Embrace Your Whole Self - Learning to Be

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Erica DeMeester, Co-Founder of Learning to Be, located in Redmond, WA, USA.

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

I am in the business of providing tools, resources, and knowledge of Mindful Self-Compassion to individuals to help them navigate life's challenges through online courses, workshops, and retreats. My customers are anyone who is seeking personal growth.

Tell us about yourself

I first got started on my business after experiencing the beauty and power of Mindful Self-Compassion after a difficult work situation where I left working at a treatment center feeling depleted and empty. Through a Mindful Self-Compassion retreat I attended, I experienced the same level of care, compassion, and love for myself as I had so readily given to past clients I worked with. It was so powerful and, at the time, an unknown resource I had within myself. When I experienced self-compassion for myself, I knew I wanted to teach and help others find and cultivate that same resource for themselves. I am motivated to put more good into the world every day, and I believe that starts with individuals treating themselves with more compassion.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is when my clients make connections and notice and feel their relationship with themselves grow and change in positive ways. As well as providing workshops for teams at large corporations such as Microsoft.

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

The endless list of to-dos. When starting and growing a business, you want so much for everything to just work flawlessly the first time, and when it doesn't, it's a chance to learn and grow. It's ever-evolving and changing, and that can be a bit daunting at times.

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

1. Ask questions! There are so many resources and individuals available and willing to help. Just ask.
2. Get really clear on what service or product you want to provide. It would be nice to do it all, but that isn't possible, and that's totally okay! Get really good at doing a few things really well, and you will be able to see some pretty cool things happen.
3. Get really good at failure. Failure is simply information about what's working and what's not. We can approach our failure through a compassionate lens and learn that it's not personal. Our individual worth is set, and no amount of failure or success changes that. When we can separate the two, we won't shy away from failure; we will embrace it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://learningtobe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Iamself_compassion
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamselfcompassion/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamselfcompassi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iamselfcompassion/

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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