Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kathy Jourdain, Co-Founder of Worldview Intelligence, located in Bedford, NS, Canada.

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

Worldviews are the lenses through which we each see and experience the world. Individuals, families, teams or departments, organizations, and communities all have worldviews. They operate largely invisibly and influence relationships, communication, and tension we experience.

Worldview Intelligence is the ability to give voice and visibility to multiple worldviews, make connections, open explorations, and bridge differences. This gives people the power to transform themselves, conversations, relationships, and workplace cultures. And this inspires hope and courage as we face some of society's most pressing social, ecological, economic, and business challenges.

Tell us about yourself

My first career was in the not-for-profit sector. When I decided to leave that behind me, I reluctantly chose to start my own consulting practice because all the things I loved to do - leadership and team development, facilitation, strategic planning - pointed me in that direction, but I wasn't thrilled about it. That was more than 20 years ago. In the early days, in moments of stress and lots of not knowing, when I thought about what I would prefer to be doing, there was nothing else I preferred, so I knew I needed to make it work.

Now, with my partner, I have been dedicated to building our business, Worldview Intelligence, for more than a decade. It has its own life force, and I live and breathe it in all my waking (and sleeping) moments. Seeing the progress our clients make when they work with us and our approach is humbling and motivating. Hearing how impactful the Worldview Intelligence approach is for individuals and organizations fuels my passion for more. The work evolves and becomes more powerful with each new training program or consulting contract we develop. We continue to pay attention to and listen to what the business wants and needs to become because it is very needed in the world today.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There are so many accomplishments, the most recent is creating a 4-part animated video learning series on worldviews and Worldview Intelligence, describing concepts, impact, and how to work with worldviews. It is a giant leap in what we can offer our clients as it is customizable, scalable, asynchronous, and offers an enterprise-wide education opportunity.

Other accomplishments include building a coherent business, making a decade-long business (and life) 2 country relationship thrive, co-authoring a book (Building Trust and Relationship at the Speed of Change), and working on book 2 (Dancing on the Razor's Edge of Change), building an e-learning platform, custom designing client solutions, becoming certified as a Woman-Led business which is opening new doors to the next level of business growth. I can hardly wait to see what will emerge next.

Also, I wrote a memoir called Embracing the Stranger in Me: A Journey to Openheartedness, which explores my spiritual journey, finding out I was adopted when I was in my mid-forties, dealing with job loss and business creation, my journey with my mother with dementia, long term care, and her death.

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

In our business, it can be feast or famine. A lot of work and income or no work and no income. Hanging in there, working on the business, writing, and finding other ways to take advantage of the "quiet" moments is key. And having confidence all the time. In yourself as someone who has something to offer to the world, in the business you are creating. There are lots of things that will spark doubt or wakeful nights. Finding a way to counter that is important. I have a spiritual practice (which I have to work at), but it brings me peace, and I will chant mantras in my mind to drown out the voice of my inner judge.

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

  1. It can be consuming, so you have to love it. Love what you are doing and building, the processes you are engaging, and make sure you take care of yourself so you can continue to love what you are doing. Be guided by your vision and be clear about that vision. I know many people who started a business but then gave it up to go back to a "regular" job.
  2. As soon as you can, contract out or hire the things that drain your energy and steal your joy. These might even be things you are good at. But if they take away from things that feed your passion and your joy, they are worth paying someone else to do. Someone who loves those things will be energized by them and do a much better job than you. For us, this includes accounting and bookkeeping services, marketing materials, building an e-learning platform, and video development, including animated videos. Also, you might have to put boundaries around people who steal your joy - those relationships are rarely, if ever, worth it.
  3. Find your networks where you have support, can gain new knowledge and can amplify each other's work, be champions for each other. It will be more powerful than you can imagine. Always be open to learning, partnering, and collaborating on the things that will help you and your business grow.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://worldviewintelligence.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathy.jourdain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shiftingshape
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyjourdain/

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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