How an Autoimmune Disease Pivoted my Business

I’ve always loved entrepreneurship. My many evolving passions have always revolved around creating and growing businesses. When I started my first online business in high school, painting and selling decorative wood signs – I never looked back. That business evolved into hand-lettering art prints and then becoming a type designer. I love the creative challenge of building something from nothing and watching it evolve as my passions grow and change.

In the summer of 2023, I started to make some headway on my latest creative endeavor. My wedding photography business was finally booking the clients I had always hoped for and I was looking forward to shooting a few weddings in the coming months. This stage of growth is where I start to get excited. My idea is coming to life and all the hard work of the past few years is starting to pay off.

This same summer, I found myself making weekly hospital visits for a mysterious sickness. After two months of visits, several IVs, and constant unanswered questions, I was diagnosed with Chrons disease. I was told I would be chronically ill for the rest of my life.

This was devastating. I continued to become more and more sick until I wasn’t able to walk. I had lost so much body weight and developed such severe arthritis that I spent most of my days in bed for over a month.

I was so weak that I had to cancel on a bride less than two months before her wedding date. It was a terrible feeling to leave a bride hanging with very little time to find a new photographer. It seemed like the past two years of work on this business would be for nothing.

I didn’t want to give up on my love of entrepreneurship, but I knew that wedding photography wouldn’t be possible for me anytime soon. So I started to think about how I could continue using the knowledge and skills I had learned for photography in light of my new reality. Because my health was so unpredictable, I knew I couldn’t continue shooting, but I could help other photographers with their businesses. And that’s what I get passionate about – creating and growing businesses. So why not put my knowledge of the wedding industry into helping other photographers do that exact thing?

That’s when Rachel Kick was born. I combined my love of photography, design, and business to create beautiful websites for other photography businesses. It was the greatest thing that happened to my business because not only was I able to keep a creative outlet despite an autoimmune disease, but I found a new endeavor that combined all of my passions in the best way possible.

I’m also so thankful that my autoimmune condition is now in total remission. After completely overhauling my diet, I have slowly but surely seen improvements in my health to the point where I’m able to build website templates full-time!

A website is so crucial to a small business’ success. 57% of people say they won’t engage with an unattractive website and 75% of people use a brand’s website as the number one way to judge the company’s credibility. That’s huge. Before someone meets you in person or has any experience with your service, they judge your professionalism and credibility based on your online presence.

So many small business owners are focused on what they do best in their business (as they should!!) and whether that’s taking photos or creating products, a website often gets pushed to the backburner. My mission is to create sites and templates that are not only easy to edit, but also elevate your brand and book your dream client every time. Your online presence shouldn’t hold back your business, it should elevate it. Let’s create a website you can’t wait to share.