Love this. I have the same story.
In the beginning when I started to change I was laughed at, but I got good at what I did.
Then when I took to the web everyone told me that I wasn't going to make it. Even my wife, incredibly supportive that she was, still was scared. Everyone else was telling me to work as a shelf stacker.
Now no-one tells me what to do, and I am appreciated when I say - I'm going upstairs to work - beforehand they would laugh and think I was playing games or some shit.
It wasn't easy. My life was filled with naysayers.
Now I only surround myself with people that say that I can - the rest doesn't matter :)