Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Liisa Vurma, Founder of Nudge Me, located in Melbourne, Australia.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Nudge Me brings together women in business who value personal growth and elevating each other in a safe and supportive environment. We run a peer-to-peer coaching community called Nudge Pods for women starting or growing their businesses. We also have a coach matching service so that every female founder can find a coach that matches their needs and values.
Tell us about yourself
My business, Nudge Me, is helping me bring together the passions and skills that I've developed over the years. I started my career in branding and communication design, moved on to design thinking and design research, and later worked in early-stage start-ups as a product manager. I have always loved self-development, neuroscience, and human behaviour. Working with leadership coaches at one of my jobs made me realise that I really want to dig deeper into this space.
It's shocking how little we have been taught about simple self-management and communication skills when growing up. The skills that are being taught to executives by highly paid leadership coaches should be available to all of us. Not only will these skills make us better leaders, but they also make us better friends, partners, parents, and humans.
What motivates me every day is providing the space and structure for female founders to support each other with empathy, vulnerability, and kindness.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I hope my biggest accomplishments are yet to come. What makes me happiest about my business is when our members reach out to share their business wins and how the space that Nudge Me provides has helped them find confidence and clarity to achieve more personal alignment on their business journeys.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Where do I start? 😆 You always hear that running a business is hard work, how lonely you feel, and how you will never be on top of your to-do list. I have experienced it all.
I never imagined the level of loneliness I might feel as a solo founder. This is also why Nudge Me has become personally so important to me, I have developed new friendships with other solo business owners, and you start feeling that you've got people behind you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- The first couple of years are for learning and making mistakes. That's just the reality of it. This is how you grow. So plan accordingly. Have enough of a financial runway. If that means keeping your business as a side hustle in the beginning, then do that. If that means taking a part-time job a year into your business, do that – it's not the end of the world, you can always come back, and it doesn't make you a failure.
- Find your community and make business friends. Your family and employed friends will never understand what you're going through. Who you surround yourself with makes a big difference to your work ethic, motivation, opportunities, and growth.
- Work on your self-awareness. Really understand what your passions are. Running any kind of business is hard work. You can't pursue hard for an extended period of time if you're not passionate about what you do.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.nudgeme.online/
Facebook:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nudgeme.online/
Twitter:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liisavurma/
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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