Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Reece Malone, Founder of Sexuality Consultants and Support Services, located in Winnipeg, MB, CA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our sexuality is an integral component of who we are. Physical, mental, and spiritual health are intrinsically linked to our sexual health and wellness. More people are choosing sex therapy to address an array of sexuality issues and concerns that affect us as individuals and our relationships.
More specifically, sex therapy addresses physical concerns (lower desire, physical arousal difficulties, intimacy with a chronic condition, pelvic pain, etc.), psychological concerns (sexual anxiety, performance worries, identity concerns, unwanted attractions, etc.), relational conflicts (desire discrepancies, infidelity, communication struggles, etc.) and other sexual matters that other therapists may not be nonweldable about including consensual non-monogamy, fetishes, BDSM, mixed-orientation couples, etc.
Clients are of all adult ages, of all cultures and ethnicities, and all orientations and genders.
Tell us about yourself
By age 16, I was already answering sexuality and relationship questions with my classmates. I recall not shying away from difficult questions and challenging experiences with my friends and peers. This history is woven throughout my career. I knew immediately when I saw Dr. Ruth Westheimer that I wanted to be a sexuality educator and therapist too. Because I perceived the career of sex therapy as out of reach and culturally stigmatized, it was not until my early 30s that I explored pathways to become a sexuality professional.
It is the awareness that sexuality is taboo, forbidden, and shame, and guilt-laden for many that drives me to be in the field and to be an advocate that our sexuality is integral to our health and wellness and that all of us have sexuality, and that all of us will experience difficulties regarding our sexual health. To witness clients transform, heal, reframe their thoughts and become more grounded and confident in who they are is a joy and privilege.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As a business owner, a significant accomplishment is for my profession to be valued and recognized as important. As sexual health becomes even more normalized in our conversations, our interdisciplinary professions, and our culture, we empower more people to know that they have options and choices and are not alone in their experiences.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Remains are the relics of what others believe we do with clients in sex therapy. This can impact securing liability insurance, opportunities to find office space, and our marketing and advertising being flagged and censored.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a solid marketing and public relations plan that is steady and consistent.
- Personal and professional development are interconnected. Taking care of your emotional health while developing a business is key. This includes who you are as a compassionate leader to staff and the public.
- There are no failures when taking risks and venturing into uncharted territories. There are only learning and growth opportunities with every experience.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://reecemalone.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drreecemalone/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drreecemalone/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drreecemalone?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reecemalone/
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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