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I had a very negative view of money, and business in general, associating capitalism with the greed of big corporations and the inequality that our economic structures create.
It seemed natural to go into teaching, but I realised before I even finished my degree that I didn’t fit into the system. I was a very unhappy and unsuccessful teacher, and left feeling like a failure after a few short years that felt like forever.
Coaching young people, supporting them to raise their aspirations and take next steps. I loved this work and I really thought I had found my calling, or at least I did before I was made redundant.
I had my second daughter and predictably struggled to find work that would fit into family life. The cost of childcare made it too expensive for me to go to work, so my husband worked overtime so we could scrape by.
I had to find a way to work from home but I had no idea what was possible. Reluctantly, I found myself self employed.
I started my own business as a freelance writer. I’d always loved writing and had done it all my life. I particularly enjoyed teaching it to young people.Words are powerful tools and I knew from my experience they had the power to change lives. I never imagined anyone would pay me for it though.
I was wrong, they did! It was pretty rubbish money back then, but there were times it made the difference between having money to put in the electric meter or not.
The work available varied a great deal and I was amazed by how much I enjoyed the marketing jobs. I dived into learning and got some great gigs working in teams which taught me a lot.
Slowly but surely, I started to grow. Learning more about the industry and building my skill set but also starting my personal development journey, I had a lot of self worth and self esteem issues to work through before I could start stepping into the role of an expert online.
After years of grafting,I remember one day looking at a new testimonial. What I saw hit me like a bolt of lightning. She wasn’t just saying she liked the copy, but she commented on how I helped her untangle the mess in their head and create a message that she could believe in and confidently share.
I realised that this was my favourite part of my business. I looked at my other testimonials and they said the same thing. Turns out I hadn’t ‘wasted’ my teaching degree or my coaching qualification. I was using it all in a different way.
This is when Mission Led Content was born, and I shifted my business and became a content marketing coach. In 2019, I faced a massive fear of failure and started a group coaching program, MLC for Social Media.
The following year my husband left his job and came on board to make Lisa Barry Online a family business.
We homeschool our three girls now too and spend lots of time on the beach or at the allotments. When I’m not working, you can basically find me either barefoot or in wellies.
The experience of launching myself (instead of helping my clients launch) gave me an opportunity to step into courageous visibility. The more I followed my mission the more my life changed. I haven’t looked back.
The unexpected gift of MLC was it required me to keep exploring my own contribution to the world and so my message continued to evolve. It became increasingly more important for me to use my platform to talk about marketing without manipulation and with honesty, integrity and transparency.
Small businesses are leading the way in ethical marketing and business practices while consumers are making more conscious buying decisions. I want to help contribute to this revolution by supporting more business owners to market themselves with integrity.
We can be ambitious and ethical. We can be wealthy and good. We can be successful and contribute to positive change.
Together, our shared impact and ripple effect is unlimited.
Download the free MLC Manifesto now (no email address required)
and commit to a more compassionate way to do business online.
And commit to a more compassionate way to do business online.
(No Email Address Required)