Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Renee Metty, founder, and CEO of With Pause, based in Seattle, Washington, USA.

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

I have a mindfulness-based preschool in Seattle which led me to teaching parenting classes about mindfulness. Parents then started bringing me into their organizations which led me to speaking at conferences, executive coaching, and consulting. My customers are typically working parents in a leadership position, often in the field of tech. However, they run the gamut of industries. I like to say I develop humans from preschool to the C-Suite. Although I do offer tips, tricks, and strategies (the software), my main offering is to help identify and program the operating system (perspective, mindset, lens on leadership and life). I support leaders in understanding where they are, where they want to go and help them get there in the most efficient way possible.

Tell us about yourself

My early career during the tech boom in corporate was enjoyable, but I needed something more, so I went back to school to be an educator. I vowed I would never teach again and launched a wedding and event planning business. This was the start of my entrepreneurial journey. In order to focus on my event planning, I started an in-home daycare during the growth of my family. I quickly realized daycare wasn't for me and transitioned to preschool. I ran both businesses for several years. While the daycare was to help me find care for my own children so I could focus on my business, it was the business that took off. After ten years, I finally closed the event planning doors so I could focus on my preschool. After years of honing and refining our own philosophy and curriculum, I began bringing this to parents and leaders in organizations. This was the launch of With Pause, a consultancy dedicated to developing humans looking to transform the way they work and live so they can move from surviving to thriving and flourishing.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Very few businesses make it to 5 years, let alone 10. Through some challenging times, we are still standing for almost 12 years with one business and seven years for the other. My biggest accomplishment is probably staying married through it all, raising healthy and happy children, and getting to the point where I can choose when I want to work, what I work on.

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

I think one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner and really more so as an entrepreneur (there can be a difference) is when to stake an idea and when to let it go. In true entrepreneur fashion, I have lots of ideas and often a strong vision, so everything is perceived as a priority. One of the hardest things and yet also the thing that has allowed my company to thrive is trusting myself and having the courage of my conviction despite what may be thrown my way by other people.

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

  1. Stay true to you - Know your strengths and leverage them, be able to discern between the true you and your genius zone vs. the one that comes from lack, fear, or scarcity.
  2. Stay connected to something bigger than you- know your why.
  3. Stay light and curious - don't take yourself or your business too seriously. Offer value and contribute to the community in the best way you know how.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Starting and launching isn't for the faint of heart, but if you do and you succeed, it is one of the most rewarding, humbling, and richest ways to live a life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.withpause.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withpause
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withpause/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/withpause
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneemetty/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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