Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melanie Rivera, CEO of Breaker28, LLC., located in Springfield, VA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I work with CEOs, HR leaders, and executives committed to leading with H.E.A.R.T. - in a way that's healthy, equitable, antiracist, real, and trust-centered. My clients span from university departments to large and small charter school organizations, small businesses, and agencies.
Tell us about yourself
I am an HR executive by training who has spent my whole career in service to nonprofits. In that capacity, I realized that in our sector, we were sometimes perpetuating the same kinds of harmful practices in our organizations that we were seeking to disrupt in the world. I created Breaker28 to make equitable, inclusive, and effective leadership the norm and not the edge case in the nonprofit sector.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
This year, we will have served over 30 organizations on their journey to managing with H.E.A.R.T. - the practical difference we made in their organizations day-to-day is a source of joy and fulfillment for me and the team.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Knowing how much you can take on, when to hire, and generally how to divvy the work, so the quality is high, but you aren't working yourself into the ground.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
If you are risk-averse or don't have the financial means to "jump" with both feet into a business, start a side-hustle and grow it until it pulls you off your job. Many folks of color, caregivers, and middle-class backgrounds, can't just quit our jobs and go full-time into our businesses upfront, but that doesn't mean we can't do it eventually - we just need a slightly different path to get there.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.breaker28.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniesrivera/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
