Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melissa Pepin, co-owner of The Business Reboot, located in Athens, GA, USA.

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

I am a coach for female founders! The women I serve are business owners who are looking to push through roadblocks, step into accountability, and be supported as they show up as their true selves to the communities they serve. We work through areas of growth like fighting procrastination, facing fear, trusting ourselves, and willingness to try and I offer a place of unwavering encouragement and reminders that their work does not determine their worth. We also work through practical business support simultaneously, and I am able to share my 18 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business owner, using my own experiences as a guide to help provide a different perspective on difficult situations they may encounter.

My other company, The Business Reboot, is a business education hub for entrepreneurs in creative industries. We serve creatives looking to grow, scale, and/or pivot in their current businesses. We serve with a weekly podcast, an annual retreat, and two different masterminds!

Tell us about yourself

I started my first business when I was 8, selling shell necklaces in front of my cousin's house to all of her neighbors, and ever since then, I knew a life of entrepreneurship was what I needed to pursue.

My husband and I got married as college students in 2005, and after having a less than stellar experience with our wedding photographer (do NOT book a low-budget photographer...I promise it's not worth it!), I decided that I wanted to try to take my love for photography and offer a better experience to couples than we had received. I came home from class one day, and my husband handed me a business license from our county and said, " Just in case, I thought you might need this."

That moment birthed my career as a wedding and portrait photographer that served me and hundreds of brides and families for a decade and a half before I knew it was time to lay it down. It took being willing to look at myself in a different way before I could pinpoint exactly how I could serve next in my business, and it was almost like letting out a big sigh of relief when I told a friend that I wanted to encourage the hearts of women who run businesses to believe in themselves as much as I believe in them.

That moment of recognition has yielded encouragement, growth, balance, and pure confidence in dozens of women who are not willing to settle for "ok" in their businesses when they know they can do and be so much more when they are operating with a full cup. It's really the same for the Business Reboot too.

My business partner, Corry Frazier, and I saw the pandemic wreck the market of creatives we knew and had admired for years because business was shifting, and growth didn't look the same as it always had. We knew if we could serve these creatives and help them fall in love with the back-end processes of their businesses, they could build something that would be long-standing and sustainable. We are about building the kind of leaders people want to follow.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Peace. My biggest accomplishment in business is the peace I get to walk into right this very minute. It took a really long time to feel comfortable enough with what I offered and how I served people to want to keep my eyes on my own paper and be unbothered by what everyone else around me was doing, but I am there. And the peace of running these businesses in true alignment with where I feel I am supposed to be and how I'm supposed to serve is the greatest gift. I've done the big things. I had an incredible studio space as a photographer. I booked the $20,000 photoshoots, and I've spoken, led and mentored, and done the big stages that weren't my own. I've won awards. I've popped the champagne. But I've also cried big tears. I've been humbled beyond humility. I've felt the sting of sacrifice. I've heard the no's over and over that can feel like they ruthlessly diminish every yes you have ever received. I've done the hard. And I've seen the good. And none of it compares to peace. This is my marker of success.

*Oh, and my children reminding me that I'm "good at this job!" feels huge too.

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

Business ownership is basically signing yourself up for perpetual personal development, so if you're not aware of that, buckle up! The hardest part is that there is always something. It takes a LOT of work to detach from all that needs to be/could be done. They say if you love it, you'll never work a day in your life, and "they" are right...you'll work ALL the days of your life! Hahaha! Yes, there are hard parts, but it's 5000% worth it.

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

Gosh, there is so much I'd say! But my top 3 things would be:

  1. Free always cost someone something. If it's not money, it's time, and both are equally valuable, but time is the only thing you can never get more of, so think wisely before you over-commit yourself to opportunities for exposure.
  2. Authenticity is your superpower. You will find yourself trying to fit into places you were never meant to be, in parts of your industry that don't really excite you, if you always feel like you have to be like the people you see around you. Love what you are doing and how you are serving, but know that the clients who choose you are buying way more than just your product or service. They are picking YOU. You will attract so many more of the right kinds of clients by being yourself.
  3. Don't let your idea of success hinge on a dollar amount. Dig deeply into what real success would look like for you. List those things out on paper and look at them every single day. Whether it's being able to be the one who picks your kids up from school every afternoon or being able to buy a car with cash, whatever YOUR version of success is, it is the one you should chase.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website(Personal): https://melissapepin.com/
Website(Company): https://thebusinessreboot.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifewithmelissapepin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-pepin-72a387254/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.