Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alina Liao, Founder and CEO of Zenit Journals, located in Washington, DC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Zenit Journals is a radical wellness company with the mission to make wellness accessible to everyone. We make customized wellness journals and provide journaling workshops that support Millennials primarily in their journeys to heal from trauma and take care of their daily wellness.
Tell us about yourself
In the spring of 2019, I was working through loss, depression, and trauma. The therapist and coach I was working with recommended I journal. Just journal, right? It seemed so simple. But, even though I had long known journaling would be good for me, I had always struggled to do it. I'd open my journal, stare at the blank page staring back at me, and give up. So there my blank journals sat, collecting dust.
But one day, I thought of a few prompts specific to what I was working on: "What serves me today?" "How am I honoring my wants?" "What am I learning?" I dug up a blank journal and wrote them down. My journal was no longer staring at me. It was inviting me in.
Day by day, I wrote those same prompts in my journal. Soon, journaling went from impossible to easy. I was feeling the transformation from it. I wasn't only piecing myself back together; I was healing. One day, after writing the same prompts in my journal, I thought, "dang, it would be nice if my journal just had these prompts in them." I followed that, and Zenit was born.
The impact I can have and the progress our customers make with our journals motivates me daily. For example, one customer shared, "I’ve tried to journal so many times, but each time I tend to fall out of the habit. Ever since I received my Zenit Journal, I’ve been writing in it each day. It’s been AMAZING to capture and process my emotions and thoughts. Thank you for allowing me to harness the best in myself."
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Getting Zenit off the ground and growing its reach 3x in its first three years. Not only did I achieve this growth, but I also started Zenit when I was struggling with depression. Every day was a fight to motivate myself, even when I woke up feeling like a failure.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
In general, being a business owner can be a lonely journey. Being a business owner with depression makes it 10x harder. As a business owner, you must be your own advocate, and you must believe in yourself even when sales are slow, or people are telling you what you're doing can't be done - which I've heard. So when I have my own inner voice from my trauma and depression telling me that "the problem is me" when things aren't going how I want or planned, it's a lot of effort to pull myself out of those spaces or to keep going while I'm in those spaces.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Early on, one of my mentors told me, "For your business to be healthy, you have to be healthy." I would pass on that tip. Take care of your physical and mental health throughout your business journey. Use a daily journal to stay in tune with how you're doing, keep your health present, and find ways to meet your physical and mental health needs day to day.
- Be clear on what must get done now and what is ok to hold off on or table and revisit later. As a business owner, many demands, ideas, and sources of inspiration can pull you in different directions. Staying focused on what matters and what is most aligned with your vision and goals is critical to not get lost and not spread yourself too thin.
- Be clear on what you're good at and what you're not good at. Or what comes to you naturally and does not come to you naturally. Once you have the resources to find others to help you do those key functions that do not come to you naturally, you can pour your energy into where your strengths lie and have team members who complement you and each other.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
This is a journey. Be patient, be flexible, and find ways to celebrate your steps along the journey.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.zenitjournals.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zenitjournals
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zenitjournals/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zenitjournals/
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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