Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jess Joswick, Founder of Backbone Business, located in Altadena, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a business coach for entrepreneurs who want to create high-ticket offers and high-performing teams. My clients want to build equitable businesses that shift our society's structures and change the conversation. Right now, though, they're overwhelmed, overworked, and pretty much over their whole business. I help them get back their freedom, stability, and profitability so they can create happy, healthy lives for themselves and their teams and run the businesses they were born to lead.
Tell us about yourself
I've always been an over-functioning high achiever who is very hard on herself. I'm also an introvert who naturally hates the spotlight. I've learned that these are huge strengths for working with my clients now since many of them have similar stories. They're unlearning how they were taught to be successful: climbing the corporate ladder as quickly as possible, at the expense of their health and life, or putting their many identities on the shelf to please someone else.
What gets me up in the morning is the possibility of a new way of doing business because we desperately need it. We are leaving so many people and opportunities behind because the way leaders run their businesses is exclusionary and downright inefficient. It's time to rethink everything, which starts even when you're a team of one!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Bouncing back after majorly burning out. My first business was a branding studio. I designed websites, logos, and the like for startups and small businesses. I loved the work but was on a grind for a while. I was also getting certified as a business coach at the same time.
Finally, some health issues took me down. I started questioning whether it was worth getting my business back up again. Ultimately, I decided that I wasn't done making my impact in this way—there just needed to be some substantial changes to how that happened. I'm still adjusting to my new capacity, but it really has taught me so much that I can give to my clients about being more efficient, especially if you're neurodiverse or chronically ill, as some of my clients and audience are!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Putting your own health, or your family's needs, first. It's very easy to build your life around your business and allow it to eat up every spare moment you have. But I didn't start a business to be thinking about it all the time! You've gotta be able to let go and trust that it will be there the next day or on Monday morning. Putting your own health, or your family's needs, first. It's very easy to build your life around your business and allow it to eat up every spare moment you have. But I didn't start a business to be thinking about it all the time! You've gotta be able to let go and trust that it will be there the next day or on Monday morning.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Learn to love and appreciate goals with numbers. Let go of the judgment you have when you don't hit a goal.
- When that happens, get curious about it. What went wrong? What can you do differently next time?
- Try again and give yourself more time than you think you'll need. You've probably heard this one before because it's true! It takes 18—24 months to create reliable, repeatable revenue from a brand-new business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://backbone-business.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backbonebusiness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backbonebusiness/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessjoswick/
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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