Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Not always successfully….Running a business is rewarding but can be difficult. Throw family into the mix and well, it can be all-out chaos. As a significant amount of my business is run from home, I have found it essential to separate business and family time. Organisation is key – each Sunday, I determine my business hours and family time for the week. Maintaining financial records, emails, social media posts and website maintenance are activities strictly for business hours.
I also make sure I schedule time for self-care practices daily. Even if it’s just five minutes of mindfulness in the morning before anyone else is awake, I know that I need to take care of me first so I can take care of business and family to the best of my ability.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
As someone who has suffered from anxiety most of my adult life, there are many challenges I have faced in life and in running my own business. I think the biggest challenge I have overcome is embracing the fact that self care is essential to success and learning that I don’t have to do everything myself. During the early days of my business I was super stressed all the time, some nights I wasn’t sleeping properly and sometimes I was a little bit grumpy. As I learnt to put myself first and I began setting aside some “me time”, I quickly realised that I was functioning better in all areas of my life. Additionally, learning to delegate and ask for help has given me the most valuable gift: more time.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
There are numerous benefits to running your own business. I love the flexibility to choose my own work hours, being my own boss and creating something that I am extremely passionate about. Being a business owner has challenged me to extend myself, to grow and develop in ways I could never have imagined.
I love the creative process of product development. I have a background in sales but little previous experience in business management, so running my own business has been a huge learning curve and sometimes a little overwhelming. I feel like I am always learning something new. When there is always something to do or learn, maintaining a healthy work/life balance can be difficult, however, I have found that by surrounding myself with the right people, success and balance is much easier to achieve.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
After completing my Naturopathy degree in December, the plan is to expand into health and wellness shops outside of Victoria, while continuing to establish a strong online presence. The next 12 months will see a greater focus on creating brand awareness across Australia and New Zealand.
I am also keen to get creative again and bring some of my new ideas into fruition. I am excited to expand my range to include skin care products that are sustainable, eco friendly and amazing for your skin.
Visit the Bewitched by Nature website to view their range of handcrafted deodorants. You can also follow their journey on Facebook and Instagram.
