Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Fiona Bicknell, Founder of PORTER / 11211, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is multi-faceted. As a Holistic Coach, Nutritionist, Human Design specialist, and Kundalini teacher, I offer a variety of services and tools, all in support of creating well-being. Taking a holistic approach ensures that all offerings positively impact physical, emotional, and spiritual health. My clients are incredibly varied and from all walks of life, though all with the common intention of seeking growth in some capacity.
Tell us about yourself
As with many others working within this space, I came to teach about well-being through a process of exploring various tools to support my own health. After fifteen years of marketing and branding within the luxury fashion industry, I took some time out to create some space for myself to figure out what was next. This shift created significant changes in my day-to-day and also happened to coincide with a break-up from a long-term partnership, a move to a new home, and a new health protocol to address life-long hormonal challenges. The resulting upheaval catapulted me into a completely new chapter of my life in which I found a deep fascination with all things healing.
It's not a unique story. So many of us reach this point of great challenge in our lives in which we are forced to make a change. This is why it feels so important (and incredibly fulfilling) to share the knowledge I've accumulated over the years. The level of well-being and vitality I have created for myself is beyond anything I could have previously dreamed up, and I feel continuously driven to pass it on.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Overcoming the fear of perception. My greatest challenge (one that I'm sure will likely still present in new ways as the business grows) was to shift my mindset into a space in which it felt safe to promote myself and stand confidently in the value I have to offer others through my business. I have always been someone to lean very heavily on my intellect and academic abilities. To my conditioned subconscious, sharing with the world that I created a business built upon holistic practices and ancient divination systems felt like I was setting myself up to be ridiculed or completely undermined as someone who can help create health for others. The fear of judgment is very real for nearly every entrepreneur I know or work with. Overcoming it can often be the key to unlocking great success for ourselves, and it feels like a big accomplishment to have been able to let go of many of those fears.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I actually have found being a business owner a much smoother and simpler path than working for others. It suits me and my way of working perfectly. The hardest thing, perhaps, is just maintaining the mental energy required to continually hold on to a confident mindset to keep the business moving forward - yet even that feels like a fun challenge to meet!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Lean into your intuition first and foremost - even if that means going against 'best practice,' ignoring advice from others, or doing the thing that on paper is hard to justify.
- Get some support to shift your mindset. It is imperative to understand what limiting beliefs might be running in your subconscious that are going to hold you back and to have some support to shift them.
- Use your fear as a guide - the thing that feels scariest is often exactly the thing that will lead you to the greatest success.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.porter11211.com/
Instagram(Company): https://www.instagram.com/porter11211/
Instagram(Personal): https://www.instagram.com/fionabicknell/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionabicknell/
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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