Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jami Rodman, a relationship coach and date strategist based in San Francisco, CA, USA.

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

I am a relationship coach and date strategist who helps people find and live their most empowered love life. I work with men, women, and couples in identifying their needs and desires. One area of my focus is introducing kink. For those who are curious about alternative lifestyles, BDSM to open relationships, learning about and exploring the different areas of sexual expansion can be empowering and create more trust and fulfillment in a partnership. As a coach, I help explore interests and how to find partners, set boundaries, and have a session. As a date strategist, I help individuals identify opportunities to meet people in real life, especially if their environment feels limited. Organic meetings can lead to organic dating, and together we identify ways to expand dating options based on interests and availability.

Tell us about yourself

I first started seeing the impact of personal relationships on people’s lives when I worked as a Madam in Las Vegas. Every kind of client and escort came through the city trying their luck at improving, expanding, or exploring relationships: their own or others. Vegas luck always runs out, and mine did, too. I was outed and wrote a book to follow. People began contacting me for advice, and it was a natural progression for me to pursue relationship coaching.

Our relationships with others can be one of the most rewarding aspects of life. No matter who we are, our history, our current lifestyle, or our future goals, there is tremendous value and growth when we are in a supportive partnership. When people struggle to find balance with their personal life, I am here to share what I have seen works and what doesn’t. Many of my clients come to me with questions that my experience may answer. I appreciate every single person who comes into my life, and I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe everyone adds value to the world in some way, and I enjoy helping cultivate self-love that is supportive of their happiness in life. Personal empowerment is what motivates me each day to do what I do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Something I am proud of as a business owner is finding the balance between my professional and personal life. I used to work 16 to 18-hour days, carried 4 cell phones, took one into yoga and spin, and even slept with a phone under my pillow. It took me a long time to slow down, take time off, know when enough was (for me), and be okay with that. I stopped fixating on winning and focused on projects that made me feel more balanced. I discovered inner peace and acceptance that I don’t have to do it all every day. Every time I build a business from scratch, it takes a lot of time and dedication, it basically feels like it takes my soul, but it gets a little easier every time because now I prioritize balance between my professional life and my personal life, and it has been monumental to my happiness and sense of accomplishment.

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

A recurring theme throughout the businesses I’ve started has been getting past the slump when it feels like I am not making any progress. Finding perseverance when multiple days pass by and no calls or emails come through is tough. Regardless of how much I believe in the business or how driven I am, there comes a time when the venture feels heavy, as if I’m slogging up a never-ending mountain. I remember being a few years into a massive business undertaking and feeling so discouraged it must have shown on my face when I met a cheery and successful older lady who told me that one day I’d wake up and the sun would be shining and everything will fall into place, implying that all my hard work will come to fruition. I won’t lie, sometimes it’s still hard, and I struggle for motivation, but finding people to hold me accountable, such as a good team, coach, mentor, or even telling friends about my plans, helps me be accountable and see that goals are being met and progress made.

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

  1. Teamwork. A good team will take you to the moon and back. Every successful business is more than the idea or founder, it’s about the team who believes in the product or service. Put together a good team, and you will go further than you ever imagined.
  2. Trust your own instincts and don’t believe all advice that comes your way. What may be relevant for some may not work for your company or brand, and although advice can be given with good intentions, bad advice can really set you back or even collapse your business.
  3. If you did it once, you can do it again. During one of my ventures to start a completely unfamiliar business, I had to walk away from a stable and solid income into the unknown, and I was scared. A mentor gave a single sentence of advice that stuck with me forever, “if you did it once, you can do it again.” Implying, I had been successful in business before, I took a leap and found my feet on solid ground. It wasn’t about how cool my business idea was or its potential, it was about ME, my execution, and my beliefs.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://jamirodman.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamiRodmanRelationshipCoach/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jami_rodman/

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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