Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Devin King Jones, Founder of Devin Jones Coaching, located in Carlsbad, CA, USA.

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

I am a life coach, leadership mentor, and self-love teacher. In my work, I coach women to heal their relationships with themselves, so they can stop performing and find true freedom. My clients are high-achieving women who know how to get sh*t done but feel like the target (to achieve happiness) is constantly moving. They have degrees from world-renowned institutions, are brilliant professionals, and are often wildly accomplished and ambitious. However, despite all their achievements, they still don't feel fulfilled or truly happy. These women live with an inner critic in their heads that constantly berates and belittles them, so no matter how hard they work or how much they accomplish, it's never enough. Now, they're wondering, "What's missing…why do I feel like I'm still not enough?"

The truth is there's nothing wrong with these high-achiever women; they're simply coming to the next level of personal transformation. After achieving outward accomplishments, they've realized those don't fulfill them in the way they thought (nor do they alleviate their inner critic), so the only thing left is to turn inward—to cultivate inner self-love, compassion, joy and write a new definition of success for their life. It seems too simple that this could be the missing piece, but I'll tell you that when my clients learn to love themselves and write their own definition of success, everything shifts in their life. Their self-compassion helps tone down the inner critic, their definition of success helps them know what they really want, and their pursuit of joy allows them to enjoy their life. Rather than constantly working, hustling, or striving to prove themselves, it's beautiful to watch the transformation as these women learn to slow down, really savor life, and enjoy themselves and the relationships that matter most.

I help my clients know what they truly want, heal their inner critics, cultivate a life that feels really good to them, and live by their own personal definition of success.

Tell us about yourself

I am motivated to do the work I do every day because it's been my own journey, too. I lived as my worst critic for over 10 years, and I thought I was the only one with an inner bully tormenting them daily. But, as much as I wanted this critic to leave me alone, I was terrified of letting the inner critic go because I was afraid I would become complacent or apathetic without that inner critic constantly hounding me to achieve.

I've since learned that shame (the inner critic) can only motivate a person for so long, and then it will break you down. But, the antidote to shame (as well as the antidote to the inner critic) is connection. Most people are like I was—believing that they're the only ones with this toxic inner dialogue and also believing that they kind of need that voice.

My mission is to help thousands (or millions) of women learn to love themselves and let that love change the world. I believe that when women love themselves, they take back their power—they are no longer vulnerable to coercion, patriarchy, or debilitating shame—and when women are in power, we change the world for the better.

I'm a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and an award-winning Beautiful You Life Coach. I hold a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University, where I earned a concentration in Social Development and Human Well-Being. And I am a continuous student of psychology, the body, and spirituality.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is creating an award-winning course on self-love called Sacred. This course is a 7-step journey from inner critic to an inner-best friend.

This program has helped dozens of women learn how to love themselves and has inspired career shifts, new relationships, cross-country moves, and most importantly, it's helped my clients tap into their own self-love, which is priceless.

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

One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is being the lead decision maker for everything—choosing your offerings, pricing, partners, hiring, scaling, and marketing. It's a lot to have on your shoulders, which is why I have intentionally built an incredible community of friends and peers who help me bounce ideas, strategize and peer coach me. I also am always working with my own coach to help me expand my business and my brain to new heights.

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

  1. Start with why. It's important to know the "why" behind creating your business. And while some people are motivated by things like money or freedom, that's not going to get you through the big challenges you face in your business. You have to find a greater why—something bigger than yourself to anchor into and set yourself up for the long haul.
  2. Gather your community. The era of the solopreneur is over; it's time to usher in community-preneurship. While you might be the only one on the payroll for your business, having a broader community is important to keep your idea (and your spirits) alive. Entrepreneurship can be really isolating, so make sure you take time every week to invest in your friends and fellow entrepreneurs and let them invest in you, too. Swap ideas, partner on projects, share, and shout out each others' work. We go a lot farther together than we can alone.
  3. Invest in yourself. You are the heart and soul of your business. So if you want your business to be well (healthy, sustainable, profitable), you need to be well, too. Invest in yourself daily—take your self-care and personal growth seriously. Do the mindset work every day, move your body multiple times a day, work with a coach and take supremely good care of yourself. When you are thriving, your business will thrive.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you're reading this interview and nodding along because you have an inner critic, too, try this: The best way to alleviate the inner critic is to let it out of the proverbial closet—to share with others that you have these feelings about yourself and to let trusted people help you see that those inner messages are not the truth. It's going to be really intimidating at first to admit those thoughts to a friend, therapist, or partner, but once you bring them into the light, those thoughts will have less power over you, and you can begin replacing the negative thoughts with more compassionate ones.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://devinjones.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devinjones.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devin_king_jones/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinkingjones/

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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