Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lola Garant, a Mindset & Business Coach of Lola The Weirdo Coach, located in Montreal, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Weirdo Club is where people with ADHD go when they feel like they can get more out of their life, but the lines to get there are too blurry to see the path. I take those people from getting into daily fistfights with their brains to finding a new BFF in that beautiful mind of theirs with a special interest in entrepreneurs (current and to be).
Tell us about yourself
Having ADHD myself, I couldn't see myself doing the 9 to 5 when I graduated from university with my bachelor's in product design. Instead, I've decided to shine some light on this desire that has been with me for as long as I can remember, the one that was always pushing me towards starting my own business. Over the past 5 years, I've been developing my skills as an online entrepreneur and teaching everything that I've learned that now helps me to do this full-time to everyone who feels the entrepreneurship call. This is why I'm still doing it because I know that this desire to start a business inhabits so many of us with ADHD, but there are little to no resources to help in the process. So I've been creating those resources to help as many aspiring ADHDer to become an entrepreneur.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think my top accomplishments are doing this entrepreneur stuff full time for the past 5 years, being referenced in a TIME magazine article as an ADHD specialist, being able to travel whenever I desire, and most importantly, receiving emails from people telling me how much I've helped them and changed their life.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Not having a boss. I know it's a big part of why we do it, but it also means that there is no one to put pressure on to get stuff done. It makes you develop a special kind of relationship with work and rest. That and having to understand all the legal and accounting lingo, but Google quickly becomes your BFF.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Give yourself a chance to suck. I mean really suck. We put so much pressure on being perfect from the get-go that it most often leads to paralysis and abandonment. The first couple of things you'll do won't be the best, but who cares? You're doing the thing, and people need it regardless if it's perfect or not.
- Surround yourself with other people that are in the same boat as you or in a couple of boats ahead. If you are in a position to hire help, DO IT. If not, try and find other entrepreneurs to befriend and exchange with. It can be a very lonely road, so pack some snacks and bring some friends.
- Try new things all the time. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing and expect different results. So dare to be different, to do things differently, to question why things are done the way they are. Growth comes from pushing yourself toward the unknown, and you can't do that from your comfort zone. So if you're not scared (a bit), you're doing it wrong. Being an entrepreneur should feel like a good rollercoaster (if you like those), scary at times, but the excitement and the thrill are always worth it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.theweirdocoach.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lola.theweirdocoach/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theweirdocoach/
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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