Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Julia Brodska, founder of Best Life-ing, located in Miami, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a platform for healers and service for people wanting spiritual growth, community, and wellness. We bring together healers, teachers, and coaches to share their practices to help others live in alignment and achieve their dreams. We do this through online courses, private coaching, healing sessions, and events!
Tell us about yourself
My transformation story began when I suffered a major mental breakdown at 27. I was living in Sydney, Australia, working at a corporate job, and just doing typical 20-something stuff like partying a lot and going out. On the outside, I looked happy. I had a good job, lots of friends, designer clothes, and what looked like material success, but the truth was I was overweight, $30,000 in debt, and I just felt terrible inside. Physically I wasn’t taking care of my health, wasn’t sleeping enough, and I was eating garbage. And mentally, I was scared to try new things, I believed that the lifestyle I had created made me happy, and chasing dreams was really not a possibility. Overall, I felt completely unfulfilled in my life - actually, I felt like it was a big mess.
Luckily I had a great mentor, and his name was Bernard Kelly. And for some reason, he put up with me (and my negative attitude towards life), gave me the time of day, and set me in the right direction. He was my boss and friend, whom I’d known for nearly a decade. And he always encouraged me and believed in me when no one else did, including myself. Bernard empowered me with his words. Saying that I could do anything I wanted, I just needed to take responsibility for my life and start the right habits. And if I could do that, anything was possible.
From that point on, everything started to change. I began what became the craziest, most amazing, and incredibly difficult year of my life. I changed my habits. I stopped partying, stopped my crazy spending sprees, and saved about every penny I had. I started working out, reading self-improvement books, hanging out with more positive people.... who believed in dreams, and they believed in me! These new habits accidentally led me to open up a meal prep business called Juu’s Kitchen, which just took off. So by the end of the year, I had completely transformed myself. I paid down my entire $30K debt, lost 30lbs, and had a business that allowed me to quit my job.
My book and my Best Life-ing business were created because I want to do for others what Bernard did for me. And that is to inspire people, get them to believe in themselves, and know that anything is possible if you start the right habits, surround yourself with the right people and go after your dreams.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
That I can't wait to get out of bed in the morning!
When you are excited and energized by WHAT you are doing, WHO you are doing it with, WHERE you are doing it, and WHY, regardless of what anyone else thinks or has to say about it, that's when you know you are on the right path.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
As a business owner, I’ve definitely had many failures in my time, but I like to view them all as opportunities to learn, grow, and make my dreams better. A big one that comes to mind is hiring people and working with people whose values are not aligned with mine or my organization. I learned this the hard way as I tried to help people, saw the good in them, and focused on their strengths. The truth is if our values aren’t aligned, it’s never going to work because you will always be rowing in different directions.
Overcoming that was hard because I’ve had to let many very nice people go after I made decisions that didn't align with my values. Doing that is a disservice to my other team members, the company, and most importantly, the client.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Chill out. Life is supposed to be fun and feels good. Stop stressing over everything. Besides, what would be the point of achieving everything you desire if you don't enjoy the time it takes to get there?
- Fail often and fail fast-that is part of any journey to success. And failing makes what you envision even better because it gives you the opportunity to manifest what you didn’t know was possible.
- Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you’re always the smartest person in the room, you leave no space for growth.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If I had to choose a piece of advice, I think it would be to surround yourself with the right people. You’ve probably heard the saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” While this phrase may sound a bit cliche, it has made the biggest impact in my life out of any of the lessons I teach.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.bestlifeing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestlifeing.healing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestlife.ing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BestLifeing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bestlifeing
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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