Friday Chat 💬 Fun News & A Little History

I had a fun meeting with my banker this week about buying a property for low carb retreats. 🏞❣️ It’s been more of a long term plan, but the last couple of years has shifted everything around and opened up opportunities to do it much sooner – which has me excited and inspired!

At the meeting I mentioned I’ve been in business 25 years this month 🎉 and he asked me what I do. I was actually up for a bit the other day (finally!) so I shared my story on Facebook, and wanted to share it with you here as well – because I enjoyed that discussion SO much. 🙂

A lot of people already know that I work from home, and have asked what I do and also why I was always traveling so much. So here’s the quick version of my history in business for you…

I quit my last job and started from scratch back in February 1997, with nothing to my name but hopes and dreams + a husband and 4 kids.

Yes, 6 of us trying to make it on my one check of $6/hour. 😳 There was a lot of ramen, lol.

My first business was an electronics shop because that was my husband’s trade, with an initial focus on computer monitor repair – an untapped market back in the 90s. We started with no shop, no sign, no business cards, and not even a phone line at first – nothing, and I’d sold everything we owned at a local auction house to get us there: -0- (lol). 👀

We hit the streets and that did well, so I started a web development company that same year, moved us into a commercial building + later an office downtown for my coding and online marketing services. I expanded into on-site computer training classes, business consulting, mobile networking services, weekend LAN tournaments (computer gaming), etc.

Tech was HOT in the 90’s and I loved it!! 💯👍 I partnered with several wholesalers and was moving $30-$40k a month on eBay. Next I got certified through Intuit and offered on-site computerized accounting services + training to small business owners.

My husband left 22 years ago, but I continued on, making my business as flexible as possible from that point forward so I could be a full time mom.

I gave my husband the shop in our divorce, closed my office downtown, and moved to the lake – out of the city where I could live a simpler life, run my business from home, and raise my kids.

Working from home wasn’t as widely accepted in the year 2000 (really: hardly at all!) so I kept that under wraps for years – and showed up for meetings with clients when I had to, but mainly worked by phone & email with “a shhh! code” 🤫📞 with the kids.

Did I mention I had to homeschool for awhile, TOO? Ack! 😬

I transitioned out of tech services and into consulting for more flexibility, became the weekly feature on Entrepreneur Magazine’s first “internet radio show” (now called podcasts), and started my public speaking career (not exactly on purpose) and ultimately became an international speaker. ✈️

I still do business consulting, training, public speaking & workshops. I’m also a “professional blogger”. I’ve always loved to write, so I started that in I think 2003 – officially.

Every now and then I’ll take on a marketing client or short contract, but it’s rare these days, and more for the fun than the money. Although the money is good, and I can make them more than I cost them – and I don’t work cheap. 😉

At the core, I love everything marketing. But even more than that, I love being of service. ❤️‼️

I love seeing people succeed, at anything, and I truly love getting to be a part of that.

It’s been an amazing adventure, this 25 years in business. 💯🥰

For the last 11 years I’ve also been hosting the free (and original/first) low carb challenge at 90DayLowCarbChallenge.com and sharing my keto lifestyle and weight loss journey with you here, which I also LOVE. I miss hosting the fun low carb meetups on my travels, and look forward to getting back to that someday soon. 🤗

I’m sure I left a lot out, but that’s what I do. Usually in my pj’s or favorite sweater leggings and fuzzy socks. 🧦 This is me at my desk this week having an Almond Butter Brownie protein bar (my favorite) while I hop online to see who I can help & how.

I still love my work every bit as much as the day I started it… if not 💯 more!

* This is where I’m getting the Perfect Keto bars 45% off, which is the best deal I’ve found: 45% off Perfect Keto snacks & bars. And we have a new discount code too, 20% off ALL products (collagen, the new cereal, etc) at: https://perfectketo.com/lynnterry Code: LYNN20 📲

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I probably should have mentioned I was self taught (ie winging it, aka flying by the seat of my burning pants 🔥 lol) because I was only 23 at the time and had no formal education or training. I didn’t even finish high school (not my fault, I tried). 🤷‍♀️

What about you? What do you do, or what are you passionate about?

If I’m not working, I’m happiest in the woods. Hiking & waterfalls are my thing! 💦

Going low carb and getting healthy is one of the BEST things I’ve done for myself. In the picture below, on the left I was about halfway through my weight loss journey and very proud of the weight I’d lost already. But continuing on, getting stronger and leaner, allowed me to be more active and get out exploring – and have WAY more fun!

To be honest, I struggled a lot on all my travels before I went low carb – and not just because of the weight. I’d usually have to fly in a day or two early so I could recover from the trip before being on my feet for a 2 or 3 day conference.

My legs and feet would swell terribly on flights, and I had chronic back and joint pain. True story: on one of my flights to Australia my legs and feet swelled so bad that they threatened (offered) to fly a medic in halfway over the Pacific. 🤦‍♀️ (I was really REALLY embarrassed about that)

Fortunately eating sugar free, gluten free & very low carb (keto) fixed all of my chronic pain & inflammation issues. Which was a huge perk! But also… losing weight, not just being leaner but DOING it (setting a goal and reaching it!) gave me SO much more confidence and spunk. 🙂

Honestly, I thought I was fine and happy and good all along. I worked really hard to create a business I enjoyed and to create a good life for my children, and I was proud of my accomplishments. Most of those though, were all about my clients and my children…

Focusing on MYSELF and a personal goal for a change (getting healthy) opened up a whole new level of JOY that I didn’t even know I was missing. 🙂

I don’t even know if I have a “real” before & after picture. I was already eating low carb in all of those ^ and avoided cameras at my heaviest. I really miss being that lean and active! Looking at these pictures again today REALLY inspired me. 🙂

I have weight to lose again now after being sick for the last 15 months, but it’s not something I’m stressing over at the moment. I’m still eating low carb but my body is obviously in distress, so I’m simply staying focused on rest & recovery for now.

I feel confident this mysterious weight gain will come right back off once I’m feeling better.

Speaking of, I have to rest again. It was nice to be up for a little while a few different times this week! The last 6 months have been the worst (and scariest) thing I’ve ever been through – and I’ve been through A LOT. I keep saying I’m going to share more about that, but I just haven’t been up or able to write much lately. I feel like (and hope!!) I’m on the better side of it now though. (fingers crossed!)

That’s the main reason I had the meeting this week by the way, and am moving forward with my plan to host fun retreats in the near future. I’m thinking low carb weekends – complete with cooking, snack swag, kayaking & hiking adventures. Plus writer’s retreats, business workshops, etc – all the fun things I love so much!

I thought I was just going to recover and get back to my usual life… but that may not happen. I’m not sure I’ll be able to travel so much, spend days on my feet in heels, or do big (exhausting) events anymore. And maybe I don’t want to! So I decided it was time to plan, build and create a new future and different fun life. 🙂

I’m rather enjoying a slower pace of life this year, and have a whole new appreciation for the little things – home life, quality time, quiet days, sunshine, great dane cuddles, my adult children, ALL of it. 💕 I expect I’ll recover well enough to get back to work full time, get back to hiking even, and I really look forward to ultimately hosting fun events… and on my own terms this time!

I would love to hear something about you, and how things are going in your life right now.

I hope you are well and good, and excited about the future – too!

Do you think you’d be interested in a fun small group style low carb weekend retreat, or at least fun social keto lunch/dinner meetings when I’m back to traveling? I miss seeing everyone, so that’s something I’m very much looking forward to!

Best,
Lynn Terry
aka @LowCarbTraveler

p.s. My daughter and I both love the new low carb cereal from Perfect Keto. That just came out this week! We have a 20% off discount code: LYNN20, but you can also get their collagen protein keto bars and other snacks for 45% off at the second link below – a better deal if you’re just buying bars. 😉 xo

📲 20% off ALL Perfect Keto products with code LYNN20
https://perfectketo.com/lynnterry

📲 45% off Perfect Keto snacks & bars:
https://www.travelinglowcarb.com/45off

My daughter is 25 now, and she’s been staying with me and/or checking in on me daily this last 6 months. I’m incredibly grateful for that, for her help and for the company. 💖 This has been SUCH a hard time and I feel very fortunate to have a good relationship with my adult children. And glad I dropped everything all those years ago (22!) to be the absolute best mom I could be. They were worth it!!

 

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🔎 Shop Low Carb / Keto at Netrition
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER

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