Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Urszula Lipsztajn, Founder of Urszula.co located in Squamish, BC, CA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a life guide to impact entrepreneurs and leaders. I coach co-founders, directors, and C-suite people who care deeply about making a difference but are losing themselves to burnout and overwhelm. I call them feather rufflers - they go against the status quo. Ambitious. Aware. Called to be something bigger than themselves. I help them find their way again. My core services are 1:1 coaching, team facilitation, and leadership development.
Tell us about yourself
I cut my chops in big retail, developing leaders who wanted to make a difference but were losing themselves to burnout and old-school business ways. I, too, was burning out. I was moving up the classic corporate ladder working for a boss who nearly broke me. Sick with another stress-induced cold, I got connected to a coach who literally changed my life. I stood up for myself through coaching, left that job, and took the first steps toward entrepreneurship. I started slowly, working a part-time job to build my brand and reputation. I coached as much as possible to develop my skills, working for free and supporting non-profits and other leaders. Here I am 10+ years later, and I work with the most amazing people doing the most amazing things.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Gosh, so many. Every time a client finds their spark, all the butterflies fly inside me! When I see the ripple their change has on their team and family, their health, and capacity to impact our world. I know I'm doing the work I'm here to do. In the last few years, I'm super proud of how I am decolonizing myself, my business, and my fellow coaches. Classically, the coaching industry is a white, privileged space. As a white person, I am committed to making coaching safe and accessible for people who don't look like me. It's completely shifted my style and operations.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Taxes! Well partly. It's wearing all the hats a solopreneur wears. Switching quickly between them and staying on top of it all while being in it every day. I think it's also hard to stay on the course, especially in the early years where there's a bigger gap between effort and results. To wake up every day and say. I'm doing it. Again and again. It takes years to build a sustainable coaching practice. You gotta stay in it when it's hard and keep going when you don't know where you're headed.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Try things! You don't know what you'll shine at until you give things a go.
- Reflect. Every day reflect on what worked and didn't and refine right away. Don't wait till you're down a rabbit hole to course correct. Course correct sooner.
- Take care of yourself. No one does their best work from a depleted place. Even if it's 10 minutes a day - do the things that feed you so you can show up for your business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.urszula.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urszulalipsztajn/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urszulalipsztajn/
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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