The Growing Pains Behind Starting (and Reinventing) a Business
Starting a business is one thing. Reinventing it is another.
Although my business was originally created in 2019, I transitioned into an entirely new style of cat-focused content creation in 2025. That shift has been far more challenging than working as a consultant. When you’re consulting, your skills are often recognized upfront. In content creation, however, you first have to convince people to give you a chance.
One of the biggest hurdles has been visibility. Many people don’t immediately see the value in what you offer because they haven’t yet experienced it. That makes growing an audience especially difficult. I know the work I create is meaningful, useful, and even inspiring for people who truly love animals. But like any business, earning trust takes time. Convincing others that your materials are worthwhile requires consistency, patience, and resilience.
The Weight of Rejection
At times, it can become frustrating when you are constantly facing rejection, especially when you feel like you’re finally moving forward. Those moments can make you question whether this is truly where you’re supposed to be.
There are days when you simply don’t feel like creating content at all. Days when the ideas feel heavy. Days when motivation feels distant. And it becomes especially difficult when you are running a one-person business with very little support from others. Every task, every decision, every creative direction rests on your shoulders.
Entrepreneurship can feel lonely. But it is also deeply personal.
From Experience to Entrepreneurship
It’s not as though I’m new to working with animals. My journey began long before Totally Feline™ became a brand. I have been volunteering with various rescue organizations since 2013. I first entered the animal industry in the summer of 2014, returned in 2021, and have remained committed ever since.
The foundation is there. The experience is there. The passion is certainly there.
Yet building my own business has felt similar to the rocky road I experienced while working in the industry itself. There are highs, lows, and unexpected turns. Coming from a background in early childhood education, where processes often felt straightforward and structured, it has been an adjustment to navigate a profession that operates very differently. Of course, even if I had launched a business in early childhood education, I likely would have faced challenges of another kind. Every industry has its own learning curve.
The Challenge Builds Strength
Entrepreneurship has a way of stretching you. It tests your confidence. It challenges your creativity. It forces you to refine your voice and stand firmly behind your vision, even when the audience is still growing.
But here’s what I’ve learned: challenges don’t weaken determination. They strengthen it.
The obstacles I’ve encountered while reshaping Totally Feline™ have only made me more resilient and more committed to establishing my name within the animal industry. Growth may be slower than expected, but it is intentional. It is rooted in experience. And it is fueled by genuine love for animals, especially cats.
Moving Forward
None of these growing pains will deter Totally Feline™ from moving forward. There are new ideas forming, fresh projects on the horizon, and stories still waiting to be told.
Building something meaningful takes time. And I’m willing to take that time.
Because when passion meets persistence, progress is inevitable.