Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sarah Lacko, Founder of Inspired Vida, LLC, located in Casper, WY, USA.

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

My business name is Inspired Vida, LLC. We aim to help women take back their power after going through life struggles, feeling lost, stuck, feeling drained, and even uninspired so they can live THEIR dream life.

We do this by focusing on women's:

  • Self-discovery
  • Self-exploration
  • Inner growth
  • Empowerment
  • Self-love
  • Self-care
  • Rewilding

We connect to nature, which is a proven therapeutic tool to help reduce stress, reduce anxiety & boost self-awareness. I used my degrees, certifications, life experience, and my upbringing in nature to develop a program that combines group coaching with the power of nature by giving backpacking retreats to women who are ready to embrace their wild. The majority of my clients are women who are ready for adventure, who are digging deeper within themselves, yearning for exploration, and are READY FOR THEIR NEXT LEVEL! Inspired Vida is best known for our backpacking online course and retreats, but we also offer glamping retreats, day adventures, Clarity Coaching services, Tarot Card readings, PiYo (pilates/yoga combo) monthly online classes & more!

Tell us about yourself

I started a blog because I wanted a business where I could inspire others to live a life they were truly passionate about. Living a life they dreamed of versus just surviving, as so many people do. These people are just surviving, not inspired, living for the weekend or for a vacation when they have the opportunity to truly live each day to the fullest. I have learned that life is only short if you're not truly living it. So I started this blog, and essentially I was working to build a business that I didn't really know exactly what it was going to be. Basically, like the Field of Dreams movie. I was building something outside myself without really knowing what that actually was and what it looked like.

I was a single mom and sole provider, putting myself through college without any student loans, working full-time, and going to school part-time. My days start at 4 am to do school work, get myself ready, get my kid ready, get her to the bus, and work a full-time job which I normally left late, which made me "that mom" (you know, the one who picked her kid up last from daycare every day). Later I got my "dream job" with dream hours that gave me some time with my daughter, and I was able to pay my bills without sweating every month. About a year later, I was laid off from my "dream job" that I had worked SO INSANELY hard for as the economy was taking a hit, which meant I was taking a hit… but I've also stood by the saying "everything happens for a reason" (dad had always said that before he passed away when I was 16 yrs old). I didn't know what the reason was at the time, but I did know that I wouldn't trust an employer blindly again and have my child and myself completely reliant on what they decided for me in whatever company, in whatever pay, in whatever opportunity they thought was good for me. If I was going to fail… it would be from my own doing… If I was going to be successful…. It was going to also be my own doing!

That's not always the case (as I found out) when I was being employed by someone else. Many things happened after that, but this is where I made a promise to myself and my future that I was going to succeed eventually… I just didn't know when that would be, but I trusted myself to find out how long that took. The seed was planted. I had two other 9-5 jobs after that one. Then one day decided in a conversation with my daughter to leave and go into another dream, passion, and mission full-time. I now work full-time for myself.

What motivates me is to do things scared and to help others do things scared too. The amount of beauty that is on the other side of fear is absolutely amazing. We don't have to have everything figured out. We just have to lean into the fear knowing we will come out on the other side of that with something that cannot be read in a book but that has to be lived.
I help women live.
I help women lean in.
I help women go for it.
I help women walk into the fire; they just stare at wondering, what if?
I help women embrace their power.
I help women embrace their wild.
All the things I could have used myself in the past. I'm motivated for people to live this beautiful but sometimes difficult life. Because life is only short if you don't truly live it.
I help those women LIVE and pull back from surviving.
I have this quote hanging up in my office from R.H. Sin that I look at and often read, "Some women fear the fire, some women simply become it."

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The BIGGEST accomplishment is the AMAZING BEAUTIFUL WOMEN I work with & after we work together, getting to hear and see their triumphant wins & personal growth… I MEAN, THERE IS NOTHING BETTER! On our retreats, I get to WITNESS their fears, anxiety, tension, stress, insecurities (which we ALL HAVE, by the way), etc. LITERALLY, WASH AWAY in a glacier lake at an elevation of 11,000 ft as we do a cold water plunge as a community of women! It's STRAIGHT FREAKIN' MAGIC. Words honestly can't even express the beauty that happens within these women… CLAIMING THEIR POWER FROM WITHIN THEMSELVES!!

Here is what one of those retreaters said,
"I definitely walked out of that forest with my head held higher, literally.
Opening myself up both physically and emotionally definitely healed and helped open up some places in myself that I've shut down for too damn long."
POWERFUL, RIGHT?! I KNOW!
And there are more success stories where that came from.

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

That I can't work with everyone. In a way, I know this isn't humanly possible & I would for sure burn myself out. Since I cannot work with everyone, I love that Inspired Vida offers online resources like an online backpacking course to get you on the trails without having to go on a retreat, our monthly Online PiYo classes to support your physical health, and our monthly Clarity Coaching membership to support your personal growth! So even though I might not be able to work with everyone one-on-one, we can for sure get them into one of our online resources that helps support whatever they are going for!

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

LOVE THIS QUESTION!

  1. ALWAYS BE A STUDENT! Continue to learn from those around you! There are SO MANY incredibly smart people out there, and those people just make you a better person and a better business owner. It's a win-win!
  2. THERE WILL BE DAYS YOU WANT TO GIVE UP. Doing anything outside of your comfort zone can come along with anxiety, fear, uncertainty, etc. But don't give up; just take a moment, take a night, take a break, and come back stronger! And be grateful for those harder days… they show you what you are made of, and there is so much growth to be had in those growing pains. There is nothing like a business built with your blood, sweat & tears to show you a whole new side of yourself.
  3. YOUR BUSINESS IS NOT YOUR BABY. I've heard people say this before, and I used to say it too. Making your business your baby makes this WAY TOO PERSONAL, and it isn't personal… it's a business. Learn to separate your personal feelings and emotions from your business. If someone isn't interested in what you offer, that is a GREAT THING because it makes room for the one who is!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://inspiredvida.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredVida
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredvida/

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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