more confident in my invitation. And I carried that refinement into future launches.

In June of that year, I had a $37,000 launch. In September, I had a $38,000 launch... both times spending around $2,500 in ads.

The offer did not change dramatically. The consistency did. The clarity did and the communication did.

When you continue launching the same offer and refine along the way, momentum compounds.

Real Numbers From Year Two

By the end of 2021, my second full year in business, revenue reached $200,000 (almost to the penny!) with a profit margin of 63%.

Here is how that revenue broke down:

1. 75% from digital course launches and workshops

2. 14% from one-on-one coaching

3. 1% from low-ticket digital products

4. 10% from affiliate marketing (which I'll talk about in a future episode)

When I first started my online business, I remember thinking how incredible it would be to make six figures in a year. By my second full year, I had doubled that goal.

Not because I started over. Because I continued.

What This Means for You

Life will interrupt your momentum at some point. It just will.

The question is not whether that will happen. The question is whether you will assume you are back at zero… or recognize that you are at base camp, stronger and more experienced than before.

If you have launched before, learned before, built before, you are not starting from scratch.

You are relaunching wiser. And that changes everything.

Your Action Step

If life has recently interrupted your business momentum, ask yourself:

What have I already learned that I can build on again?

Not from scratch, but from experience.

Submit Your Question for the Podcast

This post is part of the 21-day From Purpose to Impact series on the Your Online Business Mentor podcast. If you’re navigating a setback, a stalled launch, or wondering how to rebuild momentum, I would love to answer your question on the show.

Submit your question at: youronlinebusinessmentor.com

Follow the podcast so you don’t miss what’s coming next, because purpose does not disappear when life interrupts it.

It grows stronger when you choose to keep going.

And that’s how purpose turns into impact.