Most people say they “want it all.”
Me? I don’t want it all. I want to protect my peace, stay healthy, and have the freedom to keep living well when life hits… without the constant terror of money running out.
Because when life hits, it doesn’t knock politely. It slams into you like a freight train.
And the brutal truth? The world does not stop when your life falls apart. At all.
You still have to pay the bills. You still have to show up. And if you have a family, you still have to be their rock, even when you’re crumbling inside.
To understand why building a business that has leverage means everything to me, you have to know where I’ve been.
1996: The Ultimatum That Started It All
If you don’t know me yet… I’m Mimi. Grandmother, gardener, introverted homebody, and entrepreneur. I haven’t had a boss since 1996. Not because someone let me be a homemaker (I would have LOVED that, lol), but because I needed to be able to move to the beat of my own drum.
It all started when my last boss gave me an ultimatum.
The daycare had called asking me to pick up my son, Sean, because he wasn’t feeling well. I was only 19 years old. In that high-pressure moment, I chose my job and asked my grandmother to pick up my baby instead.
That choice ate at my soul.
I didn’t know how I was going to get out of that situation, but I had a burning desire for flexibility. I wanted the freedom to be an available mother without having to choose between my baby and a paycheck.
Within a few months, with the help of my uncle, I started Elaine Thomas Interiors (named after my parents)—selling art, faux floral arrangements, and bed-in-a-bag sets at an outdoor market.
As I grew, my business grew. I added decorating, painting, cleaning, and selling real estate. Eventually, I niched down to what I love most about design: working with fabric.
Today, we make custom drapery, pillows, and shades that help elevate your space so it truly reflects the best of you.
So at the sweet young age of 19, I was a new mom, and my own boss. And even though it came with challenges, I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.
2008: When “Rock Bottom” Became a Whole Season
When the economy took a turn, everything fell apart—and my design business went under right along with it.
- My marriage ended.
- I lost my properties—including walking away from my own home.
- The repo man came for my car.
- I lived off my savings for two years, watching it disappear.
I had never been that afraid in my life. Out of sheer panic, I started selling off my stocks as I watched my money dwindle every day.
Let me tell you: BIG MISTAKE.
By selling while the market was down, I locked in my losses instead of waiting for things to recover.
I went from six figures saved and invested… to waking up one day with $11,000 to my name. I called my best friend and told her, “I’m done. Fock it.”
But of course, she refused to let me go out like that.
Chile, my income crashed to $700 a month and I was forced to pack up my life and move.
Dang… writing this is still triggering.
Rock bottom wasn’t a moment, baby. It was a whole season.
That’s when I learned a lesson I’ll never forget:
Never sell under pressure, and never rely on just one source of income. It is TOO risky.
The Pivot: Discovering the Power of Leverage
One day during the crash, I was cleaning a client’s house. He had just come back inside from playing golf on the course right in his backyard.
Now, if you know me, I’m gonna ask questions! I told him I was getting business cancellations daily and asked how he was still thriving—and leaving me great tips.
He told me he had built a network marketing business from age 18 to 42. Even after being retired for over 20 years, he was still earning over $500,000 a year.
I said, “Wait… WHAT?! HOWWWW?”
Because I knew plenty of people who had retired from traditional jobs and were still struggling.
He told me:
“By aligning with people who wanted what I wanted—great health, great friends, and the leverage of a major enterprise, minus the liability of one.”
Now, you know what caught my attention, right?
That “minus the liability of one” part… lol! That was the exact kind of alignment I needed in my life.
Of course, I asked him to break it down. But when I asked if he could help me get started, he said no. He’d been retired for so long that he felt it wouldn’t be fair to me.
I respected that.
But he left me with advice I’ll never forget:
“Find a company with high-quality wellness products that people love and use every day, just like a utility bill. That’s the key to recurring income. But they must be high-quality products that create a transformation for the person purchasing the products, whether they want to earn an income or not.”
That hit home because I was already a religious daily user of my women’s multivitamins and fish oil horse pills. I never missed a day, so I got the concept immediately.
So, the search began. It took a few tries, but I found my home.
I partnered with a wellness company focused on solutions from nutritional deficiencies and weight management to energy, healthy aging, perimenopause, and even hair and skincare. My favorite products are the greens, sleep spray, and protein shakes.
Since adding network marketing to my business portfolio, I’ve earned multiple six figures alongside my home décor business, I’m currently transforming my health, and I’ve helped others do the exact same thing.
See more on that below.
2022: Unexpected Tragedy
Fast forward to 2022. My son, Sean—the boy I started my business for in the first place—passed away unexpectedly. He was only 26 years old.
Sean was an excellent child, father, mentor, and friend to many. He could do a wheelie for miles without putting the 4-wheeler down.
Even in his earthly absence, he is still my whole world.
When he passed, my life was turned upside down. I dropped everything—businesses, people… everything. I gained 50+ lbs and, sadly, lost myself in the dark cave of grief.
One year after he passed, Sean came to me in a dream. He told me to get up and get back in the game.
And he didn’t come alone. He brought my dad with him, which is still wild to me because my dad passed away when I was eleven.
I knew exactly why they came. Out of everything I’ve ever built, network marketing is where I felt the most fulfilled.
But I just wasn’t ready yet.
I was mentally tapped out and I knew I didn’t have the capacity to lead well.
Getting Back in the Game: 2026
It’s been three years since that dream, and I finally have the drive to show up for myself—and for others.
What really lights me up isn’t just the money; it’s the people. It’s watching my friends come alive and being celebrated for transforming their health and their finances.
There are so many people working hard and still not being celebrated or recognized, not at home and not at work.
That’s what really drives me because, as a solo entrepreneur, I know exactly what that feels like.
That’s what keeps me sharing my story, over and over on their behalf, until they have one of their own.
After being a full-time entrepreneur for 30 years, I know exactly what my purpose is:
Helping people transform their health, their homes, their habits, and their finances—while doing the same for myself.
With that said, my new transformation has begun. I’m back on the wellness system that made me a believer in network marketing, the products, community, and the opportunity.
I’m doing the damn thing and I’m here to help those who are ready, coachable, and capable of creating a meaningful transformation (both physically and financially) do the damn thing too.
If you’ve been reading this thinking, “I need something to change…” not everything, just something… then you already know why you’re here.
Trying to figure it out alone is exhausting. Trust me, I know.
Where are you looking to create a change right now?
Choose your path below:
- Elevate Your Space with Drapery: Learn more about Elaine Thomas Interiors
- Transform Your Health & Habits: Learn more about my wellness community
- Reinvent Yourself: The Project 12 Challenge might be exactly what you’ve been missing.
- Leverage Your Time & Income: Apply here to learn how to build like a CEO in Aster Business Club.
Thanks for reading my story.
Be Well,
