“From Avocation To Vocation: How I Turned My Hobby Into A Career” With Angelica Ventrice of Fit for Life

Don’t work everyday. In the beginning of launching a new business this is okay. However, if you do not take time to turn inward, take a breather, and focus on some self care, you will burn out. This can lead to something you were once very passionate about to be something you despise.

As a part of our series about entrepreneurs who transformed something they did for fun into a full-time career, I had the pleasure of interviewing… Angelica Ventrice. Angelica is the CEO of Fit for Life, which is an online transformation program for females and couples, including tailored fitness, nutrition and mindset coaching. She has transformed herself over the years by losing 30 pounds of weight while battling Hypothyroid and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. She is passionate about helping others all over the world transform mentally and physically.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

I grew up in Long Island, NY with my parents and younger sister. Growing up, the only thing I ever felt I was good at was getting straight A’s. I loved to dance, never played sports and could barely run a mile in those silly PT tests because I was so chubby. I was pretty nerdy and in all honors classes; I was heavier with acne and very insecure growing up. It’s funny to see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve transformed to end up having a career in the Health & Fitness Industry.

What was the catalyst from transforming your hobby or something you love into a business? Can you share the story of your “ah ha” moment with us?

After college, I gained substantially more weight and I felt horrible in my own skin. I was doing Medical Sales at the time and was pretty successful but still felt quite unhappy. One day, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore and hired a fitness coach who helped me lose 30 pounds of weight. This changed my life forever. After I went through this transformation, I felt compelled to help others transform. It’s hard to describe in words but I felt this deep burning desire and knew this was the correct path for me take! From that moment on, I decided to leave my successful Medical Sales Career and pursue a career in Health & Fitness.

There are no shortage of good ideas out there, but people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How did you overcome this challenge?

To be honest, I started as a Personal Trainer so I did not come up with some grandiose idea. However, over the years of doing Personal Training I started to feel very unfulfilled with the lack of depth in how I was helping people. I wanted to help women all over the world transform, not just women locally. I also had two Nutrition Certifications so I was toying with the idea of taking my business online and marrying the Fitness with the Nutrition. I was terrified though because at the time, I hated social media and had no idea how it was going to work. Clearly I figured it out because I created my online transformation program called Fit for Life and we help women all over the world with Fitness, Nutrition and Mindset Coaching!

What advice would you give someone who has a hobby or pastime that they absolutely love but is reluctant to do it for a living?

I actually just gave my sister this advice: PURSUE YOUR PASSION! I believe if you do something you are passionate about you will always be successful. Sure, you may be scared and have to take a pay cut initially. However, the return on investment when you do something you truly care about is endless.

It’s said that the quickest way to take the fun out of doing something is to do it for a living. How do you keep from changing something you love into something you dread? How do you keep it fresh and enjoyable?

I keep it fresh and enjoyable by doing various coaching and self-growth programs, hiring a great staff to help me and bounce ideas off of as well as staying highly connected to my tribe (the current women in my Fit for Life Program). It’s very hard to dread what you do when you truly love it in my opinion. I absolutely love the women in my Fit for Life Tribe and because they are all so different in their needs and goals, it never gets old!

What is it that you enjoy most about running your own business? What are the downsides of running your own business? Can you share what you did to overcome these drawbacks?

I love having my own company and not having to answer anyone. I never thought I was going to become an Entrepreneur but now that I am I would never go back to working for someone else! I also find it very fulfilling each day knowing I am in the business of changing women’s lives.

The downsides of running your own business is initially there is an overwhelming amount of information to learn, between Marketing, Sales, Finances, Accounting, Lead Flow, Application Process, Website Design, the list goes on. It sometimes is hard to know where to start. Also, in the beginning, your business is solely dependent on you, straight commission basically, which can be a hard transition for some. The other hard part is knowing when to hire out and what to hire out for. For instance, there is a big difference between being an Owner vs Operator. To overcome some of these drawbacks, I’ve attended Tony Robbins Business Mastery as well as hired a Business Coach. I also attended a Business Coaching Academy specifically for Online Health Coaches.

Can you share what was the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

I thought my actual “job” would just be building tailored Fitness and Nutrition Programs as well as performing Mindset Coaching Calls. The most striking difference is the amount of knowledge I thought I had versus what I really needed to do to start and run an online business. Just knowing how to build online Fitness and Nutrition Programs is not enough to be successful. I had to learn I constantly need to put myself out there on social media to reach people even when I don’t feel like it. I also had to learn serious financial planning and budgeting, marketing and how to train employees. These were things I never thought of before and did not take into account when launching Fit for Life.

Has there ever been a moment when you thought to yourself “I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to get a “real” job? If so how did you overcome it?

Yes! Every now and then if I am having a slower few weeks, an issue with a client or a mental block with content creation, I will question my abilities and my choice to start my own business. Sometimes, I think I make it harder then it is instead of just trusting myself and following the processes that work. I overcome these moments by practicing gratitude for having my own business, having great clients and being a successful Entrepreneur! I also overcome these moments by journaling, meditation and speaking with my coach.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I was doing an live on Instagram demonstrating meal prep. While I was cooking my broccolini, the smoke alarm went off and my kitchen got very smoky. It was pretty funny and embarrassing; I was trying to teach people how simple meal prep is yet I couldn’t even cook broccolini myself. Anyway, I learned there is no need to be perfect and people appreciate realism and being candid. Whether you burn your broccolini or not.

Who has inspired or continues to inspire you to be a great leader? Why?

Tony Robbins has taught me so much about what it takes to be a strong leader and business owner. Through attending his seminars, I learned I have so much more potential and I can do whatever I want if I put my mind and effort toward it. He has such a loyal following and I love how he built himself up from nothing. It is truly inspirational to see what people can turn their passions into. We are similar in a sense because both of our passions are to help other people grow, change and become better versions of themselves.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

The more success I have with my Fit for Life Program, the more lives are changed simply put. We help women all over the world lose weight, gain strength mentally and physically, shift their mindsets to create long lasting change, create optimal health through Nutrition and Gut Healing as well as stress reduction. This leads to better quality of lives for so many people; they are happier, healthier, lighter, stronger and more confident which to me equals making the world better.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Hire a Financial Planner Immediately. I was trying to do my own accounting and Profit and Loss Statements and it was bogging me down energetically. Definitely worth hiring out.
2. You will have to show up all the time even when you don’t feel like it. When you have an online business it truly is your duty to be present, provide massive value and nurture your audience daily. I now know this, however, in the beginning I was not nearly as consistent.
3. You will fail many times. New launches, new products, new marketing ideas-guess what? They are not all going to be successful and that’s okay. Learn from it and create something more powerful for the future.
4. Hire a Life/Business Coach Immediately. I went too long in my business without having anyone to help me keep my head on straight and aid me with my mindset. Just because I’m a Coach myself does not mean I have everything sorted out.
5. Don’t work everyday. I believe in the beginning of launching a new business this is okay. However, if you do not take time to turn inward, take a breather, and focus on some self care, you will burn out. This can lead to something you were once very passionate about to be something you despise.

What person wouldn’t want to work doing something they absolutely love. You are an incredible inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

My movement would be to show people they can truly do anything they want to do. They don’t have to stay stuck, miserable, complacent or unhappy in their careers, relationships or bodies. I believe many people are fearful to follow their passions or make a change and unfortunately they never live their lives to the fullest. I want to show them if i can turn my passion into business so can they! if my clients can lose weight and transform their lives so can they! No one is ever stuck; only our minds keep us stuck. My movement would be to break this mindset.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

The only thing LIMITING you is YOU. For so many years I told myself I would never be fit because I had autoimmune disorders and bad genetics. I told myself I could never be a runner because I could barely finish the mile in high school so I just wasn’t meant to run. I told myself I could not be a successful entrepreneur because I had no real background in business.

I was telling myself so many silly stories and believing them so they actually became my reality. I was overweight, sad and stuck. Once I realized I was the only one holding me back, I stopped playing victim and took charge. The only thing that was holding me back all those years was ME. Not my “genetics,” which is a bunch of BS by the way, not my parents, not my lack of skills in running, not my lack of skills in business. It was my thought patterns. I was in my own way. My biggest piece of advice here is GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY. You can achieve anything you want to in life! And that includes turning your passion into a career.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Tony Robbins; there is no better person to learn from then the master Entrepreneur himself who changes lives daily and owns a plethora of successful companies.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About the Author

Phil La Duke is a popular speaker & writer with more than 400 works in print. He has contributed to Entrepreneur, Monster, Thrive Global and is published on all inhabited continents. His most recent book is Lone Gunman: Rewriting the Handbook On Workplace Violence Prevention listed as #16 on Pretty Progressive magazine’s list of 49 books that powerful women study in detail. Follow Phil on Twitter @philladuke or read his weekly blog www.philladuke.wordpress.com