Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lisa Di Domenico, Founder and Career Coach of Lisa D - Life by Design Inc., located in Quebec Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a career and mindset coach. I help unfulfilled professionals get the career clarity they need to find work they love by helping them move through the limiting beliefs and mindset blocks that keeping them stuck.
Tell us about yourself
I worked as a certified career counselor for over ten years. It always felt like I wasn't having the impact I wanted to have on my clients, and the containers I was expecting to work from weren’t conducive to my own mental health and wellness. For the longest time, I craved something different for my career and my life but had no idea what to do or where to start. I was stuck.
In 2018, my then 2-year-old daughter was my wake-up call. On a Saturday morning, I was curled up in my bed exhausted and in tears when she walked into my room and said, “Not again, Mom.” My daughter made me realize that this had become a pattern—a really unhealthy one at that.
I knew this was not what I wanted to model to my daughter about what it means to live and work, so I got help. This is how I found coaching, and it transformed my life. It turns out; it was also the missing link to my career satisfaction. Coaching was the thing that got me unstuck, and I knew it was what was missing from my own approach for me to have a greater impact on my clients.
In late 2019, I began developing my own unique coaching framework and officially launched my business in September 2020. Today, I get to pay it forward, and help others who feel like I once did get the clarity they need to get unstuck, find fulfilling work, and most importantly, create the life of balance and wellness they deserve.
My children and the impact I am having on others motivate me every day to keep doing what I do. There is no greater reward.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The most challenging part of being a business owner for me is persevering and trusting that my efforts will pay off even when I do not see the results immediately. My ability to persevere through doubt and insecurity and trust the process has been my greatest accomplishment! Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, but it is also incredibly rewarding.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For me, the biggest challenge of being a business owner has been the learning curve. I’m a helper at heart, and by profession, so the coaching part comes easily to me. Learning the ropes of running an online business and wearing the many hats that entrepreneurs have to wear meant developing many new skill sets, becoming incredibly resourceful, as well as learning to pace myself and show myself compassion throughout my journey.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Anchor yourself in your "Why." Get radically clear why you're choosing entrepreneurship and come back to this when things get challenging (because they will). It will keep you anchored and allow you to recommit to your goals.
- Learn to fail forward. It's not IF you're going to mess up or fail; it's WHEN. Having a growth mindset will be key to your success. This means learning from your mistakes and allowing them to inform and educate your next steps rather than succumbing to them.
- Just start. Don't wait to be "ready"; you'll never be ready for something you've never done before. Don't wait to "have it all figured out." Entrepreneurship is about blazing a trail: you'll only ever see a few steps ahead. Finally, don't aim for perfect; aim for "good enough." Just take messy, imperfect action and trust yourself and your ability to figure it out as you go.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If you're thinking about starting a business, wondering if it's the right path for you, and/or lack clarity around what type of business to start. Reach out. Learning to ask for help will be key to your success now and in business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.lisadlifebydesign.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa_d_lifebydesign/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lisa-d-life-by-design-inc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisadlifebydesign
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.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
