Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bandi Heather, CEO of Brandi Heather Consulting, located in Red Deer, AB, Canada.

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

I am a best-selling author and world-class speaker, addressing mental health and wellness and helping to create workplaces where people want to work and play. I am the CEO of Brandi Heather Consulting.

Tell us about yourself

I was a hugely creative kid and grew up playing outside the lines in everything I did. More than anything, I wanted to be an inspiring teacher, and to this day, that’s precisely what I consider one of my greatest gifts. I earned a Bachelor of Education in Physical Education and Special Education and a Master’s degree in Physical Education, focusing on diversity and inclusion.

For over 20 years, I taught thousands of students, professionals, families, and children of all ages and abilities the value of inclusion, most often by helping them find the value in themselves first. In 2009 I was told I would never teach full-time again, that as a woman living with Major Depressive Disorder, I would not have the capacity to take on such challenging work. I went back to teaching full-time in 2010.

I thrived in spaces where people didn’t quite fit because my goal was not to make every space the same but to find and demonstrate the strength of difference. I realized that my toolkit for change was built on finding and growing people’s connection to play, and I became a Therapeutic Play Specialist in 2017. Play is a science and an art, and I was determined to change how we harness and utilize it for our lifetime.

In 2018 I took a gigantic leap from "college professor" to a business owner, and in 2022 I started Brandi Heather Consulting. I believe I am changing how we experience the world, people, and spaces that are different from our lens, experience, background, and expectations, and helping get the world back "in play."

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My book, writing it, and getting it to print was huge for me. Like many business owners and entrepreneurs, taking an idea to completion takes brave moves, creativity, and resilience. My other biggest accomplishment is starting over and starting new.

It takes a ton of support and a dream that won't let go to leave a stable and sturdy College Professor to a full-time Business Owner and Speaker. So many people do not give themselves enough credit for the courage it takes to fall and get back up again.

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

I call it the octopus effect. When you are trying to be everything for your company, in the beginning, you are researching and developing, marketing, finance, social, and doing great work simultaneously. Sometimes you feel like you need eight more arms to get it all done.

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

  1. Be brave, believe me - look at all your diverse strengths that are never seen on your resume. You are going to use all of them. It is the heart of who you are.rate little wins, and never wait for the BIG one, the project, the contract, etc...
  2. Celebrate the first dollar you earn or send your first email with your logo. Those are the wins that sustain your why.
  3. PLAY!!!! Do not save this for vacation! Find those moments in your work that make you feel alive, courageous, and creative. Hint* play is the foundation of your mental health, business sustainability, and success. It's a science, not silliness.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.brandiheather.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReturnToPlayToday/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandi__heather/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandiheather/

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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