Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emily Pasnak-Lapchick, Founder of Chrysalis Exchange, located in Saint Petersburg, FL, USA.

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

Chrysalis Exchange is a coaching and consulting business supporting individuals, teams, and organizations who are contributing to social change. My vision is to create opportunities for everyone to work with a coach, and that's why all of my individual coaching packages are offered on a sliding scale, and I always have one slot for a pro bono or donation-based client. My coaching clients range from nonprofit staff to social entrepreneurs to anyone who's just feeling a little lost and knows something's got to change. I work with people on career transitions, managing stress and burnout, cultivating self-compassion, and more.

In addition to coaching, I partner with nonprofits, social enterprises, and socially conscious businesses to support them with a range of consulting services, including facilitation, strategic planning, human-centered design, and program design. I'm currently working with documentary filmmakers on utilizing their recent film to create a national awareness campaign on the US-Mexico border crisis that's impacting children and adults seeking asylum and safety.

Tell us about yourself

I was raised by two parents who worked in social change spaces, and to this day, they remain two of my biggest inspirations. I know that it's because of the lessons they taught me that the first seeds were planted for me to become the person I am today.

With over a decade of experience working in nonprofits and foundations, I've had positions where I've felt deeply connected to my work, and I've also found myself questioning whether I'm making a difference and whether I'll ever feel fulfilled again. In one of the moments where I felt lost, I worked with a coach, and it truly changed my life. I returned to who I am, reconnected with my passions, and started enjoying my life again. I knew from that experience that I wanted to create a coaching practice where everyone - regardless of their background, could work with a coach. I know that each of us holds so much potential, and many of us have had layers of societal expectations caked on that we need to interrogate and shake off in order to burst out. That's why I named my company Chrysalis Exchange - to represent the metamorphosis that can take place when we create time and space for ourselves. It's an honor to partner with so many incredible people and be a witness to and supporter of their personal development and growth.

Aside from work, I love spending time at the beach and creating new things (recipes, cocktails, and more!). I live in St. Petersburg, Florida, with my wonderful life partner, Andrés, and our two cats – Akela and Koa. I adore our local community and the thriving small business community we have here.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being able to grow my business in a way that aligns with my values. Rooting in principles of economic justice and equity can be at odds with typical strategies around marketing, pricing, and other pillars of running a business. I spent a lot of time upfront thinking about different approaches to a socially conscious business, and it's something I'm constantly looking to evolve and expand. The reception from both clients and the coaching community has been amazing. I have clients who have access to more capital and want to work together so that their investment can support others, and I have other clients who are able to work with a coach for the first time because the sliding scale makes it more affordable. I now have other coaches reaching out to me asking about the sliding scale model and bouncing ideas around on how they can create more affordable options for some of their clients as well. It's been really beautiful to see.

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

I think everyone knows it's a lot of work, but I underestimated the emotional rollercoaster of running a business. In the span of a day, I can feel totally energized, have powerful coaching calls where I'm witnessing clients' transformations, and hours later, I am questioning what the heck I'm doing! It's not like that every day, but it comes in waves for me, and I have had to develop strategies to process what I'm experiencing. I utilize journaling, meditation, and trusted relationships, and of course, I work with my own coach. On the days that it's really hard, I give myself the space to step away from my business and focus my energy elsewhere until I'm ready to return.

I really believe that the community holds and supports us in ways we can't always do on our own. My community of business owners, coaches, and mentors keeps me sustained, and I know I can lean on them when I'm struggling. For me, that has been one of the main things that have sustained me when things get hard. I also have an incredibly supportive partner and a group of friends who are rooting for me. And then there's your own courage. You have to constantly and consciously choose courage as a business owner. You're putting yourself out there, KNOWING that you're not everyone's cup of tea. So my relationship with myself and my self-belief has grown exponentially.

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

  1. Find your support system! Peers and mentors in the space you're working in, plus your personal relationships. You'll want people to lean on when things get tough or when you are seeking some clarity on where to go next.
  2. Know that you'll have to choose self-belief every day. You will have doubts, and you will have fears; that's inevitable. It's your choice to believe in yourself and your dreams anyway and have the courage to move forward!
  3. Learn from other people's strategies, and at the end of the day, do what feels good to you. If social media isn't your jam, don't use it! Don't get caught up in what people say you "should" or "shouldn't" do. There are plenty of ways to run a business, and when you're doing things that feel good for you, that's when your ideal clients and customers will find you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://chrysalis-exchange.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrysalis_exchange/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilypasnaklapchick/

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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