Samantha Cook is a marketing professional turned entrepreneur, wife, mother, and website developer with a passion for empowering women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams while balancing family life. She shares her experiences of working in marketing, learning to code websites in Mexico, and eventually blending her skills and passions to build a successful website business, alongside co-running a chiropractic practice with her husband, Chandler.

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Episode Summary:

In this intriguing episode of “Building the Abundant Woman,” host Samantha Cook, fondly referred to as Sam, invites listeners to join her as she revisits her path to becoming an entrepreneur. The show offers an intimate look into how unexpected life decisions can lay the foundation for a fulfilling career and life balance. Sam provides listeners with an honest and inspiring account of her journey, which is rich with lessons on pursuing one’s passions, leveraging one’s skills, and trusting in divine timing.

Sam begins by recalling her experiences as a marketing professional and the catalyst moment in 2016 when she decided to follow an impulse—fueled by an Instagram post—to learn website coding in Mexico. She illustrates the pivotal role that faith played in leading her to a career-defining move that was both bold and transformative. Throughout the show, Sam discusses the challenges she faced in her career, the value of self-belief, and how aligning with one's values can lead to success and personal satisfaction.

Key Takeaways:

• Trust in your instincts and divine guidance when making life-altering decisions.
• A hiatus from your passion does not mean its end; pray for its return when the time is right.
• Your entrepreneurial journey does not have to mirror others' experiences—find what works for you.
• Balancing home life with entrepreneurial ambitions is possible with clear boundaries and priorities.
• Personal growth and adapting to life's changes are key to successfully resurrecting and scaling a business.

• "Those strong urges are my gut. That's the Holy Spirit saying, you need to do that."
• "Just because it stops doesn't mean it's not going to come back."
• "Don't give up on your entrepreneurial dreams just because you're a mom or you feel like you have kids around, but go out and get done what you want to get done."

Encouraging all aspiring mompreneurs, as much as seasoned businesswomen, to draw inspiration from Sam’s journey, remember to tune in to the full episode. There, you'll gain even more insights into aligning your business goals with your personal life in a way that brings fulfillment and joy. Join us as we continue to discuss empowering strategies and stories on “Building the Abundant Woman.” Stay tuned for more episodes filled with valuable takeaways that may just spark your next big success.

[TRANSCRIPT]

0:00:38 - (SAM): And much like any other business owner, people always think that marketing equates to sales. And that's not the case. Marketing is the means by which you get sales. And so, for me, I always struggled in those types of positions because most people were looking for a sales type person as where I was looking more of how to market your business more effectively. And so for me, I needed a skill. I needed an outlet that could help people generate and build on their marketing versus just trying to get sales.

0:01:57 - (SAM): It was a really cool thing for her. And come to find out, she had shared they were having another class in Mexico in, like, a week. And I was like, oh, my gosh, am I crazy or what? And I just felt this really strong urge. And if I've learned anything in the last few years of my life, especially as an adult, is those strong urges are my gut. That's the Holy Spirit saying, you need to do that. And so even though I wasn't following God the way that I am now, it's like, I look back on that and I'm like, that was such a turning point in my life.

0:03:14 - (SAM): So I just remember that part of the story because when I say I got this, I did not have this. But that's okay. So I booked my flights. You could pay it in like chunks. I got on a call with one of their representatives and was just like, yeah, I got to do this. And so I went a week later, my boss said, hey, what can we cover? Who can do your job while you're gone? And I was like, this is the list. So I generated that list, gave it to him, said, okay, see, you literally used all my time off. It was unpaid time off.

0:04:20 - (SAM): It was so funny because I remember, yep, that's who I'm going with. And I didn't know that person. He's like, hey, we're waiting on one more girl. And I was like, okay, cool. And she was from Texas too. So it ended up being really, I felt a lot safer. That was just God's protection and provision in that situation. That, one, that I was doing the right thing, but two, that I was protected and that I was safe.

0:05:31 - (SAM): I had this feeling that I needed to know as much as I possibly can know. And so I took every ounce of that course. I asked all the questions. I probably drove people crazy. I probably drove those people crazy. But I needed to know as much as I could in ten days. And I just learned so much, not just coding, but about myself and other people. And it was a great experience. So all that to say, I came home.

0:06:44 - (SAM): And so as much as I wanted it to be the career and the growth of my life, it was not the time for that. And so when I had to sit there and take a step back and be like, okay, this is the most important thing right now. And the most important thing is not my thing. And so I had a lot of people tell me they were like, that's his practice. It's not yours. Blah, blah. Just tell us that it wouldn't work out together, all these things.

0:07:41 - (SAM): And so I built my last website. When we moved out here, I had just moved, and somebody from back in Dallas had reached out to me and, hey, like, I need a website. Can you give me a bid? I gave them a bid. They took it. I built that website. I finished everything off. Like, I think I want to say, like, two or three weeks after I had Quinn. And so from there, I was like, okay, God, if that's what I'm supposed to do, like, I had made my money back from doing it, but I was like, please, in the future, can you give me websites back, because I knew deep down, I enjoy it so much.

0:09:01 - (SAM): And through that, I was able to learn a lot about myself, work through a lot of things, start to get better, start to do better. And honestly, that's where my website business started. Back was a couple of ladies in the mastermind were like, I need some help. And I said, I can help you. And they're like, really? And I was like, yeah, I used to build websites for a living. And it's funny, because my coach will say this now. She was like, I listened to the recording of that call and was like, why the heck is that girl not doing this?

0:10:09 - (SAM): I can be a wife. I can be a mother. I can help run a chiropractic office, and I can be an owner of a business that does five figures a month. And I do all of those things. And now I'm getting in the process where I'm scaling my business. So I brought on another designer, but also I have learned to delegate better in other areas. It has built up my leadership, my ability to develop people in such a greater fashion. And I've even watched that one of the gals that's been at the office, she's been there for ten plus years. I want to say it's closer to 15, but anyways is like just watching her transform over the last nine months, because I've been working with her has just been incredible.

0:11:25 - (SAM): These are the main points. Is that one, just because it stops doesn't mean it's not going to come back. When we talk about what do you really want? If that's what you really want, then pray fervently for God to bring that back in a time that suits your needs. Because really, the thing was, if I had tried to build websites through all the stuff we went through with Quinn, through buying into the practice, through all the struggles that I went through with the practice, oh, my gosh, I could not have done it all and I would have quit and I would have gave up.

0:12:25 - (SAM): And so because it never left, I was able to go and make this bigger than myself. So through all that is like, keep pursuing it just because your children are running around. I mean, granted, I know there's a lot of people that their kids are at school and they have the time during the day to get the work done. I still take care of my home. I don't have any in home help. I don't have any childcare. I home school. My daughter, she's in preschool, and I take care of them and I take them to all their activities and do all of these things. So just know that it is possible. You just have to realize what's the most important.

0:13:28 - (SAM): Because at the end of the day, it's like, if you want to have a good relationship with your children, but you're over here trying to make the most money, then it's not worth it. And so for me, it was just like, these are the things I want to have plenty of time with my children because one day they will not be in my home anymore, and I don't have time to just, I mean, I will have time to disciple them later.

0:14:17 - (SAM): And that's the most important thing at the end of the day is that they do have so. And then the rest follows. Because when we have a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, then we can go and do abundant things. And I'm not saying it's just like God gives me all this money. It's just, no, I'm just obedient. And I'm very close to listening, to discerning that I'm yoked with people who are also of him.

0:15:16 - (SAM): Yeah, I have friends, and there's people I talk to on a regular basis, but the focus is more on the people that are giving me these life giving relationships. So three is out of all of that is you can make it happen. It doesn't have to look exactly how everyone else has it. You don't have to have an office to go sit and work away from everyone else. My kids, I am literally sitting in the living room.

0:16:14 - (SAM): Like, hey, we've done X, y, and Z, now it's time for mommy to work. So I'm going to need you guys to go get some toys out. Go get in the playroom, get some things out and play for a little bit so I can get some work done. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come ask me, but if it's not urgent, then go play. And I mean, they go to the bathroom on their own. They know what they need. I make sure their smoothies are filled up before I do any of those things. So don't feel like it has to look the way it looks for other people because so many people try to take advice from people who are not living their, like, I used to get so bogged down, and I'll tell you this, by women who were, like, doing it all, well, they weren't doing it all themselves. They had a va, their kids went to school, so it was a little easier for them to do those things. So my life looks a little bit different.

0:17:42 - (SAM): And so I do the same. It's like, I take bits and pieces from different people, but I ultimately have to find what works for me, and so I encourage you to do that, too. Don't give up on your entrepreneurial dreams just because you're a mom or you feel like you have kids around, but go out and get done what you want to get done. Bye.