This week’s Work-At-Home Success story comes from Landon Kennedy from Optimized Eating.
Landon is a life long learner. Since quitting his corporate job in 2013, he’s taken many jobs and courses to prepare him for the entrepreneurial lifestyle. He took a series of jobs, first as a landscaper, then a farm hand, and finally in a greenhouse. All of this was to prepare to start a business building raised garden beds. He had a taste of freedom, but still had to sit in rush hour every day. Earlier this year, he sold his gardening business and began his first online venture, providing a weekly meal plan experience to conscious eaters that want to save time.
1) How did you get started working from home?
After reading The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, I began designing a new company that would allow me to work from anywhere.
2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?
I have a deep passion for healthy food. Building gardens was great, but I wanted to affect more lives and really make an impact.
3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?
I began by building a website with WIX, a drag-and drop website builder, and briefly describing what my company was about. After having the website as a home-base, I began a free trial with Clickfunnels, and created an opt-in form to collect email addresses. For incentive to opt-in, I gave away a free meal plan, which they would receive on launch day 45 days later. I put a countdown clock on my website and began the pre-launch phase. This is where I bought myself some time to create the product and familiarize myself with the many other aspects of online business.
4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?
Through a facebook ad
5) How do you market your business?
HARO, Facebook, Twitter, blog posts, linked in, SEO, giving away meal plans at music festivals and large events.
6) What does your usual day look like?
After getting up at 5:30, I head out the door for a 20 minute run or bike. I come back to do 20 minutes of yoga, then a big lemon water and bulletproof coffee to start my day right. I spend a couple hours creating a blog post and sharing it through all of our social media platforms, then comment on a few related posts that I feel I can add value to without sounding salesy. I respond to any related HARO’s and then move onto my multiple inboxes. During the day, I usually get a game of pool in, and have frequent short breaks. I’m usually working on and off until around 6 PM. As an entrepreneur, work never really ends, but as you go, it becomes less like “work”! At night, I write the next days to-do list, then listen to an audiobook. Before bed, I always write affirmations for 5 minutes and think about how today was a success. It’s the little habits that make the difference over time.
7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
After starting my gardening business, I wish I would have known about the possibility of an online subscription-based business model. But to be honest, I picked up a lot of business skills doing that, so I don’t regret anything.
8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?
Start NOW. Give up your Saturdays for a couple months and get a website built. Think about what your problems are in life and try to solve them in a way that can be packaged and sold. Remember, entrepreneur is a lifestyle, not just a job!
Website URL: Optimized Eating
Twitter Handle: @OptimizedEating
Facebook Page: Optimized Eating
