What 18 Years of Entrepreneurship Actually Looks Like…
When VoyageATL asked me to share my entrepreneurial journey, I had to sit with something uncomfortable: talking about myself. But more than that, I had to look back at 18 years and make sense of what it all meant.
Here’s what I’ve learned: entrepreneurship isn’t a straight line to success. It’s a series of chapters, some you plan and some that happen to you.
The Chapters You Don’t Plan For
I started Vast Interactive Consulting in 2007 with a clear purpose: bring enterprise-level digital marketing to small and mid-sized businesses without the inflated agency costs. That mission made sense to me then, and it makes sense to me now.
But the path between then and now? This is the most interesting part of my story.
Chapter One: Big agency life on national accounts—BMW, Cingular Wireless, Equifax, Home Depot Canada, GDEcD. I learned how enterprise brands build sophisticated marketing strategies, and I spotted the gap: small businesses needed that same level of expertise without excessive overhead or bureaucracy.
Chapter Two: Getting fired for being terrible at office politics, working remotely before anyone took it seriously in 2007. House swaps in Spain and Belize. Building a client base remotely. This was the “digital nomad” era before that term existed.
Chapter Three: Becoming a mom in 2013. Every woman entrepreneur knows this one—the complete recalibration of what you can do, how you work, what you can sustain. Not a pause, but a time for transformation.
Chapter Four: Divorce, then COVID. The chapter no one saw coming. I tried to weather it, but ran low on options so I made the hardest decision of my career—paused Vast Interactive and returned to corporate eCommerce. I needed health insurance. I needed stability. It felt like failure at the time.
Chapter Five: The return. Armed with corporate experience that sharpened my focus, clearer about where I add the most value (supporting SMBs), and ready to rebuild with renewed purpose and focus.
Why Purpose Weathers the Storms
Here’s the thing about having a strong “why” behind your business: it’s the only thing that survives every chapter.
My purpose never changed. Small businesses deserve sophisticated marketing strategies. They deserve someone who understands both the creative and the data. They deserve results, not jargon.
That purpose is what brought me back after COVID. It’s what makes the long hours worth it. It’s what helps me connect with clients who are also building something meaningful.
When I work with a therapeutic massage practice and help them achieve 70% organic traffic growth in three months, that’s not just about the metrics (though I love a good metric). It’s about a small business owner who can now reach more people who need their services. That’s the purpose in action.
The Neurodivergent Advantage
I’ve also learned something else over these 18 years: my brain’s pattern recognition isn’t a quirk, it’s an advantage.
I see connections between data and creative content. Numbers tell me stories. Big-picture strategy and granular details correlate in ways that make sense to me. This is how I’m wired, and it turns out it’s perfect for entrepreneurship.
The neurodivergent brain loves systems, patterns, and making sense of chaos. Entrepreneurship is nothing but chaos that needs organizing. It’s a match made in heaven—or at least in a very productive kind of controlled chaos.
What the Long Road Teaches You
If you’re an entrepreneur reading this, especially if you’re in a chapter that feels hard right now, here’s what I want you to know:
Your story doesn’t have to be linear to be successful. Pauses aren’t failures. Pivots aren’t giving up. Sometimes the detour is exactly what sharpens your focus for the next phase.
Your purpose is your anchor. When everything else shifts—and it will shift—your “why” is what keeps you tethered to what matters.
Your unique wiring is your advantage. Whatever makes your brain different is probably exactly what makes you good at this. Lean into it.
Where I Am Now
I’m back at the helm of Vast Interactive, focused Health & Wellness businesses and Senior services, industries where trust and human connection matter most. I’m helping business owners create useful content, get found online, bring in more customers, and build sustainable growth through smart digital marketing.
And I’m wearing the same shirt in multiple photos because I filmed everything the same day. Efficiency matters, people.
You can read the VoyageATL interview here
Ready to write your next chapter? Whether you need digital marketing strategy, SEO that works, or coaching from someone who’s been through all the chapters, I’m here to help. Contact me or book a consultation.
Catherine Llewellyn is the founder of Vast Interactive Consulting, bringing seasoned digital marketing expertise to small and mid-sized businesses. She specializes in data-driven content strategy for Health & Wellness, Professional Services, and B2B/B2C Brands.
