Progressive Sex Educator - Ashley Gadarowski
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ashley Gadarowski, Owner of Emerald Sexual Health Consulting, located in South Glastonbury, CT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is Emerald Sexual Health Consulting, LLC. I call it Emerald Sexual Health for short. My customers are individuals and couples looking for help with their sexual health and want to know how to grow in sexually positive ways and reach their full sexual potential. I provide shame-free coaching and educational services for people looking to talk openly about their sexual problems and to learn about sexuality and sexual pleasure in new ways.
Tell us about yourself
I’m a board-certified sexologist, sexual health educator, and sexual pleasure coach. I’ve always seen a need for sex education, even while I was growing up in the late 90s. I was really lucky to grow up with adults who taught me the importance of sexuality and sexual health without being shamed or embarrassed about the various topics.
I’ve created services for adults who didn’t grow up with the respect and education they deserved for their sexual development. Reaching my audience is what keeps me motivated, creative, and brave enough to post my content on social media, even if it is not perfect. The more I grow my audience and provide customers with my services, the greater impact I will have on improving sexual health education on an exponential scale.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I was going to describe my first sale as my biggest accomplishment, but after thinking about it further, I would say that having the opportunity to be a guest on other people’s podcasts has been mine. I love being able to share not only my work but the content other entrepreneurs are creating. Also, the podcast sound bites are priceless and will really help you connect with your customers.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I’m finding it more and more difficult to create content that can go viral, no matter the social media platform or algorithm. I essentially want to create content that is able to go viral no matter what changes are made to these social media platforms. For example, I need to create content that balances what my customers want with what I know they need. Content that draws them in but also gives them the educational content they need to hear, even if it might not be the type of sex education content they are used to seeing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Launch your website even if you do not feel like it is perfect. Launch it before you feel ready because it is never going to feel like it is done. I use a spreadsheet to manage the updates needed to my website. Your website doesn’t have to be perfect to get leads and make sales.
- Plant seeds for your business as often as you can, and don’t be hard on yourself if you take a break from your work to take care of yourself. For example, send those networking emails, create content at once to post on different days, and follow up with leads who may not have gotten back to you right away. I’ve seen my business grow while I was taking time for family or self-care because I was making sales and getting offers from emails and content posted before a planned or unexpected break from actively working on my business.
- Invest your time and money in training. When I started using a new program for graphic design, I utilized the free training videos and resources available. Taking the time to watch the videos saved me in the long run. Also, I have financially invested in training and have seen growth in my skills as a business owner. For example, I took training to help me with the difficulties I described in creating the right content to reach your customers.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Sometimes it will feel like you’re not making any progress or that you have to start over; keep going! The more you progress and take steps to create your business or reach any goal, for that matter, the more you will build a foundation for continuous growth, and you won’t have to start from scratch.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.emeraldsexualhealth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sh_emeraldxx/
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Qvxbcc
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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