Meet Nancy Badillo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nancy Badillo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nancy below.

Nancy , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I stopped trying to feel confident and started building evidence that I was capable.

Imposter syndrome hit me hard — especially in the early years of coaching Etsy sellers. Even though I had built a successful shop, grown a massive audience, and helped thousands of students, I’d still question whether I was “qualified enough” to teach others. I’d compare myself to other experts and wonder, Who am I to do this?

But here’s what changed everything: I got obsessed with service, not perfection.

Instead of asking, “Am I good enough?” I asked, “How can I make this easier for the person behind me?”
That shift — from proving myself to helping someone else — melted the pressure.

I also started documenting my journey openly. Sharing my struggles with burnout, health, and self-doubt on platforms like Instagram reminded me that real connection doesn’t come from pretending to be perfect — it comes from being relatable.

I’m not confident because I never doubt myself.
I’m confident because I’ve seen what happens when I take messy action anyway.

So if imposter syndrome is creeping in for you, let that be your cue to start creating. Keep showing up. Keep helping. That’s where the confidence lives

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Hi, I’m Nancy Badillo — Etsy coach, digital marketing strategist, and passionate entrepreneur who’s been in the online space for over 15 years. I help Etsy sellers go from scrappy hustle to scalable systems, so they can build profitable shops without burning themselves out.

What I do is more than teaching SEO or helping boost sales — I help creative business owners believe in the long game. I show them how to turn their side hustles into full-time income using strategy, automation, and branding that aligns with their lifestyle goals.

What makes my work so exciting is watching someone shift from overwhelmed and undercharging to confident and consistent. That moment when a student says, “I just had my first $5K month!” or “I woke up to five sales without posting anything on Instagram”—that’s everything.

My brand is built around realness, results, and sustainability. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, I focus on helping sellers build systems that grow with them — whether it’s through my Etsy Mastery Course, my Brand. Build. Bank. Society membership, or my newest product bundles like the Ultimate Etsy Seller Swipe Vault.

Right now, I’m especially excited about two things:

1. Legacy Makers TV — a documentary-style series where I’m sharing my journey as a faith-based entrepreneur, mom, and business owner building a digital empire while prioritizing health and family.
2. My 100 Lb Weight Loss Year — a personal Instagram series where I’m showing up vulnerably and inviting my community along as I pursue long-term health while running my business. It’s raw, honest, and meant to inspire other entrepreneurs to put themselves back on the priority list.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about my brand, it’s this:
You don’t need a huge audience, flashy tech, or endless content to succeed online. You need a clear offer, a sustainable plan, and the courage to show up as yourself — and I’m here to help you build that.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, there are three core qualities that truly shaped my journey and helped me grow not just a business — but a brand with purpose and staying power:

1. Resilience.
When I started, nothing was handed to me. I didn’t have a team, a budget, or a mentor. What I had was grit. I kept showing up when things were messy, slow, or confusing. That resilience helped me push through algorithm changes, burnout, self-doubt, and every pivot along the way.

Advice: Learn how to self-coach. You won’t always have external motivation, but if you can talk yourself back into the game, you’re unstoppable. Keep a ‘proof folder’ of every win — no matter how small — and revisit it when things get tough.

2. Strategic Thinking.
I didn’t want to just “work hard” — I wanted to work smart. I studied what actually drives results, from SEO and email marketing to automation and audience psychology. I learned to reverse engineer success, not just chase trends.

Advice: Don’t just consume content — analyze it. Ask why something worked. Dissect sales pages, captions, and offers. Get obsessed with the why behind results. Strategy beats hustle every time.

3. Emotional Connection.
The turning point in my brand was when I stopped trying to sound “professional” and started speaking like a real human. I leaned into my story, my voice, and my values — and my audience grew because they could finally feel me.

Advice: Build your brand around you. People don’t just buy products — they buy energy, perspective, and trust. Show up with empathy, not ego. Your transparency will always outperform perfection.

If you’re early in your journey, my biggest advice is this: Treat everything like a skill you can master.
Whether it’s content, mindset, or marketing — you’re not behind. You’re just in the process. Keep learning, keep testing, and remember… your consistency will take you places motivation never could.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

If I knew I only had a decade left, I’d spend it exactly how I’m living now — but even more intentionally.

I’d double down on pouring into my family — more time laughing with my husband, more summer adventures with my son, and more deep conversations with the people I love. I’d document everything: the messy, the beautiful, the in-between. Because legacy isn’t just about what you build, it’s about what you leave behind.

I’d keep creating. But not just for income — for impact. I’d teach everything I know about building a brand that gives you freedom. I’d help even more women realize that their creativity, voice, and ideas are worth being paid for.

I’d travel more. Not to escape my life, but to live it — in different languages, flavors, and sunsets. I’d finally write the book. I’d record my story for my future grandkids. I’d host retreats where we heal, dream, and build.

And I’d spend every day making sure that the people in my world knew they were seen, loved, and capable of more than they believe.

If the next ten years were all I had, I’d live boldly.
Because I already spent too many years shrinking.

And I’m not here to die with potential — I’m here to die empty.

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Nancy Badillo

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