Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Paty Mariposa, Founder of Mariposas Holistic Healing, located in Miami, FL, USA.

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

I empower heart-centered service providers and helpers to transform their stress and trauma into inner peace through holistic wellness, which means looking at seven aspects of one's life to identify where the stressors are. With over 20 years of experience in mental health and over ten years as an energy provider, I have learned that complementary medicine is the only option for balanced wellness. This means that there's not one healing modality that will work for a person, and neither is there one self-care tool that will help reduce anxiety or depression. By addressing the source of stress through conversations and identifying where the blocked energy is in the body, the client is able to release the pain without years of therapy so it can be cleared faster.

Healers and helpers are front-line workers who often leave their own healing last, which then causes them to burn out faster. Through Mariposas Holistic, we're able to support clients in a variety of ways, such as 1-1 sessions, a self-care virtual community, one-day to multiple-day retreats, events, and workshops, along with Reiki classes. Our focus is to provide our clients with the tools and resources that would help them to feel more supported, understood, and relaxed after only one session. However, they do enjoy their experience, so they continue to return for more.

Tell us about yourself

I was born and raised in Miami, Fl, by my Cuban parents and two older siblings. I continue to live with my husband, who is from Colombia, and our three cats. Our future goal is to build a wellness and retreat center in Colombia so people can come from all over the world to disconnect from their day-to-day and reconnect to themselves. From an early age, I was always volunteering in a variety of ways, helping those who had fewer resources than I did so they could still feel loved and cared for. Upon taking a career assessment before entering college, I found that I was a good fit to be a therapist, so I opted to become a social worker.

I was influenced to follow this path thanks to a kind school social worker who helped me navigate a difficult time in my life during middle school. I wanted to help others as she helped me. I graduated with my bachelor's in social work and went on to work with youth who had behavioral problems in a residential outdoor program. From there, I went to El Salvador and served in the Peace Corps Youth Development program for 27 months. It was during these experiences that I recognized the impact trauma has on all aspects of life, from emotions to physical to mental, which causes a ripple effect upon others. Intrigued to learn more about the trauma, I returned to the US for my dual master's in Social Work and Public Health. During this time, my older sister was diagnosed with cancer and passed away a year and a half later.

Early on, she opted for alternative care such as energy healing, chakra work, counseling, raw food, and other techniques that were completely foreign to me at that time. Yet as her biggest supporter, I wanted to understand as much as I could and was eventually led to work with Reiki as a healing tool to help her. Reiki, though helped me while I was going through my grieving process once she passed. Her death completely shifted my life, and I became an entrepreneur after graduating from college because I wanted to help people by offering an assortment of healing modalities, not just therapy. Every day I'm motivated to offer support and healing to my clients, along with many others, in a variety of ways so they can continue their healing journey. Even though my sister is not physically in this world, I feel her presence and guidance often, which also helps my spiritual practice personally and professionally. The work I do can be accomplished in English and Spanish along with virtually so I can empower people around the world to achieve the inner peace they seek. Everything I share with my clients, I practice myself as I'm constantly healing and shifting in my personal life.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is that I've been in business since 2014. Statistics state that most businesses fail after three years. I'm constantly shifting and adapting to the changes around me. I've transitioned from being only in person to offering virtual services, which now make up about 80% of my business.

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

Being a business owner is 80% mindset and 20% action. Staying in a positive and motivative mindset is sometimes a struggle for me. However, I'm part of various tribes of entrepreneurs that continue to remind me about why I do the work that I do. I'm always seeking support through these tribes and business coaching because I know doing tasks alone all the time is not the way to grow any kind of business.

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

  1. Find a support system of like-minded entrepreneurs who can encourage you and offer resources.
  2. Don't quit your day job until you're financially set.
  3. Find one thing to do well, master it, and then learn something else. For example, if it's a service-based business, learn all that you can about that one service offering and fine-tune it until you can do it with your eyes closed. The same can apply to similar products.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Being an entrepreneur can be very rewarding yet also quite stressful. There are many facets to maintaining a successful business. By having systems in place, you can reduce your stress, so there are more automatic activities than manual. Believe in what you do and surround yourself with people who also believe in you. Ignore the doubters and keep moving forward. The world needs what you have to offer, so keep pushing forward, tweaking, and adjusting your business. Finally, learn every day from different sources yet toss out anything that causes too much overwhelm. You've got this!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://mariposasholistic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariposasholistic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodilouiselifecoach
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ3n8-TA1PRpckDvb_Vi-Ug
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariposasholistic/

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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