Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in home care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amanda Gibby Peters, Founder of Simple Shui, located in Dallas, TX, USA.

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

Simple Shui is a modern-day, mission-driven, love-based practice of Feng Shui – and my mission is to help others understand how to deliberately and intentionally work with their homes to influence, trigger and enhance positive changes in their lives. From people who buy my book to… Those who sign up for my courses to learn Feng Shui to… The 1:1 clients that invite me into their homes to help them apply the concepts and teachings of Feng Shui… My customers are those who understand they can deliberately co-create, cultivate, and craft the energy in their surroundings to work in their favor.

Tell us about yourself

The short version of a fabulous (but longer) story starts, appropriately enough, with our current home. After moving into what was a new-to-us home, several areas of our life started feeling strained. In a moment of desperation, I grabbed a book and found myself reading about Feng Shui. However, instead of being open to and hopeful about what this wisdom might balm for us, I was incredibly skeptical – and that was how I came into Feng Shui. Fresh out of graduate school, I took a very "cerebral" approach to suggestions and guidance. And after months of "testing" it and recognizing that things were shifting positively in our lives, I retired my skepticism and became the student. I will forever consider myself the student, but my business came to life because I wanted others to have access to this ancient wisdom and its solutions for our modern lives.

The most motivating part of my day is sharing Shui! Inevitably – whether it is a client, a reader, or a student of mine – some facet of this practice that I mention or share is going to be brand-new to them. And that "a-ha!", that pivot from what they knew to this enticing new possibility, is pretty amazing to witness and experience daily!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Honestly, I think my biggest accomplishment is not giving up on myself. Thankfully, I began before social media was a thing, so I didn't have that source of influence. I did have a blog that I posted on daily – and I remember just how hard it was some days to believe in my own traction when it felt like nothing was happening and no one was noticing. But now, all these years later, there is a satisfying sense of accomplishment in reflection – of the work I was doing when no one was watching the posts that felt like no one was reading and the open palmed approach I took for years in the beginning. The accomplishment is I kept showing up. I said YES more than NO. I said YES when I wasn't sure if I was ready. I said, "Yes, and…" in the moments that felt like a free fall – and it would focus my attention on the next obvious thing to do to get me back on my feet.

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

For me, it is easily "wearing all the hats." I LOVE working with clients and students. I LOVE being creative and conjuring up new curricula and offerings. I LOVE podcasting and workshopping. However, running your own business has a lot of "mechanical" parts, right? So, it's when I have to pivot and address issues that aren't my strengths – technology comes to mind first. Learning new platforms, managing site issues setting up the logistical back-end of courses – even though I can hire help with some of it, ultimately, it falls to me to mind and manage. While I know it's part of being a solopreneur, it can be so distracting and creatively disruptive.

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

  1. Don't ever take making time for yourself or having fun off the table. It is so hard to get back to that space once you give it up, so honor that as a priority.
  2. Invest in yourself. Being curious and putting myself in proximity with people who are smarter, more successful, and/or taking bigger chances than me is rewarding in ways that aren't immediately obvious, and I have never regretted the money spent. And, when you borrow from other people's brains and experiences, you have yourself a shortcut!
  3. Get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. If something scares me, but I know it would feel amazing if I was on the other side of it, I jump in with both feet. This is perhaps the choice I make most consistently because it is where I gain more confidence to take even bigger risks.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://simpleshui.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandagibbypeters/

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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