Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in consultancy but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Charlene Dill, Founder of Charlene Dill Business Consulting, located in Halifax, NS, Canada.

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

Provide consulting and advisory services to non-profit and charitable organizations.

Tell us about yourself

I'm a business consultant who teaches aspiring business entrepreneurs the "how to's" toward helping bring their goals from vision to reality. Helping and encouraging others to achieve great success gives me endless purpose.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

​In addition to helping others achieve their goals, I've served on many Boards of Directors and championed several impactful ventures. I'm an Advisor for challenged business start-ups and have developed seven thrift stores for charitable and community causes in Atlantic Canada. As a successful business owner and business strategist, I was extremely proud to be nominated for the Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

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

Most business owners are fully engaged as entrepreneurs who are driven by success, and we obtain great self-fulfillment from achieving results and accomplishing our goals. We can, however, be so driven that we forget to stop and "smell the roses," take time to appreciate our successes and reflect upon our own achievements by becoming more self-aware.

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

  1. Must have a formal business plan. Not creating a business plan is perhaps one of the most common mistakes, and it's a troubling one because business plans can help you identify issues with your ideas and also help the market to potential investors or other sources of funding.
  2. Have a realistic financial budget with a five-year projection. Some entrepreneurs misjudge costs and end up spending more than they budgeted, while others spend too little to give their business a realistic chance.
  3. Everything in business hinges on leadership. Leaders in companies deliver vision and financial accountability and manage talent to run the organization. Therefore, every person at the helm should know what their responsibilities are and how to perform them with excellence.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We were each given a true purpose in life. What's yours? Now is the time to tell the world, "Here I am, the best version of me." You can do, have, and be anything you want, so think big. What energizes you? What creates in you a deep passion? Goals like buying a house or opening a business yield a sense of achievement. Purpose takes those goals to an even higher level. So if you're asking yourself, "What is my purpose?" what you're really asking for is a true sense of fulfillment. And fulfillment isn't a luxury or leisure activity – it's a necessity.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.charlenedill.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlenedill/

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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