Turning a passion into 7-figure business sounds like a dream to most people. When you hear the words “million-dollar business,” you might ask, what kinds of businesses make that much? And how long does it take to get there?
Well, buckle up because today, we’re diving into the stories of 6 incredible women who pursued their passion and didn’t let their fears and self-doubts stop them. They’ve all built thriving online businesses that they started from home without any fancy equipment, investments, or education. So grab a cup of tea (or wine – no judgment here), and let’s get into the juicy details of how these fierce women turned their dreams into reality.
1. Christina Galbato: From Travel Blogger to Influential Coach
Christina Galbato started as a luxury travel blogger by night and corporate girl by day. By focusing on travel collaborations and sponsored posts, she was able to quit her day job and go all in on blogging.
After blogging for a year and a half, her Instagram followers started asking her how they could become influencers too. That led her to her next phase of business: teaching entrepreneurs and influencers how to grow their personal brands and businesses.
In her interview on Beyond Influential podcast, Christina said, “It was then that I realized that the key to your empire as an influencer doesn’t lie in brand collaborations. Instead, building a large empire means solving a problem your audience is struggling with.” She said this switch was key to building a seven-figure brand.
Some key points Christina sites to her success:
- Taking massive action despite fear
- Being willing to try new things with trial-and-error
- Teaching things she had first-hand experience doing (ie. being an influencer and building personal brands)
- Hard work
- Listening to her gut
Learn more about Christina’s journey and listen to the full podcast episode here.
2. Chelsea Lords: Chelsea’s Messy Apron
In 2017, Chelsea Lords made $40k with her food blog after only one year in business. Not bad, right?
Three years later, she crossed the seven-figure revenue mark simply by chugging away at the same blog.
Chelsea said sponsored posts were crucial to getting revenue her first year in business. She also got lucky that one of her early blog posts went somewhat viral and ranked highly on the first page of Google during Thanksgiving, giving her a huge boost in exposure.
When she started out, Chelsea said she put about 2 hours into a blog post. Now, she said she spends about 15 to 20 hours per blog post, and more if there’s a video involved.
Chelsea also harnessed the power of video to gain new followers. One video that she posted on Facebook got 15 million views, giving her company’s page 50,000 new likes! That’s pretty good marketing from one video.
Chelsea’s key advice for success in business:
- Don’t be afraid to invest in your business.
- Keep refining your craft.
- Learn from others in your industry. Take workshops, classes, or just reach out and ask!
If you’re curious about her story and how she made it happen, you can listen to her interview on The Food Blogger Pro Podcast, episode #264, here.
3. Erin Hooley: Bailey’s Blossoms
I’m low-key obsessed with Erin Hooley’s story. She’s living proof that you can build a seven-figure business while juggling the beautiful chaos of motherhood. Like so many entrepreneurs, Erin’s business evolved over time in a pretty dramatic fashion.
She built her first business out of her garage, selling handmade flower barrettes on Etsy. Eventually, though, she realized she could only charge so much for the hair clips. When she compared her revenue to how many hours she was laboring over the business, it didn’t seem worth it to continue.
But instead of giving up, Erin pivoted and started selling homemade tutus. She writes that, “My photography was bad. My logo was clearly homemade. I made dozens and dozens of mistakes!” But, she adds, “If I had waited to have all the answers before I started and had a five year plan mapped out, I never would have taken the plunge!”
The tutus evolved to Halloween costumes, with Erin making accessories for little ladybugs, witches, and butterflies. She was making more money than ever. She was also running out of energy. And, on top of it all, she was pregnant with her fourth child.
To help ease the burden, Erin enlisted some help from her local church youth group and asked her mom to come live with her. With their help, Erin made it through the busy Halloween season but was near a breaking point.
Then, she moved to Brazil. Plot twist!
Her husband had been offered a job transfer to Brazil. And because of work permits, Erin wouldn’t be able to operate her business from the new country. It seemed like the perfect exit, a chance to catch her breath and focus solely on motherhood. She said goodbye to her company’s 25,000 Facebook followers and moved her family to South America.
Two years later, Erin and her family returned to the states as a family of seven. Despite now having 5 kids and being in a comfortable financial situation, Erin couldn’t put out the entrepreneurial fire in her belly. She missed her business. So she started it back up.
Crazily enough, after going dark on Facebook for 2 years, she only lost about 3,000 followers. She still had an audience of 22,000 people.
So what did Erin do next? She spent the entire nest egg her and her husband built while in Brazil, a whooping $35,000, and built up inventory for her business, storing it all in the garage. She hired a team, had another (!!) baby (if you’ve been keeping track, that’s 6 children, omg), and the next year, turned a profit of $600,000.
I know, you’re thinking, but this is about seven-figure entrepreneurship! Hold on, we’re getting close.
Three years after restarting her business, Erin was debating whether she could be the sole breadwinner. Smartly, they decided to budget as if his salary didn’t exist and see how it felt. (I love this!)
Then, things took a terrible turn. The business, which made 85% of its sales on Etsy, got kicked off the platform.
This is the kind of news that would make some people quit. But not Erin. Instead, yet again, she pivoted.
Without Etsy, Erin decided to go all-in on her personal brand. She updated her website, made sure the customer shopping experience was seamless, and personally contacted every single person who had ever ordered from them to tell them the exciting news: no more Etsy!
What happened next? Her sales grew by 233%. People, she realized, loved supporting a small brand. And now, when a customer told a friend where she bought something, the customer didn’t say, “Etsy.” She said, “Bailey’s Blossoms.”
By 2019, the company was making over a million dollars.
Some key takeaways from Erin’s success:
- Don’t be afraid to pivot.
- Investing in your own brand can be one of the most valuable investments you make.
- It’s okay to take a break. Your true fans will wait for you.
- Value your customers. They are the difference between $0 and $1 million!!
You can read Erin’s full story here and browse her business website here.
4. Vivian Kaye: The Single Mom Who Did It All
Vivian Kaye’s started her ecommerce business in 2012 when she created a product that didn’t exist: hair extensions that matched her natural hair.
At the time, Vivian was already busy being a single-mother and entrepreneur with a entirely different business as a wedding decorator. But when she wore her new hair extensions to a networking event and had several other Black women ask her where she got them, she realized she might have something valuable.
In the first year, she made $500,000 in sales, which is crazy. Even crazier, she didn’t invest in paid ads until 2017. Until then, her traffic was all driven by organic traffic, including social media. Because she was one of the first businesses selling this kind of weave, she didn’t have a lot of competition. After 3 years, the business made $1 million in sales.
Key lessons from Vivian’s story:
- If there’s a product you want that doesn’t exist, make it. Chances are other people will want it too.
- Listen to your gut.
- Connect on a personal level with your customers.
- Keep a positive mindset.
Read all about Vivian’s entrepreneurial journey here.
5. Elizabeth Rider: Wellness Queen Who Built Her Dream Life
Elizabeth Rider took her love for health and wellness and turned it into a thriving online business. Through her blog, courses, and coaching, Elizabeth has built a seven-figure health and wellness empire, teaching women how to live their healthiest lives – both physically and financially.
She started out as a humble food blogger, sharing healthy recipes and nutrition advice with her readers. As the blog grew, she realized she needed to figure out a way to monetize it or risk going out of business. With the help of Marie Forleo (another 7-figure business owner!), she started offering 1-on-1 coaching services and online courses. As the online courses took off, she stopped the 1-on-1 coaching and focused solely on the online courses.
Online courses took Elizabeth from a struggling blogger to a seven-figure business owner. She also hosts a podcast, The Elizabeth Rider show.
Some key marketing tactics Elizabeth swears by:
- Social media
- Facebook ads
- Building an email list
Check out more about Elizabeth’s amazing journey here.
6. Luisa Zhou: From Struggling Side Hustler to 7-Figure CEO
Luisa Zhou’s story is all about transforming a side hustle into a full-time, seven-figure business. She started out with a day job and a dream of more freedom. Because she had limited time, she knew her business had to fit the following marks:
- No big social media following required
- No big start-up costs
- Doesn’t require hours of work
- Doesn’t require technical skills
What did she land on? Digital advertising consultant. She already knew how to do it because it was similar to the skills she used in her day job. She found clients by providing free advice on Facebook groups, and then would offer a free 30-minute phone call that doubled as a sales pitch.
The consulting led to her creating her own courses, which led her to her first million-dollar launch. Luisa used a lot of live 5 or 10-day free challenges and livestreams during the pre-launch phases, which resulted in warm buyers. Perhaps the craziest thing Luisa did was invest $80,000 to grow her email list in the hopes of reaching a million dollars in sales, as she had calculated that it cost about $3 to obtain 1 new person to her email list, and she assumed a conversion rate of 1-3% for each subscriber.
By the end of her third launch, Luisa crossed the million dollar mark and helped thousands of other people begin their own entrepreneurial journeys.
Key takeaways from Luisa’s success:
- Build your email list.
- Do the math.
- Invest in your business.
- Offer free stuff to connect with your customers.
Discover more about how Luisa turned her business dreams into reality here.
Final Thoughts
Though these 6 women built different businesses on different timelines, there’s some telling overlap between their stories.
1. They took risks.
Erin invested her and her husband’s $35,000 nest egg. Luisa invested $80,000 to build her email list. Elizabeth paid to join Marie Forleo’s B-School. Christina quit her day job to be a travel influencer, a risky career move.
*These women had high-risk tolerance.*
2. They knew the power of the pivot.
Christina made a course detailing how to be a travel influencer after her followers asked her for it. Luisa offered free advice to people in Facebook groups, and those people told her their problems and then became her audience. Elizabeth started with 1-on-1 coaching before making courses to sell. Chelsea went from 2 hours to 15 hours per blog post when she realized how powerful photography was to her audience. And Erin went from barrettes to tutus to an entire children’s clothing line.
*They saw what was working, what wasn’t, and make the necessary changes to keep moving forward.*
3. They put in the time.
You’ll notice none of these stories were overnight successes. In this enlightened age of 2025, maybe we can finally accept overnight success stories aren’t real? Regardless, these women faced adversity, doubt, and financial stress, yet they kept working. And, after a period of time, things worked in their favor.
One secret to their success was perseverance.
These six women prove that with the right mindset, passion, and a whole lot of determination, you can turn an idea into a seven-figure business.
Let these stories serve as a reminder that you have the power to build the life and business you’ve always wanted. You’ve got this.
Feel inspired yet? Let me know which woman’s story resonated with you the most or if you’ve got your own entrepreneurial journey underway! I’d love to hear all about it!
