The Day I Realized My Business Wasn't a Hobby Anymore
“The business didn't suddenly become legitimate because I received a check. I started treating it like it was legitimate.”
When does a hobby become a business? Apparently, sometimes long after you've already started treating it like one. I spent months creating products, writing a blog, building a retail presence, working ridiculous hours, and making plans for the future while still thinking of Beyond the Horizon Consulting as something I did on the side. Then one small sales check made me look at everything I'd been building a little differently. Turns out, becoming a business owner wasn't one giant moment. It was a whole bunch of smaller ones I hadn't been paying attention to.
This didn't happen overnight.
There were no trumpets. No doves flying everywhere. No giant epiphany where suddenly everything became clear and I announced:
I AM A BUSINESS OWNER!
No.
It was a series of events.
You know that at the beginning of this year, I had already decided I was going to keep my blog as a hobby. I was super happy at my 9-to-5. Everything was going so fucking great.
And then...
BAM!
A series of very unfortunate events that really don't need to be mentioned here, except to say that life happened.
And at that point, Beyond the Horizon Consulting wasn't exactly screaming serious business.
Like seriously, I hadn't posted on Instagram for a hot minute. I wasn't consistent with my blog or newsletter at all. I had my book, sure. I had affirmation cards and one journal I created for a kit.
But that's it.
I had even taken my book off Amazon and wasn't really promoting it.
Then I signed up for this little cohort.
When I got accepted, I didn't fully understand the capacity of what I'd signed up for. I honestly thought it was going to be an opportunity to learn, something like a leadership program. I'd participated in the Women Veteran Leadership Program before, so I thought maybe it would be something along those lines.
Pero no.
I attended the first orientation and learned I had signed up to be in an actual store side-by-side with 32 other Latina-owned businesses.
Oh.
Okay.
I guess we're doing this now.
At first, I thought, great. I'll sell my book, my journal, and my affirmation cards.
This was back in May.
Pero, being the terca necia that I am, I decided to really lean into my culture, my roots, and my abuela.
I created new journals.
New affirmation cards.
Magnets.
Notepads.
Products with sayings and stories that actually meant something to me.
And somewhere in all of that, my little blog that was supposed to remain a hobby wasn't really a hobby anymore either.
Apparently, the Ribbon Cutting Wasn't Enough
You'd think the ribbon cutting in August would have solidified the whole idea of being a CEO, Fundadora, Jefa.
Nope.
Apparently Cynthia needed more evidence.
Because I could stand there inside an actual store surrounded by products I had created, alongside other business owners, and part of my brain was still like:
Look at this cute little thing we're doing.
Chavala.
Today years old.
September 2026.
That's when I finally realized:
Oh shit.
I'm actually doing this.
I received my first check from the sales I made in August.
It wasn't even a full month of sales, and you know what?
It wasn't a huge check.
But it was my first honest-to-goodness check from something I had created in less than two months.
And here's the part that really got me.
Strangers bought these things.
Not family.
Not friends.
People who don't know me walked into a store, saw something I created, decided it had value, and spent their own money on it.
That's fucking wild to me.
And here's the thing. My main goal isn't to become a product-based business.
I want to coach.
I want to speak.
I want to help women navigate those weird, uncomfortable transitions where you know something needs to change but you don't quite know what the hell comes next.
These products are another way into that bigger vision.
Having them in a store with a collective, being surrounded by other amazing Fundadoras and Fundadores, learning from them, collaborating with them, and having people discover my work can help me get there.
And I don't want to treat any of this like a hobby anymore.
My goals are so much bigger than that.
Honestly, I'm getting annoyed with having to clock in because that's time I can't focus on my own business 100%.
But I'm being patient.
Or at least I'm trying to be.
Because I can see it starting to materialize.
So What Changed?
I protect my time by becoming super-duper organized.
My husband says it's OCD, but deep down inside, I know he would be absolutely lost if that calendar wasn't up to date.
I get up super early and work on my business for at least an hour before I take my child to school and deal with the drop-off line.
I make sure my 9-to-5 doesn't interfere with my business, while also making sure I focus on my 9-to-5 when I'm there because, you know, I don't want to get fired or give them a reason to fire me. 😂
I've started reaching out to organizations for speaking engagements, and right now I have three potential opportunities.
Thankfully, Amor Collective has several collaborative events coming up where businesses can participate, and I've signed up for a select few that actually make sense for my business and where I want it to grow.
With the advice of my mentor, I created business cards to leave on my little tiendita shelf with a QR code for a free 15-minute mini life design session.
I'm also working on creating a more experience-based, storytelling shelf.
I don't want people to see a bunch of journals, cards, and magnets sitting there and think, Cute.
I want them to understand why those products exist.
I'm not just sitting here on my lonjas praying people will reach out to me.
I'm being bold.
I'm using a little audacity and cold emailing people.
I'm strategizing.
I'm reaching out to past clients for testimonials.
I'm looking for speaking opportunities.
I'm putting myself and my business into rooms where maybe somebody will say yes.
And maybe that's actually what changed.
The business didn't suddenly become legitimate because I received a check.
I started treating it like it was legitimate.
But Not Everything You Love Needs to Become a Business
Now, what I'm about to tell you isn't any different from what I tell my clients.
And as much as I can, I'm trying to live what I preach.
It's great to have a hobby.
I absolutely recommend it, especially if it brings you joy.
Collecting books and building your own little library.
Baking.
Cooking.
Golfing.
Hiking.
Painting.
Gardening.
Whatever makes you happy.
Not everything you enjoy needs to become another source of income.
One of the things I have clients think about is the difference between something they enjoy as a hobby and something they could see themselves doing repeatedly, getting paid for, and still wanting to come back to it.
Because I LOVE to cook.
Cooking is one of the ways I'm creative.
And my inner gordita loves food.
My little family lets me know how much they love my food too.
But would I love working in a restaurant?
Nope.
Absolutely not.
I don't want your ticket.
I don't want your substitutions.
I don't want you sending something back because you suddenly remembered you don't like onions.
I just want to make my arroz, feed my family, and enjoy myself.
That's a hobby I love.
And I think we've all heard some version of:
When you do something you love, it doesn't feel like work.
I'm going to call a little bullshit on that.
This business is work.
Getting up early is work.
Writing is work.
Creating products is work.
Marketing is work.
Cold emailing people is definitely work.
Figuring out retail displays, business cards, QR codes, speaking pitches, websites, social media, newsletters, and everything else is work.
The difference is that it's work I'm willing to keep doing because I want what I'm building on the other side of it.
That's what feels different.
What Do You Keep Wanting to Come Back To?
I've been at my 9-to-5 for a little over two years, and until recently, most of it didn't feel like work.
Now, a lot of it does.
But working with my clients?
That part still feels different.
My clients are still the reason I get out of bed, get ready, and sit at that desk.
Helping someone figure out what comes next still matters to me.
And that tells me something.
Maybe there's something in your life like that too.
Something you keep coming back to.
Something that gives you energy even though it requires effort.
Something you would gladly spend hours learning more about, practicing, building, talking about, or doing.
Or maybe you have absolutely no idea what that thing is yet.
That's okay too.
But if you're sitting there thinking, I don't know what I want anymore, then it's probably time to make some space to figure it out.
And yes.
I'm giving you homework.
NOT SURE WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT?
Before you start trying to turn every interest into a career, business, or five-year plan, give yourself a few days to notice what you actually enjoy and what you're ready to leave behind.
No personality test. No AI. No 47-tab research spiral.
Just you, a piece of paper, and five days of paying attention.
Grab a Piece of Paper
You will need some paper and something to write with.
I know, I know.
But trust me.
Technology will not help you with this one.
I want you to fold the paper in half.
It doesn't matter which way.
Just fold the damn paper in half. 😂
On one side, write:
Things I love doing.
On the other:
Things I don't want to do.
Then start writing.
But here's the important part.
You're not going to finish this in one sitting.
I want you to keep this paper out for five days.
Put it somewhere you'll see it.
On your desk.
On the kitchen counter.
Next to your cafecito.
Wherever.
Every time something pops into your head, write it down on whichever side it fits best.
Something at work makes you think, I could do this all damn day.
Write it down.
Something makes you think, If I never have to do this again, it'll still be too soon.
Write that down too.
Don't try to make the answers impressive.
Don't think about what you should want.
Don't immediately ask whether something could make money.
Just pay attention.
By Day Five, start looking for the patterns.
You might notice something you've been ignoring.
You might confirm something you already knew.
You might realize the thing you thought you wanted isn't actually what you want anymore.
And yes, once you see it written down, figuring out what to do about it might be scary.
Because knowing something and acting on it are two very different things.
I'm living that part right now.
I spent a long time calling this business a hobby.
Meanwhile, I was waking up before sunrise to work on it, creating products, writing blogs, building a store, learning, networking, pitching myself, and dreaming about the day I could own more of my time.
Apparently, everybody was invited to the business except me.
I just finally showed up.
So no, there weren't trumpets.
No doves.
No giant epiphany.
Just a small check from something I created, a very full calendar, a shelf inside a store, a few cold emails, some potential speaking opportunities, and one terca necia who finally looked around and realized:
Oh.
This isn't my hobby anymore.
I'm building a business.
YOU FOUND THE PATTERN. NOW WHAT?
Maybe your five-day list confirmed something you've known for a while. Maybe it surprised the hell out of you. Or maybe you're staring at that piece of paper thinking, Okay... now what am I supposed to do with this?
That's exactly the kind of conversation we can have in a free 15-minute Mini Life Design Session. No giant life overhaul. No pretending I have the answers to your life. Just a short conversation to help you look at what came up and figure out what your next step might be.
