Starting over is not the end of the world. It may feel like it, at first, don’t get me wrong. But if I had lost everything, all of my clients, and I had to start my online business over again, I know that I could do it. I can make money online and regain my following because I help people start over for a living. 

I have two clients who have decided to start over recently. One got laid off, and the other wanted to open a new business. It’s scary, the first step is always scary, but it can’t hold you back. And by having a plan, you can turn that fear into the drive you need to start making money online in 2026. 

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about how I’d make money online if I had to start over. We’re talking about starting over completely from scratch – no followers, no business, no trust, no reputation. Starting over is a blessing, and this week, I’m going to teach you how to start over on the right foot. Tune in to hear all about how to make money online, how to create financial flexibility, and how I’d build a brand from scratch in 2026. 

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How to work with Erika:

Sign up to join the free training, How I Manifested My First 10K Followers by Building a Personal Brand, on Monday, March 9th 

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio. 

Episode Transcript:

Erika: Hello, friends. Welcome back to this week’s episode of Chingona Revolution podcast. This is your host, Erika Cruz, and I have a really solid, juicy episode for you today. A few weeks ago, I had somebody ask me, Erika, what would you do if you had to start over in 2026? Let’s [00:01:00] say that you lost your business, lost your followers.

Lost your personal brand, lost the trust that you have lost your reputation and you had to start over. What would you do? And I figured this is such a good podcast episode topic to share with you all because what I have noticed over the last few months is that a lot of my clients who are very skilled, some of them are engineers.

Others are just very skilled and work in the tech industry. Others don’t work in the tech industry. There are layoffs happening in kind of all different areas of work in all different industries. And with the rise of ai, there’s so many changes and there’s so many shifts that are going on. And I don’t say this to scare you because.

Just like a lot of people are being laid off. There’s also new jobs that are always created, and I do believe that you can find a new job if you’re looking for a new job. It just requires that you put yourself out there a little bit more. So if that’s your goal, this will still be a [00:02:00] relevant podcast for you.

But what I’ve noticed is that people are realizing that they can no longer depend on their job as their single source of income. With all of these different changes, people now more than ever are looking at how can they make their own money, even if it’s just a side hustle or if it’s something that they do full time.

What I’ve noticed with my clients and with people who follow me and message me, it is that people are not feeling completely fulfilled in their jobs and they would like to. Have more control over the money that they make, and also do it in a way that’s very aligned with their purpose. Doing it in a way that’s helping, doing it in a way that’s giving back.

And that’s why the coaching industry is growing so much. That’s why there’s so many more coaches, so many people doing. What I do, and I can tell you from having been in this industry for five years, it is not saturated because you can hire a coach for kind of anything. You [00:03:00] can hire a coach to support you in getting into the university you want.

You can hire a coach for your marriage. You can hire a sex coach, you can hire a courage coach like myself, right? You can hire a business coach. You can hire a confidence coach. Like there’s literally so many different. Areas of coaching that people can support you with. So if you were listening to this podcast episode and you’re like, damn, I would like to make some side income, or I do wanna leave this job and I want to be full-time, or maybe you also have recently been laid off.

I actually had two calls over the last, just this week, and it’s only Wednesday. I had one call earlier with a client of mine who’s been laid off and we’ve already been working on her personal brand so that she can pivot in her career. And I said, you know right now that you’re laid off and you still have a severance package, you’re still getting paid and you’re not in a huge rush to find a job and you know you have some trips planned.

Why don’t we give this a shot to make some money online? So we came up with her [00:04:00] messaging and within our. We had a 45 minute call By the end of our 40 minute, 45 minute call, she had clarity on what her offer is, who she’s going to serve, what she’s going to help them with, and how she’s going to help them.

And then we came up with content ideas. So now for the next 30 days, she’s going to give that a shot. And I was like, look, worst case scenario is you give this a shot and you connect with more people and you’re helping them because we were pretty much creating like career coaching for her. She’s really good at networking.

And I was like, yeah, we’ll just, that would be the worst case scenario that you learn more. Best case scenario is that you’re making money on your own. And then we can really reevaluate, do you want to go work somewhere else? Is this going to be a side hustle or is this going to be your full-time thing?

And then I was working with somebody else just a couple of days ago who booked my personal branding intensive, similar situation, recently laid off. Uh, looking for a job, but also interested in making money on her own. So I gave her, we did the same thing. We clarified her message, [00:05:00] clarified who she was helping, and within 24 hours, she already had her first client.

So I know that this sounds like, oh, but they must have experience. No. Both of these people came to the calls without even realizing that this is something they could do. So I’m sharing this so that you know that what I’m going to share with you over the next. I don’t know, however long this episode will be.

The next 10, 12, 15, 20 minutes. It applies to you as well. And let’s go back to the topic of today’s episode, which isif Erika had to start over in 2026 with no audience, with no business, with no proof. How would she build a brand and make money online? So the first thing I would do is I would actually not over complicate it.

I think whenever we think, oh yeah, I wanna make money, then we think, oh, well I need to have a logo and I need to have a website, and I need to have complete clarity with who I’m going to help and how I’m going to help them, and I need to have a business plan. Complete bs. You don’t need [00:06:00] any of that. One of the things that I teach my clients inside of Courage driven Latina is what we call the ghetto first draft.

The ghetto first draft is the cheapest, fastest way of validating what you want to do. So I have a client who really wanted to open up a coffee shop, so I was like, all right, let’s gt over draft it. First thing you’re gonna do is invite some friends over and host. A coffee party, like a coffee themed brunch.

And then once you really enjoy that and you get to test out your different recipes, the next step is going to be to have a little stand at a farmer’s market, and then the next step is going to be. Having an actual popup, maybe going to different parties before investing in all of this different machinery before getting a lease out for a coffee shop.

So that’s just a physical example of a physical business with products to help you understand this concept of a ghetto first draft. So no website, no business plan. It’s all about, here’s my idea, let me run with it and test it, and then I can keep improving as I go [00:07:00] forward. So instead of building a website or building a logo, what I would build would be visibility through my personal brand. And here is how I’m gonna give you exactly how I would do it. If I was getting started today, I would focus just on one platform because, this is another thing I tell my clients. You can do everything you want, but you can’t do everything at the exact same time.

So if you’re not already creating content and you’re trying to be everywhere. You are going to end up being nowhere because it’s going to be overwhelming. It’s almost like imagine that you have 10 different tasks that you want to do and you have to drive to different directions to do all of those tasks, and you’re trying to go to all of them at the same time.

Well, you never make it to one because you keep driving in different directions versus if you just pick one. You can, as my mom would say, which means, you know, you just kind of find the best route. Like, all right, let me start with the one that’s closest, and then work my way out, and that’s what we wanna do.

So starting with [00:08:00] one platform, that was probably not the best analogy. I feel like I’m good at coming up with analogies. That was probably not my best analogy, but. We’re gonna keep this in here because I wanna prove the point that it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being visible and it’s about showing up.

So Sarah, we are not editing that out. We are keeping that in. ’cause I think you all still got the gist, even though I probably could have come up with a better analogy. So what? Focusing on one platform is my biggest piece of advice. So whether this is Instagram or LinkedIn or TikTok or threads, I would pick one.

And then here’s how I would pick it. I would pick it based on who is it that I want to work with? And if you don’t know who you wanna work with, then just think of who you were just three or five years ago, and then now ask yourself, okay, well where am I spending all this time? So like for example, the client that I was speaking with earlier today, who’s testing out career coaching, her platform is LinkedIn.

[00:09:00] Versus another client who’s doing wellness coaching. Her platform is Instagram versus another client who is really doing a lot of lifestyle stuff in fashion. Hers is TikTok, and it’s really about, I want you to think about which audience are you serving, and then where is this audience already spending time and start there.

And the other thing I’d have you look at. Besides audience is what is your skillset? Let’s say that your skillset is writing well, maybe Threads is a good platform for you. Maybe Instagram carousels is good for you. Maybe LinkedIn posts is good for you, versus if you’re a little chatterbox like myself.

And if you are comfortable enough, well, and if you’re not, you will get comfortable enough. Then maybe do Instagram stories or do video, or do. B roll with the voiceover, you have to pick the lowest hanging fruit and you have to start with what comes easiest to you. And you have to start with just one platform to make it simple.

Because once you prove to your [00:10:00] brain that you can do this and you can show up, then it becomes, it’s not this huge scary thing versus if you’re trying to master learning how to best create content on LinkedIn, but also on threads, but also. On YouTube, also on TikTok, and also on Instagram. That is really overwhelming.

It’s okay to be everywhere, but don’t start everywhere. Start with one place, master it, and then you can add on another one. Because what happens is when we feel overwhelmed, that is the quickest way to lead to procrastination. That’s why we don’t get things done. When we feel completely overwhelmed, we don’t take any action. [00:11:00] [00:12:00] So let’s just say for [00:13:00] example, that I chose Instagram, which is kind of my main platform. Even though I got started on on TikTok, I find that I could have deeper relationships with people on Instagram because of the DM feature, because of stories, because of being able to go live, because I’ve been there longer.

A lot of my clients are there. I just tend to post on there a little bit more, especially with. The different craziness with TikTok with like, is it going to be banned? Is it not going to be banned? Oh wait, certain things aren’t showing up. Oh man. Now the terms and conditions are asking all these different.

Things like our immigration status. So for that re, for all of those reasons, Instagram has kind of been my main focus, not telling you that you need to pick it as yours. So what I would do then is I would post three times a week on my feed. So that would be either a reel or a carousel or a post. And then I would post three times a week at least on my stories.

So I would post on both. And the reason is that on Instagram, when you are. Posting on your feed, that is [00:14:00] where new people can find you. So when you’re posting on your feed, that can end up on the explorer page or it could just end up on people’s reels feed, or your carousel could end up on people’s feed versus your stories is for people who already follow you.

And that’s why I would do it in both, because then you’d be attracting new people into your audience and you’d be nurturing the people who are already in your audience, kind of keeping that momentum. The thing with TikTok I recall, is that sometimes people would follow my page because it was all about discoverability, and then they’d like never see my stuff again.

So I ended up with all these followers. But it didn’t really convert into income for me, and I think it’s because I was missing that piece. So not nothing against the platform. I think I just, it was user error on my. On my behalf, which just sharing that as a lesson that I have learned. So that’s pretty much what I would do.

I wouldn’t even try to go viral. I wouldn’t try to be perfect. I would just show up consistently and [00:15:00] then I would what? What would I share? I would talk about my story. I would talk about how I helped myself go from point A to point B, and how I can help other people do that as well. And again, I would focus on my strengths because your confidence grows when you’re using your strength. So for me, video is a strength of mine. Speaking is a strength of mine, and I wasn’t always this natural at it. I mean, I probably prepared for this podcast episode in like five minutes. In the past, I definitely had to give myself more prep time.

I hated how my voice sounded. Now I’m in the process of freaking losing my voice and I’m like, who cares? Right? You just kind of, you. You learn to become more confident through repetition, but it is important to start with what you are already good at. Because if you’re doing something that feels completely unnatural, then you’re going against your strengths and it’s a lot harder to build a confidence from that aspect. So once I have my platform, once I have my skillOr my strength narrowed [00:16:00] down and as well as sharing my own story and my journey, then I would start to make an offer helping people with the same thing that I helped myself with. So a big thing for me when I started, my program, it used to be called Purpose-Driven Latina, and it was all about helping women find their purpose.

Because that is what I supported myself through, and I did all the courses. I read all the books. I was in this deep search for my purpose, and I ended up finding it through. Coaching and through creating content and helping other women find their purpose, and all of that research I had done, all of the things I had tried that didn’t work out, ended up supporting me to actually be a really good coach for that.

And now, you know, fast forward now, I’ve learned that it’s not just about figuring out what you wanna do, it’s also about building the courage to go do it. And that’s when the name changed to Courage Driven Latina. And more recently, what I’ve learned is what I just said at the beginning of this episode.

People are really [00:17:00] looking to have more freedom. That is the number one priority. They want freedom, flexibility, they want time freedom, and they want money freedom, and they want to be able to have ownership in their own life. And that comes through being able to make your own money. And the best way to do that in 2026 is through building your personal brand.

So that’s how my evolution has occurred. But it just started off with, okay, I know that  I was able to help myself. And find clarity, find direction, and find my purpose. So that’s what I’m going to help other people with. And then it will naturally evolve. So if I was starting over, that’s what I would start with.

Okay, I know I’ve helped myself with this. Let me now offer to help other people with it as well. And then I would make an offer for this offer of mind for at least 30 days, and I would not wait until I have 10,000 followers. I would not wait until I felt ready. I wouldn’t wait until somebody else was like, I think you should do that.

I would make a decision and I would make the offer, and I wouldgo into it [00:18:00] with full conviction.Without doubting it. What happens when we are getting started with something new is we’ll try it for a few days and if nothing happens right away, we give up. So I would just think the decision, regardless of what’s happening for the next 30 days, this is what I’m going to do.

I wouldn’t change it if people weren’t DMing me about it. I wouldn’t start spiraling if one person said no. I would decide that I was going to keep with it. For the 30 days, not, oh my gosh, it’s not working because it’s been 10 days and nothing has happened, and this would require that I do mindset work.

This would require, based on what I know now, this would require things like meditation to call my nervous system, journaling, to be aware of my limiting beliefs and my thoughts. I might want to do some visualization exercises to train my brain to see bringing on clients as something that’s more familiar and something that’s safe. [00:19:00] Because the women and the people who make money online are not more talented. They’re literally just more committed and they’re more consistent and they’re showing up and even being as far along as I am now, I remember when I started selling my personal branding intensive. Not much was happening with it.

 I didn’t sell very much of it at the beginning, and I was like, damn, maybe this isn’t my direction. Maybe this isn’t what I should be doing. And of course, I’m human, right? So the brain immediately starts making up these stories, and then I really sat down and I was like, hold on. How much have I actually talked about this?

And I realized I only talked about it a few times because I was so busy traveling in January. As soon as I decided that I was going to talk about it. Without expectation and just do it with clean energy. I sold out. I sold out within a few days just because I started talking about it a lot more consistently, and I didn’t say, oh my gosh, nobody DMed me about it [00:20:00] yesterday.

I need to stop talking about it. So to quickly recap,

if I had to start all over. I would not worry about building a website, creating a logo. The only thing I would build is my personal brand. I would build my personal brand through sharing my story, sharing the lessons I’ve learned, and then offering to help other people with how I helped. In the same way that I helped myself, I would pick one platform.

I would focus on my strength, whether that would be writing or video or voiceover. And then I would make an offer for 30 days with clean energy. I wouldn’t doubt it. I would keep showing up and then after the 30 days, I can reevaluate and that is how I would rebuild my income in 2026. Of course, I would do the mindset stuff, like I mentioned, regulating my nervous system

And if you enjoyed this podcast episode, definitely join me on March 9th [00:21:00] for my free training, all about how I manifested my first 10,000 followers through building my personal brand. I shared some bits and pieces with you today, but pretty much my strategy is what I call manifestation. It’s all about how do you.

Build your personal brand, but also use manifestation principles, all with the goal of being able to build a business through your online content, through your personal brand, or grow your business. Maybe you already have a business still super relevant for you. In my free training, I am going to be sharing the biggest mindset shift required, as well as the three main strategies that I have used to build my brand, to make money and to attract followers. And this, I wanna be clear, this training isn’t about. Gaining followers, but it is about becoming visible, so it’s not even about going viral, even though there’s nothing wrong with going viral.

It’s really about becoming the most visible version of yourself. [00:22:00] And follower count is a great way of measuring that. So I’m really going to pull back the curtain and share, okay, here’s what I did when I got started, and here’s all the things that I’ve learned along the way. So if this podcast episode of resonated with You, join us for my free training and I will see you on March 9th. [00:23:00]