Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Whitney Catalano, a Business Coach located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

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

I'm a multi-passionate business and life coach, content creator, and course creator helping people heal, get out of their own way, and upgrade all areas of their life to feel more intuitive and aligned. Oftentimes, that means working on habits, self-worth, emotional regulation, money wounds, codependency, fears, and intuition -- all things that can either help us feel aligned in life or keep us stuck living a life that doesn't feel right. I specifically work with naturally creative, high-achieving people who have spent their lives doing all the "right" things but still don't feel fulfilled and struggle with burnout. I help them reconnect to what they really want and heal the self-worth issues that keep us stuck in the rat race of trying to prove ourselves to everyone else through accomplishments and overworking. For business coaching, we take this a step further by designing a business model that works exactly for your brain and how you work best so that business feels a lot easier than it does right now. Plus, I'm known for helping business owners with all of the mindset challenges that come with running a business and pursuing a path that is different than your traditional 9-to-5 career route.

Tell us about yourself

I originally started my business as an Intuitive Eating & Body Image Coach (and Registered Dietitian), using my education and personal experiences with healing disordered eating as the basis for my work with people. In 2020, I reached a point in my business where I was well-known for the work I was doing, but I was tired of talking about the same things over and over again. One day, a few months into lockdown, I quit my book deal, launched one last food freedom program, and started tearing down my business, determined to figure out a business model that worked for me. Since then, I've tried on many hats and have finally figured out a way to work with a variety of clients without boxing myself into just one niche. I've also done a ton of work around healing my relationship with money, healing from burnout, healing from an addictive relationship with Adderall, and restructuring my business to work WITH my ADHD and my multi-passionate personality. I'm definitely motivated by my creative expression and personal healing journey. I love creating content and using my story and experience as a coach to help other people. I want people to know that so much more is possible.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Two things come to mind when I think about my biggest accomplishments. First, it's successfully burning down my business during a pandemic and being willing to take that risk for my happiness and alignment. I'm so proud of myself for that and grateful every day that I was willing to do anything to make it work. Second, I'm proud of the fact that I've spent the past year healing my relationship with money, especially in my business. I feel grounded and in control of money now after years of unconsciously spending every dollar and avoiding looking at my bank accounts. This journey has given me a new sense of confidence as a business owner that I've never had before.

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

The mindset! Yes, building a successful business can be tricky, but mindset will always be the hardest hurdle to overcome and is the reason why a lot of people quit or even avoid starting. You have to be willing to believe in yourself, face your fears every single day, and sit in the uncertainty.

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

  1. You will be afraid. You will have imposter syndrome. You will feel helpless and overwhelmed. And you will wonder if you are good enough to do this or if it will ever work out for you. And you might feel all of these things every single day, especially at the beginning. This is the initiation; it doesn't MEAN anything. It just means you're doing something scary. Learning to live with these fears and overcome them is a necessary part of your journey. You can't be a business owner without learning to deal with mental drama.
  2. Start making content before you have it all figured out. Nobody is looking when you first start, so this is your opportunity to make terrible content and fumble your way through it. You will get better, but you need to practice and be willing to look stupid online. Keep going.
  3. You are not helpless. You are incredibly resourceful. If you don't know something, read a book, hire a coach, take a course... just do something to learn it. It's ESPECIALLY important to take the time to learn the basics of marketing from people who actually study marketing. You cannot make money without identifying a problem that you can solve for people and then learning to market that solution.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://whitneycatalano.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneycatalano/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitneycatalano

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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