Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in publication but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shelly Lynn Hughes, founder of Fresh Magazine, located in White Rock, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Pursuit:365 is a community of entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and incredible individuals who are dedicated to their pursuit of fulfillment and share their stories in our print book, digital platform, and upcoming podcast. Our multi-platform community's approach to supporting and celebrating this pursuit is built upon three pillars:
Inspiring stories of real people.
Curating value-added resources.
Cultivating a dedicated and authentically supportive community.
Tell us about yourself
I am a multi-business owner and a solo parent to two amazing girls. They're the reason behind all that I do. I want my girls to have a sense of what they can accomplish. I want to ultimately open up opportunities and their minds to their own potential. Pursuit:365 was born out of a difficult year - 2020 - when my team and I had planned an event series and decided quite quickly to cancel, given the unknown state of the world. It took about a month to regroup and brainstorm, and out of that event concept and being inspired by the way communities were coming together despite great difficulties and unknown futures, Pursuit:365 was born.
In our inaugural year, we celebrated 365 Canadians across the country and had an incredible response. The national news coverage and the expanding community are a testament to how much we all need a consistent reason to connect and share - I'm constantly motivated by the success and growth of the Pursuit:365 community. With all that success, I know the doors I open will be waiting for my girls when they decide on their own paths.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As a multi-business owner, it's impossible to pick one thing that I'm most proud of because it's really the everyday grind that is the biggest accomplishment. There are so many facets to owning and operating a business and even more difficulties and elements to being a solo parent with a teenager and a younger daughter. Balancing the two more-than-full-time responsibilities is impossible, but we make it work because we have to. They're my biggest accomplishment.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment and hardest thing are very much the same - owning multiple businesses, running multiple businesses, and making sure my girls have a mom they can talk to and hopefully in many ways look up to - that's the greatest challenge of all. There are a lot of unknowns with owning a business - there isn't a salary, there isn't a "day off," and you don't really get to clock out. You have easy moments and difficult moments like anyone, but at the end of the day, you're responsible for people's livelihoods and career trajectories, not to mention the people you serve and the emotional responsibility to them. It's a lot to constantly and consistently balance. With the team I have behind me and the Pursuit:365 community that is beyond phenomenal - we have generated a culture of support and encouragement that definitely makes my job more fun and spurs me on to work even harder for them.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
It sounds cliché, but work really hard on your mindset and never forget your "WHY" - it's beyond important. Any time you're having a difficult day or someone lets you down, or you let someone down, having that mental fortitude and keeping your WHY top of mind is what will get you through.
Build a team. No one accomplishes anything alone. The people around you will lift you up, lighten the load, and make the entire process more fun. Build a team as soon as you are able - even if it's a team of advisors and not employees - get the intellectual and emotional backing of people you trust.
Third, go for it. Don't go halfway. But - don't be afraid to pivot if your first plan or idea doesn't pan out. In other cliché terms, often fail but never give up.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If the past two years have taught us anything as a globe, it's the power of community. Our global community had to come together to solve a major problem. National communities had to band together in many ways. More than anything, individual (& digital!) communities popped up and served as our strength and a beacon of hope and fortitude throughout the last two years. Find your community. Whether it's Pursuit:365 or another online community - a group of people that you vibe with. Whether you're an entrepreneur or just someone who likes to enjoy life, get yourself a community. Find them and support them because what you put in, you will get back tenfold!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://freshmag.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshmagazinecanada
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pursuit_365/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-lynn-hughes-33b5881b/
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.