Inspired by the viral hashtag #lifegoals, Coley Lane created Life Goals Mag to go beyond the highlight reel of Instagram and host a community of Millennial women who aspire to do more, be more, see more and learn more. Life Goals Mag shares all kinds of inspirational and motivational content from women contributors who are positive and up-lifting. Ready to take actionable steps to be your best self? Read on!
1. How did you get started in your industry? What led to your passion for your career?
I started Life Goals Mag in October 2015 because I saw how women were using #lifegoals on Instagram whenever they saw a lifestyle that inspired them but felt it wasn’t achievable for them. I wanted to create a space for personal growth that felt relatable and wasn’t focused mostly on career. I wanted a place to feel like you are with your best friend talking about all the cool things that have made your life better and what you’re learning.
When I first started Life Goals Mag, I wasn’t fully immersed in personal growth myself. It kind of started with wanting to hear opinions from other women who inspired me. I didn’t think I had as much to contribute. And then in February of 2015, I started a new 9-5 job in a city outside my hometown. For a couple of months, I had to commute about 2 hours one way. I was spending over 4 hours a day in the car and started really diving into personal growth podcasts and audiobooks. Then a coworker introduced me to a free yoga spot, and I started going almost every day to yoga to avoid traffic. I hadn’t been able to ever stick to a workout routine, and the way yoga incorporated mindset really shifted the way I was living.
Suddenly, I found myself truly passionate about self-improvement. I started seeing so much change in myself and felt like I was finally living the Life Goals way.
2. What were some of the bigger challenges you experienced in getting started?
There is so much that goes into starting a business, and I could easily get overwhelmed with how much there was to do to make a successful website. I took it in strides and tried to create systems that made it easier. I started with just the magazine portion and just focusing on Pinterest for promotion. Eventually, we expanded to more but I think it was important for me to keep things simple at first. Because when you’re working full time, it can feel impossible to start when there are 500 things you know you should be doing. I tried to keep it simple, and whenever I got overwhelmed, I just tried to go back to the basics before jumping into something new.
3. How has your life changed now that you’re pursuing your passion and living your dream?
I can’t even explain how much my life has transformed. I wasn’t someone who was driven in the way that I find most successful women always were. I didn’t know what I wanted to do and felt lost. I didn’t think I was capable of creating a business, because I couldn’t stick to anything. I quit so many different projects, and I had no idea what I was good at or truly enjoyed doing.
I started figuring out my vision for what I wanted in life through lots of experimenting to finally feel like I could live a life I wanted, and have a dream career.
I never believed that there was a job for me before. I thought I could be content for sure, but never passionate about my work. And that totally shifted once I created Life Goals Mag and saw how it could make an impact.
I feel like I’m still in the beginning stages of this business and I’m so excited about taking the next steps on our mission to make it the go-to place for becoming your best self.
4. What’s your favorite part about owning your own business/your career?
I love coming up with ideas! My favorite thing to do is brainstorm and come up with content that I think our readers will love and will help them with their goals. I love hearing that women have tried something based on one of our posts, and that it’s made a difference in their lives. That’s the best feeling.
5. What does supporting women-owned businesses look like to you?
Supporting women is one of my favorite things. We are so powerful, and yet we tend to have so much self-doubt and imposter syndrome. I love sharing women’s stories and sharing about brands that have female founders. I love to collaborate with women who have great service-based businesses that are trying to make a difference in people’s lives.
6. How has your brand/packaging/website changed or improved your business?
We’ve expanded to more than just being an online magazine, and now we’re a community with courses and a membership platform. I love the way our branding feels so much more cohesive now without me having to actively think about it. It feels like the upgrade we needed before taking our brand to the next level.
Want more info on this amazing girlboss? You can follow Coley on Instagram @coleyln and @lifegoalsmag. Check out her website: https://lifegoalsmag.com
Know of someone we should interview for our MoneyMak(her) series? Email us at hello@quixoticdesignco.com
