Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Well this is the hard part. Owning my own business, I just want to pour everything into it. But my family are my everything. So, I make time for them. I normally take weekends off, unless I have a workshop. Weekends are family time. I keep after school for my boys 2 to 3 times a week. I have made rules with myself about keeping work within certain hours. My hubby and I try to have date nights. One of the reasons to have your own business is to be able to make your own time and I really try to make it work for us as a family so that I can be there for my boys.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
A lot of my challenges have come from my own head. Believing in myself and my ability was one of the hardest things to overcome. I was lucky that my family believe in me and support me. I also met some amazing people who helped me.
The other thing I really struggled with was marketing. I thought that once I started, people would come. But of course, that is not how it works in the beginning. I have found that being open and honest in my marketing approach has made a difference. It is very confronting sometimes, but I have found that putting myself out of my comfort zone has helped me grow as a person and a professional.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Pros are definitely being able to run your own life. Being able to do things my way and work around my family. I love being able to help people in my own way.
Cons are how scary it is, not having the security of a regular pay cheque.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I have all sorts of ideas in my head that I need to iron out. One thing is to do more work online with one-on-one clients, really working on personalised nutrition. There is no one size fits all with food. I love to educate people about their health and what they need to thrive. I also have a workshop almost ready to go that I would eventually like to do online as well as in person.
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