Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Simone Alicia, Founder of The Self Esteem Doctor, located in Coconut Creek, FL, USA.

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

My business and I are known as "The Self-Esteem Doctor." My brand has grown to represent me as a teacher, author, and coach, and it also represents my global online academy and keynote appearances. I have an open door policy for anyone at any age and stage who's ready to improve their mindset and achieve positive outcomes in their lives.

More specifically, however, I specialize in working with kids, teens, and families to raise self-esteem using my expertise in both Neuro Linguistic Programming and Metaphysical Science, as well as my Honorary Doctorate in Divinity and years of classroom teaching experience.

Tell us about yourself

I had a fun and unusual start. I began teaching elementary school and working as a print and runway model. During that journey, I observed students in my classroom and my fellow runway models struggling with self-image, confidence, and overall mindset. I recognized that self-esteem was a topic that needed to be addressed from elementary school right into adulthood.

That was the beginning of what would later become "The Self Esteem Doctor." Each day I am motivated by the truth of our human potential and the power of the human spirit. I regard teaching and coaching as a gift I was given - with a great responsibility to share these truths with the world.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

As a business owner, I believe there are two major accomplishments one should embrace. The personal accomplishment and the professional one. On a personal level, as a business owner, I have developed what some call grit. I truly practice and live by what I preach. I do not give up or waver under pressure. I see the vision and hold to it with everything I've got. Clearly, I will shift, pivot, and revise as needed, but I've found my purpose, and I know now, more than ever, that I have what it takes to see it through.

Professionally speaking, my biggest accomplishment lives within the hearts, minds, and souls I have helped along the way. As Oprah recalled hearing from Maya Angelou, "your legacy is every life you touch." Now with my Global Online Academy, it is so empowering to know that the one-on-one coaching service that was radically transforming lives in my neighborhood has now been bottled and magnified into something that can touch limitless lives around the world.

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

The hardest thing that comes with being a business owner is balance. In a way, your business becomes your baby, and if you have other babies, family members, or a significant other, you will need to find a healthy balance in order to nurture everything and everyone in your life.

And beyond that, and perhaps even more difficult, is nurturing the relationship with yourself. This requires the most balance of all because you will need to see the value in taking time to nurture yourself outside of your business. To be able to step away for fresh air, meditation, relaxation, and vacations and still trust that all will still be well.

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

  1. Let your gut/inner voice be your most trusted coach. Your inner voice is a powerful guiding force that can steer you in the right direction. Learn to tune in, hear it, and trust it. Yes, be open to counsel and advice from other great minds, but do not place them above your own inner voice. Trusting yourself and knowing how to embrace guidance from others is a powerful combination for professional success.
  2. Don't be afraid to start something new. Sometimes the idea you have may be so different that others don't understand or believe in you. Your job is to believe in yourself. When I first announced I would be "The Self Esteem Doctor," someone asked, what is that? I replied, "I don't know. I'm not done creating her yet." And here we are today, so believe in yourself and your vision. When you do, the rest of the world will follow.
  3. Learn to love these two things: change and the unknown. Change can be a magical opportunity to shift from what is not working to what is, to expand your vision, and create a bigger and better version than you first thought possible. Do not be afraid of change. Learn to love it.

And the unknown. We are often trained to believe that the unknown is a scary place, but the truth is the unknown holds countless possibilities. Sure, that can include the bad stuff, but it also invariably includes the good stuff, too, the huge, marvelous, abundantly powerful things you've been dreaming of. Learn to embrace the unknown as a place where you can reach in and grab the positive outcomes you've been working hard for - and finally hold them in your hands.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theselfesteemdoctor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSelfEsteemDoctor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselfesteemdoctor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSelfEsteemDr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theselfesteemdoctor/

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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