Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Julie Palmer, Owner of JEM Events (dba the Retreat Goddess), located in Ypsilanti, MI, USA.

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

Curating retreats and travel experiences for adventurous souls is how I use my gifts in service to humanity. Both types of experiences can often uplift a person and help them see the world, or themself, in a new way. There’s so much transformative power in a curated retreat or individualized travel encounter. I often say that I play at the intersection of luxury and transformation.

Tell us about yourself

After 20 years in the corporate world, I realized my true desire lay in creating extraordinary experiences for people. I left the corporation behind in 2016, launched my business, and have never looked back. In the creative moments of planning a new retreat or designing a travel adventure, I experience bliss beyond words. It’s here that I feel my world expand, and it nourishes my soul.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is that I haven’t quit. When the pandemic nearly shut down the entire world, my business barely survived. Despite losing over 93%, I knew I wouldn’t give up, and through that tenacity and dedication, I’ve emerged with a business I love exponentially more than the one I had in February of 2020.

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

The personal growth that is non-negotiable. One cannot be a business owner and avoid the internal work that shows up nearly as soon as the business is launched. Thankfully, I was already a student of personal growth and embraced the work I got to do on myself while I grew a business I loved.

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

  1. Be sure you have a fire inside to do whatever it takes.
  2. Expect to work on yourself more than you work on your business.
  3. Hire a coach to work through everything that will, undoubtedly, show up.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Double your prices every year. Yep! This could be the scariest guidance you have ever heard. Do it scared, and don’t ever wait for something to be perfect.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.retreatgoddess.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlobalRetreatGoddess/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theretreatgoddess/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-palmer-retreat-goddess/

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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