Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rai Hyde Cornell, Founder of Chiron Consulting, located in Lubbock, TX, USA.

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

Everyone deserves to be happy – but many of us don't find happiness in the pre-prescribed model of life our culture thrusts on us at birth. My goal is not to help you fit into the "get good grades, go to college, get a job, get married, have the 2.5 kids, buy a house, and work your ass off until you can hopefully retire one day if you're lucky and your health hasn't suffered catastrophically by then" model. My goal is to help you build your own model. Through my podcast, I share stories from real people who made their wildest dreams happen so that listeners can see what's truly possible and NEVER tell themselves that their dreams are impossible. Through private mentoring, I guide my clients to discover what they truly want out of life and then to build a self-employed business that supports that dream and gets them to it FASTER, so they can start living the dream now – not just after 65. And through my monthly workshops, I guide entrepreneurs in a step-by-step fashion through some of the most challenging roadblocks of self-employment, including pricing themselves, selling their services, and designing a schedule that supports them and their creativity.

Tell us about yourself

As a serial self-employed and breaker of expectations, I never did what people expected of me throughout my entire life. From being a straight-A student who dropped out of high school at 16 to earn my diploma in 2 months and my Bachelor's degree in 3 years to abandon the path, my three advanced degrees in psychology and criminology set me on to build a freelance career because I loved copywriting… I broke all the rules society said I needed to follow. Everything they said I couldn't do, I did. Not to be a rebel. Not to spit in the face of authority. (Those were just side perks 😉) But because my heart was compelled to follow my own drum beat, I knew what was right FOR ME.

From building my own marketing agency – Cornell Content Marketing – to helping large companies and solopreneurs alike build more profitable, streamlined, and joyful businesses, I'm on a mission to help people enjoy a higher quality of life while fulfilling their life's purpose.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Business ownership is never exclusive to what's going on in your life. My biggest accomplishment as a business owner was also my biggest accomplishment as a woman, an individual, and a plain ol' human. I hit rock bottom after a violent trauma in college. I could have given up some days; I wanted to give up entirely. But I didn't. One day at a time, I picked myself up, put back the pieces of my soul, and committed myself to build a better life for myself than I had ever dreamed of. Today, I live that life – and with my wonderful, soul mate husband at my side, too. My business allows us to live the life we desire and to continue building a legacy we'll be proud to leave behind. But I was only able to build that business by learning about myself, healing, and committing to building a business that supported me.

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

Hiring. Hiring is, by far, the most challenging part of business ownership, in my opinion. I've spent 15 years building a business that is custom to me, my creativity, and my preferred way of living and working. It's very difficult to:

a) Find someone who genuinely wants to be a part of your world.

b) Trust someone enough to let them into your world.

c) Train that supportive person in ways that have – up until the point of hiring – largely only existed in your head, perhaps on autopilot. But the good news is your soul mate team members ARE out there, and there are very clear – yet unconventional – ways I've found of finding them.

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

  1. Follow your gut instincts (aka, your intuition). Even if it doesn't look "right" or "logical" on paper or to others, your intuition will never fail you. I – nor anyone I've ever known, read about, or learned from in any capacity – has ever regretted following their intuition.
  2. Stay true to yourself. In our digital-everything world, it's very common to get swept up in comparing yourself to the Instagram influencers and the Facebook celebrities, and the YouTube sensations. But what works for them won't work for you – purely because you are unique and have different goals, dreams, desires, and intrinsic assets. Don't waste time or energy comparing camels to Camaros.
  3. If you're scared to start, then start scared. Time is going to tick by either way. Waiting for the "right time" to come will only lead to you living a life that's not of your own design longer than you have to. Do it now. It doesn't matter if you take a small step (like setting up a business bank account) or a big step (like quitting your 9-to-5). Just take a step. Any step. And get that momentum going.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

You get to decide what you will and won't allow in your life. No one else does – not society, not your religion, not your family or friends. You. So start deciding.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://chironconsulting.us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chironconsultingus/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chironconsulting/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rai-hyde-cornell/

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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