Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nicole Mixdorf, Founder of Balance by Nature, located in Woodland Hills, CA, USA.

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

Balance by Nature is an award-winning corporate health & well-being company that provides culture consulting and wholeness programs to organizations with up to 10,000 employees. We co-create cultures of wholeness where employees are supported in showing up as their whole selves at work to step into their greatness as a unified team. This is facilitated through our integrative approach to culture development, where we bring a team of culture experts together in the fields of Health & Well-being, DEI, Behavior Coaching, Learning & Development, and Conscious Leadership Training to collaborate together on a strategic culture plan for the business to drive these initiatives in the same direction for greater results. We typically work with progressive organizations that are looking to increase employee retention and engagement to become a Top Company to Work For.

Tell us about yourself

I started Balance by Nature as a result of my own healing journey. I worked my way up the corporate ladder in a global firm, eventually becoming sick after experiencing chronic stress from the workplace combined with my dad's battle with cancer. After ignoring the issue for close to a year, the health condition forced me to take time off work to heal my body.

When I removed a large source of stress from my life and focused more on self-care, my symptoms disappeared, which was an awakening moment for me. I realized that a "healthy lifestyle" of proper nutrition and exercise wasn't enough in the face of chronic stress. I knew my story wasn't unique either, as my colleagues and corporate clients alike were all suffering from stress-related health conditions as well (digestive distress, migraines, insomnia, anxiety, depression, etc.), and not even realizing that stress was the underlying culprit causing their symptoms.

We were (and still are) facing a stress epidemic in the country and the world, and I was inspired to do something about it. I launched Balance by Nature in 2012, so I could inspire executives and busy professionals to create sustainable balance in their lives so they can heal and thrive. I am motivated by that purpose every single day, which drives everything that we do at Balance by Nature. I am passionate about giving people tools to regulate their nervous systems and introducing them to different holistic healing modalities to help them transcend the traditional system of symptom management to find their true healing. This is how we are moving beyond wellness and well-being into wholeness.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

We have been blessed to receive a number of incredible awards and recognitions for the positive impact we are creating in the world. Balance by Nature has been awarded as Top Corporate-Focused Health & Well-being Company 2023, and I personally have been recognized as Most Influential Woman in Corporate Wellness Services USA for the past 4 years in a row. There's something truly magical about having an idea for a business that solves a problem, bringing it to life, and then being recognized on a global stage for the impact it's creating. I am honored and humbled to do this work every single day.

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

One of the challenges (and blessings) of being a business owner is having endless decisions to make on a daily basis, all of which have an impact on our employees, clients, and our bottom line. I find that staying focused on the vision of what we are creating and the client outcomes we are looking to achieve helps make it easier to see when opportunities are aligned with our mission or not. I am deeply connected to my intuition and allow it to guide me toward the right decisions that move the needle forward in our company. Part of that comes with the confidence in knowing that I am showing up as my best self in my life and in my business.

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

  1. Create your business plan before you take the leap of faith to start your business. I didn't have that ready when I first started, and it took longer than I expected to get the traction I was looking for.
  2. Get a coach or a mentor to support you on your path. I didn't have a mentor when I first started out, which meant that I had to figure a lot of things out on my own. The moment I made the decision to invest in myself and in my business with coaches and mentors is when I was able to achieve greater levels of success!
  3. Get started! I had the idea to start my business 5 years before I actually did it. There is no time like the present, and time flies by so fast. If there's something you want to do, do it now!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://balancebynature.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.nadelmixdorf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolemixdorf/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemixdorf/

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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