Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Chinyere Williams, Founder of Helping Bodies Heal, located in Syracuse, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is the liberation of Black and Afro-Latina women from the shackles of their unique, subconscious programming that is blocking them from truly living the life of inner peace, joy, and freedom that is their birthright.
Tell us about yourself
I started this journey back in 2015 when I was studying to become a Health Coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition due to my deep desire and knowing that what I ate and how I lived greatly impacted my health. Over the proceeding seven years, I have learned, grown, and evolved from coaching and mentoring on Autoimmune and health-related issues to showing women what is possible when your nervous system is regulated, when you're no longer people-pleasing others to your own detriment, what it's like to set and maintain boundaries, even with lovers and family and so much more. What keeps me motivated each day are the text messages, emails, and conversations with current and former clients on how much their relationships with themselves and others have improved, how much happier and more energized they feel, and the exciting new things they are doing in their personal and professional lives, etc. It's such an honor to bear witness to that kind of transformation.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
To keep it 100% real - staying in business through the slow and financially lean times. Doing the work even when it looks and feels like no one is paying attention and yet showing up consistently and enthusiastically anyway.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Minding your business and figuring out what works for you. There are so many "experts" and "gurus" that have the perfect system to do this and that; it is so easy to think you need someone else's answers before you actually figure out what you want, how you like to work, and what's best for you. As a new business owner, I found myself doing this a lot early on.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Know and feel deeply connected to WHY you are starting a business. The shit isn't for the faint of heart, and if the work isn't something that lights you up on the inside, it's just that much harder.
- Start slow and go at your own pace. Ignore the pressure to earn X per month like everyone else. Take the time to scale at a pace that is comfortable to you, or you may just ruin the benefits and value your customers/clients receive from your product/service.
- Take the time to grow your audience which means you really need to know who your ideal clients are, what their pain points are, and how your product or service solves those pain points. And then, you need to be able to test various ways to deliver your message to them and see which ways resonate. Take the time on the front end to do this, even if that means sales are a little slower in the being -- it will pay off in the long run. I did NOT do this, and well, I've paid for it. Learn from my mistake.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://helpingbodiesheal.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Helpingbodiesheal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpingbodiesheal/
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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