Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michelle Hotaling, Founder of Dreamaway Visions LLC., located in New York, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Dreamaway Visions is a production house focused on creating content that helps people imagine better and sleep better. I create stories and meditations, partnering with apps such as Wysa, Better Sleep, Insight Timer, and LivLabs. I produce a podcast and two YouTube channels to offer my content for free to international listeners. Most of my audience is women. In the next six months, I plan on launching a new project, Screw Ageism, to celebrate women who defy societal expectations around aging.
Tell us about yourself
When I first started, I had been a freelancer most of my life and wanted to find a business that would offer passive income, allow me to be creative, serve a need, and help the world be a little bit kinder. I knew that sleep content was a niche that was underserved at the time. In a society that proclaims, "You can sleep when you're dead," I wanted to let people know that sleep is a priority and they can use every night as a time for a mental vacation. I'm motivated every day by the responses I receive from listeners who no longer need sleep medications, who feel empowered to take new chances, who cope better with anxiety, and who wake up feeling good.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment personally is structuring a business that works around my needs as a person and the lifestyle that suits me. So much focus in society is on productivity (and I am incredibly productive and prolific), but I am able to do it in a way that balances a healthy lifestyle, allows me to sleep well and practice what I preach, and inspires others to do the same.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing is that I have so many visions and ideas and have to learn patience and that some projects will take more time and develop slowly. We live in a time where opportunities are bountiful, and I have to remind myself that this journey isn't going to take a day or a week, or a month. I'm in it for the long haul.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Find a niche. Find businesses or people who are doing what you want to do and learn from them. Pursue something that makes you feel motivated and happy each day because when you choose a professional endeavor, you are also choosing a lifestyle.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.michellessanctuary.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellessanctuary/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellessanctuary/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichSanctuary
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-hotaling-593b673/
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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