If You Are AFRAID To Chase Your Dreams, Just Do THIS! Feat. Heidi Somers Guzman
Here are the top 10 key takeaways from Heidi Somers' inspiring journey from a small Alaskan town to building a nine-figure fitness apparel empire.
1. Dating yourself is the foundation for all success
The concept of "dating yourself" involves taking deliberate time to fall back in love with who you are as a person. Heidi describes how she gave herself one year to buy herself flowers, take herself on dates, dress up for herself, and focus on her career and personal growth. This wasn't about developing an ego or thinking she was better than others. Instead, it was about discovering her self-worth and understanding what she would and wouldn't tolerate in life.
During this period, she transformed her inner critic into her biggest supporter. What started as one year turned into three years because she discovered how wonderful she was as a person. This self-discovery process helped her establish boundaries and clarify her values. The foundation of self-love became the bedrock for every other success that followed in her business and personal life.
2. Do it afraid - courage isn't the absence of fear
True courage means taking action despite feeling terrified. Heidi emphasizes doing things "with shaking hands" rather than waiting for fear to disappear. When she first started making YouTube videos, she was incredibly nervous and would record the same content multiple times. Her hands were literally shaking, but she pushed through anyway.
This principle extends beyond content creation to every major life decision. Whether it was dropping out of college to pursue social media full-time or moving from Alaska to Texas, fear was present in every pivotal moment. The key insight is that growth only happens when you're willing to act despite the fear. Waiting for courage to arrive naturally means missing opportunities for transformation.
3. Start with zero knowledge and figure it out along the way
When asked to rate her knowledge of apparel manufacturing on a scale of 1-100 when she started, Heidi confidently answered "zero." She had no fashion background, no business school education, and grew up in Alaska where fashion meant flannel and Carhartt work clothes. Yet she built a nine-figure apparel company from complete ignorance.
This demonstrates that expertise isn't a prerequisite for starting. She taught herself about textiles, manufacturing processes, and fabric recipes by diving in and learning through experience. The willingness to be a beginner and ask questions proved more valuable than formal education. Her approach involved documenting her learning process on YouTube, which actually helped build her community as people watched her figure things out in real time.
4. Listen to your customers before creating products
Every successful product launch began with Heidi asking her community what they wanted. Rather than assuming she knew what women needed, she consistently turned to her audience for guidance. When women asked for leggings in bright colors like bubble gum pink, she delivered exactly that. When they requested specific inseams or rises, she incorporated their feedback into her designs.
This customer-first approach extended to all aspects of her business. She would ask about colors, styles, and features before investing in production. Her YouTube community became her research and development team, providing real-time feedback on everything from workout routines to product preferences. This strategy eliminated much of the guesswork typically involved in product development.
5. Excellence, transparency, and diversity as core business values
These three principles guide every decision in Heidi's company. Excellence means doing everything with complete commitment, following the biblical principle of "whatever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might." This applies whether designing a product, serving a customer, or developing a marketing campaign. Mediocrity has no place in building a lasting brand.
Transparency builds trust with customers, employees, and business partners. Heidi advocates for complete honesty rather than hiding problems or mistakes. When products don't meet expectations, she openly acknowledges the issues and commits to improvement. Diversity ensures the brand represents women of all backgrounds, body types, and experiences, not just one narrow demographic.
6. Entrepreneurship means professional problem solving
Most days in business involve putting out fires rather than celebrating victories. Heidi estimates that only 25% of her days are genuinely "good days" without major problems to solve. The first three years were particularly challenging, with virtually every day presenting significant obstacles. However, she's developed the mindset of a "professional problem solver" who thrives on finding solutions.
The key is maintaining emotional equilibrium during crises. She gives herself 15 minutes to feel frustrated or upset about problems, then moves into solution mode. This approach prevents energy from being wasted on prolonged worry about circumstances beyond her control. Having a strong team helps distribute the problem-solving load as the business grows.
7. Build community one person at a time
Despite having millions of followers today, Heidi remembers starting with zero. She emphasizes that every influencer and brand began with just one follower, then two, then three. The key is focusing on genuine connection rather than massive numbers. She built her community by sharing authentic experiences and responding to individual needs and questions.
Her approach treats each community member as an individual rather than part of a faceless mass. This personal connection creates loyalty that transcends typical customer relationships. Women in her community feel heard and valued, which translates into long-term business success. The community becomes self-sustaining as members support and encourage each other.
8. Turn temporary setbacks into permanent fuel for growth
When Heidi experienced multiple setbacks simultaneously - being cheated on, crashing her car, and losing her job - she used these challenges as motivation to finally move to the lower 48 states. Rather than wallowing in the difficulties, she found the silver lining and used the pain as fuel for positive change. This pattern of transforming obstacles into opportunities became her standard approach.
The most profound example was processing the loss of her best friend to suicide while building her business. Instead of shutting down, she allowed herself to grieve while continuing to serve her community and grow her company. She spoke openly about her friend, watched videos of their time together, and refused to let the pain paralyze her progress. This demonstrates how personal tragedy can coexist with professional responsibility and growth.
9. Know when to step back and let others excel
As Heidi's business grew, she recognized that her hands-on approach was becoming a limitation. Despite loving every aspect of the business, she hired people who were more skilled than her in specific areas. This required swallowing her pride and admitting that others could do certain jobs better than she could. The transition from wearing every hat to delegating required significant mental adjustment.
Her "special sauce" became about culture and connection rather than technical execution. She focuses on ensuring that every team member understands the mission of making women feel something meaningful when they interact with the brand. This allows experts to handle manufacturing, marketing, and operations while she maintains the heart and soul of the business.
10. Success requires both saving money and loving the work
Financial security came from consistently saving money throughout the growth process. Heidi always operated under the assumption that success was temporary, which motivated her to save aggressively. She eventually saved enough to live off investment returns alone. However, when she reached that financial milestone, she realized she didn't want to retire because she genuinely loved the work.
This revelation separated her from entrepreneurs who are purely motivated by money. Her love language of acts of service drives her to continue helping women feel confident and strong. The financial security provides peace of mind, but the mission provides purpose. This combination of practical financial planning with passionate purpose creates sustainable long-term success.