Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Elouise Cloete, Founder of Elouise Cloete, Powered by Shift Ideas LLC, located in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I help Women Entrepreneurs and Events Professionals discover how to win in a changing world by putting in place systems and processes which sets boundaries, calm chaos, and realize resilience. I help uncomplicate the complicated.
Tell us about yourself
I'm a self-starter and strive for excellence. I didn't inherit millions. I didn't win the lottery; I just learned early on in life having an education and working hard for someone else wasn't the answer to living the life I had pictured. Throughout my younger years, I strove to be all things perfect and, in fact, wore the title as a "badge of honour." This approach created the foundation of what mattered to me most, how I developed my virtues accordingly in my life, and how I conducted myself professionally. In striving to be all things' perfect'...a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a business owner, I felt I wasn't doing any of them well at all…even though I had been enjoying a very successful career within the hospitality and corporate events industry for over two decades, none of it mattered because it all came at a huge cost and had an impact on how I started seeing myself and how I built my business...
Having always had an entrepreneurial spirit, I could come up with a million ideas. I would dream about what could be, which kind of people I would employ, how I would lead my team, new services I would offer, new ways of thinking about things, and how having something I could make my own without having to ask for permission, were all aspirations which became an obsession to conquer. An obsession to build an empire with a business that spread across the globe, even though I had no idea where to start. I bought into the often-used phrase of 'winging it' or 'fake it until you make it' because I knew I would grow with my business and figure it out along the way. Until I didn't. Having a business isn't like having a manual where you can simply flip over to the next page where you find the instant fix…I found out the hard way. A business has multiple complex layers. It's like playing a game of Russian roulette at times.
In year 8 of my business, almost everything started crumbling around me. I started questioning everything because all I created with my business was another job, not an empire. You can say, "the bullet hit me between the eyes," and I hit burnout. One thing, though, stood out for me...What got me to this point wasn't going to get me to where I wanted to go. I just didn't know where 'there' was anymore. In 2018 my life changed dramatically when I became a 'mama.' This amazing blessing forced me to change my perspective on what worked and what didn't. This opened my mind to a very different approach for the future of my life, my business, and as an entrepreneur. This approach is how I gained control, realized resilience, and forced me to start looking at where I was and where I wanted to go.
I realized there are certain fundamental shifts one must make to break through the proverbial 'glass ceiling.' I discovered the 5 steps to success in entrepreneurial life. The only 5 steps that really matter. When I realized how to put my big girl pants on and started implementing some of these steps in how to rebuild robust business processes, a business I could finally be proud of, everything started to transform. Sometimes it's actually not wise to wait to get the help you really need. There are just too many things you don't know what you don't know. This is what motivates me to share my discovery and why I do what I do.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Having the courage to rebuild my Corporate Events Business post-COVID and developing a further offering as a Consultant & Trainer to the sector.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Letting go and setting healthy boundaries.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Sometimes it's actually not wise to wait to get the help you really need. There are just too many things you don't know what you don't know.
- Don't be the Lone Ranger - find your tonto.
- Stop flying by the seat of your pants and get into an Inner Circle you trust.
- Work with a Mentor/Coach.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://elouisecloete.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecloetetraining
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elouise_cloete1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shift_Ideas1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elouise-cloete-86388827/
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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