Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Janice Hughes, Founder of 2inspire LLC, located in Boulder, CO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business has evolved into a coaching and consulting group that helps business owners review and prepare for their exit strategy. My own background in healthcare and coaching healthcare practitioners allowed me to see how the entrepreneurial spirit can often trap us into 'doing' and overseeing our business model without creating any true freedom and flexibility for ourselves. Learning to systematize, automate, and plan your own exit becomes vital to take your business venture to a level that allows you to become the CEO of your life. This requires a transition in your thinking, business systems, and strategic planning. My business has literally, over the years, morphed into helping coach and guide someone through these steps, including the major component of reviewing your financial and wealth-building strategies to allow you the flexibility to shift your business model. It's critical to find out clearly where you are in your wealth-building strategies and business exit plans. My program and insights help entrepreneurs with tools and strategies to prepare for more freedom and flexibility. My website shares more about my story and free resources.

Tell us about yourself

My own background in healthcare, as a Chiropractic professional, had me building a small business that helped a lot of people, employed others, and yet had me trapped in a model where I was generating and 'doing' the business. I didn't know how to organize and systematize, creating systems and training so that others could step in and I could lead and guide the business. Through searching out my own coaches, mentors, and business consultants, I realized there was no one model available to guide someone like myself. One of the most helpful components of my own transition was training as a business and professional coach, where I began to realize I myself could build out these systems and then help consult and guide others. I attracted others that saw the shifts I could create in my own career and life and great mentors to encourage me to begin to speak and teach within the healthcare field to help others.

I loved helping others. And interestingly enough, over time, THEY taught me so much about business and systems. As a lifelong learner, I continued to attract opportunities to learn new things, including helping a dear colleague and friend build a biotech company. Learning the principles of money raising, tied with my previous background, really enhanced my ability to look at someone's business as well as their personal finances and plan for the future and exit strategies. I'm so fortunate to now, at this stage of my life and career, take all of these experiences and blend them together to help people plan and implement systems and strategies to not only build their businesses but to plan the financial wealth-building strategies to have more freedom and flexibility while they do this. This leads to the confidence and certainty of an exit, including the systems on how to keep excellent team members, build them into the business, and ultimately allow the entrepreneur to have scaled and sell their business. I love helping people gain the confidence to live a full and enriched life WHILE they work within the business - in essence, working ON the business has so much value and allows you more freedom and success.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Living a fulfilled life. I don't say this lightly. As entrepreneurs, we so often are awake in the middle of the night doing our thinking, planning and stressing. I had to learn that worry was like praying for what I didn't want! It wasn't allowing me to actually create the freedom and flexibility that I thought was supposed to happen with building a thriving business. So my greatest accomplishment has been embracing the growth and allowing the transitions in my life to really enjoy and 'be in' my life, not just always thinking things will be better 'when' the next stages happen.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

I find that as we build and grow a business, we take so much of the responsibility all on our shoulders. We stress about the people we hire, where the next money raise will come from, who are the right people to meet and network with...the list goes on and on. The hardest thing as you have levels of success is to be willing to make changes - to change your model or approach. It's easier to deal with the devil you know (what you've created) than the devil you don't (which is a new model or way of doing business). So the hardest thing is to be willing to dream and change.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Be willing to take the time to write and plan - even while you are working IN the business, find the way to work ON the business.
  2. Write out your 12-18 month plans. I call this the G curve - if you see where you'd love to be in one year, and break this down into tangible action steps per quarter, then work this plan...you will be amazed at what you can attract and build.
  3. Find and hire an amazing coach. This is transformational.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.drjanicehughes.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjanicehughes/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjanicehughesmoneymindset/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drjanicehughes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjanicehughes/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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