Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jodi Wellman, Founder of Four Thousand Mondays, located in Palm Springs, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I started Four Thousand Mondays to help wake us up to the fact that life is short (4,000 Mondays is roughly all we get — gulp)... so we might want to stop taking it for granted and start living like we mean it, right?
I help busy, successful professionals get clear on what really matters to them and start living “squander-free lives.” We can slip into autopilot in a hurry, and we find ourselves wondering, “how did another week fly by?”. My mission in life is to help us make the most of the time we’re lucky to be above ground. I get to do this through motivational keynotes and workshops, an online course I offer called “How to Live Like You Mean It,” and one-on-one coaching.
Tell us about yourself
People die — this isn’t new. People almost die, too. I’ve become immeasurably inspired by the stories of clients, friends, and family members who have come close to death’s door and then really woken up to their lives after their cancer went into remission, for example. I see how I have taken my own life for granted. I admit to being afraid of deathbed regrets, so in my own efforts to live with more intention, I can’t help other people snap out of autopilot and live lives they’d be proud to look back on from their eventual endings. I am hellbent on this work.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being brave enough to talk about memento mori (the Latin phrase for “remember we must die”). I thought my corporate clients would be sure I’d lost my mind or be turned off by the idea of mortality as a motivator. Thankfully most people are curious and interested in ways to live wider and deeper. I’m so grateful I launched Four Thousand Mondays and didn’t let fear keep me playing small.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Knowing when to turn work off and live a life outside of the business. Running your own business can be empoweringly all-encompassing one day and then alarmingly suffocating the next... if you let it. Boundaries help (unplugged after 7 pm!). Vacations help (a few days a month!). Sane people around you help (good luck finding them!). Hobbies help (the more creative and out there, the better!). Living a three-dimensional life takes work, but it’s necessary to help the business grow.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don’t wait. If you’ve been fantasizing and pseudo-planning your own business for years, jump into the deep end of the pool and start swimming. I know a lot of entrepreneurs who wished they’d started sooner, even though it felt scary and ambiguous. You’ll figure it out.
- Outsource anything that drains the life out of you. Life’s too short to run your own business and be miserable doing a balance sheet... whereas there are people out there who come (shockingly) alive doing exactly that.
- Design your days. Remember that you get to be the architect of your work, your time, and your life. Build in things like No Appointments on Monday Mornings... strategic planning retreats every quarter... time to walk the dog at lunch... TIME FOR LUNCH. The temptation is to get swept up in the current, but it’s no fun to be your own boss if you do not love the lifestyle it can afford you if you let it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://fourthousandmondays.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourThousandMondays
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fourthousandmondays/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fourthousandmondays/
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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