Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and career development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jacqueline Boone, Founder of The Dream Academy, located in Asheville, NC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Dream Academy is a consulting, learning, and development company dedicated to helping people be true to who they are and do the work they love. Our courses and one-on-one consulting offerings help entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and professionals Dream big and take the next steps in their businesses and careers to make their Dreams a reality.
Tell us about yourself
From a young age, I've been fascinated and driven by the question, "Why am I here?" That drive to do something purposeful and meaningful with my life has always been there, but along the way, I learned a couple of things that completely changed my life and career path. The first is something I talk about in my first book, "Heart Language," which can essentially be pared down to "listen to your heart and then go do it." And the second started with a question, "What would you do if you had 6 months to live?" This question prompted me to start a blog 13 years ago, beginning with my own experiment of taking 6 months to truly live--to let the people I cared about know how much I loved them and to go for what I really wanted in my life. Those two philosophies have led to a passionate global career that had me live all over the world, allowed me to work with everyone from startups to Fortune 100 and 500 companies, and, most importantly, helped people and companies grow and realize their biggest visions.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Seeing people live their Dreams! I was also super excited to give a few TEDx talks--one in the US and one in China.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I always say that as an entrepreneur, "the highs are higher, the lows are lower." That's why it's so crucial that you really believe in what you're doing because there will be bumps in the road as you build your business. In those moments, I always go back to why I'm doing what I'm doing, and it always goes back to people. Knowing that the courses and consulting I and the other guides from The Dream Academy have given or created continually help people along their journey--that's priceless.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Get very clear about WHY you want to run a business and WHO you want to help.
- Make time for and build a community from the very beginning. Running a business is amazing, and it can also be difficult. Having a community around you to help, answer questions, and encourage you on your journey is so important.
- Start creating a client base on the side. One of the biggest mistakes I made when I started my first business 10 years ago was that I didn't already have clients before leaving my corporate job. I did a great job of getting all my ducks in a row, I had savings, and I even had a popular blog and platform, but I had never sold anything and had no idea what sales was really about. That's one of the biggest reasons I created my first mastermind; now it's called the Business 101 Course, to help people avoid the pitfalls I made from not knowing what it took to run a business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.thedream.academy/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the.dream.academy/
https://www.instagram.com/jacqueline.e.boone/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/6monthstolive
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelineboone/
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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