If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “doing it wrong” because your business journey doesn’t look like anyone else’s, this one’s for you.

In this episode of the Brand Unmuted Podcast, we’re taking you behind the scenes of our own businesses and sharing how we actually got started — and our two VERY different journeys into entrepreneurship.

Joanna talks about quitting her 9–5 overnight after landing a freelance web design project paying five times her salary (without even knowing what a “freelancer” was). Dianna shares the opposite path: discovering the online business world through a copywriting ad she thought was a scam, starting as a virtual assistant, then slowly working up the courage to go full-time as a copywriter.

In This Episode, We Cover:

1. Joanna’s first business in 2005: landing a shoe company as a freelance client, quitting her job, and winging it with Google and Excel
2. Why her early years in business were a full-on “year of yes” — and how scarcity mindset plays into that
3. Dianna’s move from New Hampshire to Oklahoma, and the copywriting ad she dismissed as a scam (before realizing copywriting is very real)
4. How she eased in through virtual assisting and blogging before fully embracing copywriting
5. The role that life events play in finally taking the leap to full-time
6. What it looks like to restart or pivot a business multiple times, and how each iteration gets a little clearer
7. Building a business around your real-life responsibilities: kids, mortgages, travel, and the desire for more flexibility
8. The ongoing reality of imposter syndrome (even 20 years in) and the importance of keeping your blinders on
9. Why community matters so much when you’re working from home
10. The mindset shift we both come back to: trusting yourself to figure it out, even if you have to pivot or choose a Plan B.

Links & Resources Mentioned

1. How I Built This (NPR radio show/podcast) https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this
2. The MindHER Company, Mandi Casey (Business Coach) https://themindherco.com/
3. Showit (Our favorite drag and drop website platform - get your first month free!) https://account.showit.com/r/joanna
4. Showit's Spark Conference (3-day educational conference for web designers and copywriters) https://spark.showit.com/
5. Joanna Moss Creative – (Joanna's web design services) https://joannamoss.com/
6. Rise Copy Co. – (Dianna's copywriting services) https://risecopyco.com/

Ready for More?

If your website needs a refresh, you can explore Joanna’s design services at joannamoss.com or Dianna’s copywriting offers at risecopyco.com. Mention this episode, and you’ll receive 5% off your booking.

If you enjoyed the show, leaving a rating or review is one of the best ways to support the podcast — and we appreciate it so much.

We’ll be back next week with a new episode!