Create Your Own Freedom Lifestyle

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amanda Kolbye, Founder and CEO of Laptop Lifestyle Co., located in Fort Worth, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a business coach/consultant and online educator focused on helping female entrepreneurs start and scale online service-based businesses, such as social media managers, fitness coaches, designers, etc. I help clients through a variety of digital products/templates, online courses, and live coaching programs. My company, Laptop Lifestyle Co, is the umbrella brand for all our business/coaching programs as well as a global community of hundreds of female online service providers.

We also have a sister brand - Skills Mastery Academy - which has online courses specifically designed to teach DFY profitable online skills so that you can learn and master in-demand online skills and ultimately become the go-to hire, booked out with dream clients. Our goal with both brands is to provide the needed education, tools, community & mentorship for women so they can create wealth and freedom and become obsessed with their life and business.

Tell us about yourself

I have always been the Type A, straight-A student who tried to do everything "right" my whole life. When I got into my first corporate job out of college in IT staffing, I was quickly promoted and became a top earner earning $120k+ by the end of my first year. However, I realized that the success I had achieved was "the dream" I had been working my whole life for - and it was far from fulfilling or what I wanted for my life - I knew I was made for more. I knew only two things: that I wanted to live permanently overseas and that I wanted to work for myself.

So a year later, I sold everything I owned, quit my job, and booked a one-way ticket to Thailand to "figure it out." After trying a little bit of everything, in a few months, I ended up launching a web design business and saw fast success, which eventually led me to later close down that business and open up my current coaching business, as I realized my true talents were in marketing & business strategy. Two years after launching my coaching business, we hit our first million dollars and have continued to scale and impact thousands of women all over the world.

Four years later and I'm still traveling the world full time with my partner, making Spain our new permanent home, and living MY dream life which was a huge motivation for me. While I'm, of course, motivated by the freedom and money, my biggest motivation is 1) to see what I'm made of and see what is possible and 2) to empower women with knowledge, money, and freedom to be in control of their own lives and never have to stay in a bad situation (which is inspired from my personal story).

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is the global community I've built. Community is one of the hardest things to truly build and I am truly amazed every day at the most amazing, badass women that I get to not only work with but become friends with.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is the constant pressure to keep growing and make it. I'm a classic Type A, Enneagram 3 goal-oriented person, which serves me well in many ways but also leads me to get caught up in the never-ending work and limitless milestones, which ultimately led to extreme burnout. The other aspect of being a business owner that no one fully prepares you for is how much personal growth you will have to go through - and while it of course ultimately makes you better, you will be forced to face so many demons, fears, failures, weaknesses, etc.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

If you are looking to start your own online business - hi, hello, this is literally exactly what I help people do through my courses and programs, so please come say hey on Instagram and/or check out my website with tons of resources.

My tips for you would be as follows:

Just start! - While it might sound cliche, the biggest problem with starting is that people want to wait until they have it all figured out or have the time or money, and that's simple, not realistic. You will get clarity through action, not the other way around.
You have to believe in yourself before anyone else and likely before you even know how it's going to happen. You must believe your success is inevitable and act accordingly. You truly have nothing to lose because if it doesn't work out, you can always come back to exactly where you are now.
Take courses/get mentorship - 99% of people who want to start a business have never done it before, so why would you expect to know how to do something you've never done before? Don't waste time Googling things to death - no one has ever succeeded that way. If you are going to start a business, go all in and take shortcuts by learning from someone who has been there and done that. It's crazy how fast your life can change when you have the right knowledge, tools, community, and mentorship to support you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://laptoplifestyleco.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laptop.lifestyle.co/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaptopLifestyleCo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda.kolbye
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bSJMfqfTvtpYahqXbZU5M

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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