Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Virginia James, Founder and CEO of Feminine Sage Wisdom, LLC., located in Seattle, WA, USA.

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

Feminine Sage Wisdom started because I had it with my last 9-5. It was yet another job where my heart and soul didn't feel as full as it could be with what I was doing. While organically unfolding in my life, this business allows me the opportunity to help women embody their heartfelt work and soul's mission, plus get clarity on what a joyful and purposeful life can look like. I had to ditch the go-go-go over the years and tap back into my own feminine sage wisdom. That's what I now help women do, too. Specifically, my products and free offerings are for Millennial women because I am one and know the rat race we were told to conform to at the beginning of our careers. I also deeply understand today how so many of us crave peace and work-life balance and how we want to enjoy our lives well before retirement.

In my signature program, The Zone of Purpose Blueprint, I guide Millennial women who are driven and a little "Type A" (like me) towards their transition in work and life. They already know they're ready to ditch what doesn't align with them any longer, especially soul-sucking work. And they just need clarity, confidence, and, frankly, the friendly nudge to help them do it. I fully believe in soul-full living and help women take a chance on themselves: to walk out of their comfort zone, realign with their wellness, and take the next steps towards their legacy and impact by leading their life on their terms. Leading their life in new ways may look like starting a business, establishing a non-profit, being a consultant, or finding a new job that sings to them. Yet, while they unpack their evolution to "start their career revolution," I offer much more than a career pivot: I offer them a new way of living.

Finally, FSW is a woman-owned and LGBTQ+ business. I am more than happy to work with and hold space for women who are part of the LGBT+ Family. As a "sibling" myself, I get the intersectionality of work and life and trying to be who we are.

Tell us about yourself

I felt like the Grim Reaper in my last "job job." What's funny is I'd put 130% into my work roles and tried to stay perky, but after a year or two, I'd want to move on because I wanted to continue to expand. That's why business ownership is best for someone like me. I'm a learner, creator, influencer, connector, and so much more, and I get to do all of that with FSW. It's wild, and I feel blessed to do this work!

Now, is it all bunny rabbits and roses? Definitely not, and that's ok! When things are feeling like a struggle or a "WTF am I doing with this?" moment, I return to a few reflections and concrete truths for myself:

  • First, I remember what the commute, rat race, and hopes for a steady paycheck were like. I remember what it was like to have team dynamics that royally drained me or were toxic.
  • Second, when someone shares their story and how my work or message resonates with them, I tend to run out of words. Usually, I can articulate a response, but to know that I can make an impact in this way, from my own soul, that's a motivator right there, and I become happily speechless.
  • Finally, this world has some beautiful aspects to it — like nature and kindness between beings — but there are systems in place that need some renovations or demo work. When I see oppression and bigotry, both conscious and unconscious, I keep suiting up and showing up. If I ever wonder if this is really going to work itself out, my path with FSW, or if it's even doing any good on this planet and with women, I see something else pop up against us and the global majority, and it's go time. It's important to keep our inner fire burning and share our light in the dark corners of the world, through our work, and in our spaces and communities.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Right away, I'll say launching my favorite program, The ZPB, in 2022 and hearing how impactful it is. Now, don't tell my perfectionism course; it's second on my love list, but I have to be honest. :) To follow that, a close second accomplishment would be putting my truths out there and not shying away from my knowing: that this work is important and we don't have to fit in a mold any longer. I eventually realized I was more than a job title and an organizational chart, and it is incredible to help women see the same thing!

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

Honestly, it can feel quite lonely until you get a circle of business owners who have the same ethos as you and who are trying to change the world in similar ways. For a long time, I was doing this work solo: watching webinars, consuming videos, and trying to navigate all the inner workings of what business development looks like. And I still get stuck at times because that's how this process unfolds, just like in a "job job." You learn, you f- up, you grow, you get detoured, and all of that is normal. So, let's normalize it and move forward together going, "Well, that was a plot twist! Now I know more about myself and my journey in this work."

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

I appreciate this prompt because it's important for us to pay it forward for one another. Here we go:

  1. Don't lose yourself in others' bullshit. What do I mean by that? If your gut or instinct — I call it your wisdom within — knows that a sales tactic isn't your style, or you'll lose your integrity doing a business process in XYZ ways, ditch the information. Ditch the "advice." You have to look in the mirror every day; you have to stand by what you're doing and how you're doing it. So, work in alignment that resonates with your inner knowing.
  2. Stay as organized as you can with your files (electronic and hard copy) in your bookkeeping, legal docs, program/service development — all of it. Ideally, you'd start off organized, but as you go along in the months or years ahead, take time to "clean house" and settle into a groove of what goes where even once a quarter. For example, I have my podcast, LinkedIn platform, YouTube videos, etc., and as I've grown in this work, I needed my organizational process to follow as well. Try it when you can, and keep your routines or methods of staying tidy as often as possible. Bonus tip: if something goes by the wayside for a bit, forgive yourself, and bring it back up to speed.
  3. Don't pull 80-hour weeks or more if you can. I know... I know you'll absolutely love what you're planning to do (hopefully), but take it from me, a workaholic: love what you do, but love yourself while you do it. Meaning, try to step away for you time, for non-business creative time, and for solitude. Not only will you take care of yourself as you grow in your work and life, but you'll create space for random ideas to pop into your head and heart. If we're all so chatty in our headspace (takes one to know one), we don't have the quiet moments for something f-g stellar to come in, get planted, and grow in the future. So, take it from me: give yourself grace, time, and love, and your business could really blossom.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://femininesagewisdom.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vljames/

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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