Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Trina Parnell, Founder, and owner of The Umbrella Studio, located in Toronto, Canada.

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

I am a Development and Results Coach. I help individuals develop emotional mastery, breakthrough limiting beliefs and take strategic action to achieve their dreams. We cannot control how the world reacts around us, but we can control how we react to the world. When we learn how to make proactive choices rather than reactive choices, we have the ability to achieve greatness. The individuals I work with are looking for a change. People believe that there has to be something more to life than "rinse and repeat." The overworked and/or underappreciated individuals know there has to be something more to life - and are willing to invest the time and work into finding out how.

Tell us about yourself

I actually started working as a business coach in early 2020. I was helping starting entrepreneurs with the operations and tech setup of their businesses, but something felt off. I knew I could succeed with the company I created - but I had this "tug" (for lack of a better word) inside me that was trying to get me to go in a different direction. Every time I sat down to write a blog post or create any marketing material, I didn't want to focus on the business/tech side of things; I wanted to talk about the mind. I had just recovered from depression, anxiety, and PTSD in 2019/2020, and I knew I wanted to help people that were struggling as I had, but I didn't know how. At the time, I was a big Brene Brown fan (and still am), along with other thought leaders like Tara Brach, Simon Sinek, and Glennon Doyle. Their messages were like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, but I didn't know where to start to put it together. In January 2021, I attended a Tony Robbins seminar called UPW, and that's when everything clicked into place. I immediately stopped working on my operations and tech biz, became heavily invested in Tony Robbins programs, and started studying NLP. This work is something that I believe has the chance and the opportunity to change anybody's life (that is willing) to be absolutely and abundantly beautiful. And being able to offer that gift to someone is the most rewarding thing I can think of.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My client's success.

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

The most challenging thing that I think comes with being a business owner is balancing your roles. If I could, I would spend all my time with my clients and creating/strategizing ways to achieve breakthroughs. But, as a business owner, we need to have discipline. Just because you don't want to do the finances doesn't mean it gets to sit on the sidelines and not get done. The trick is to reframe the tasks you tend to avoid into something that is just as fun as your favorite part.

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

  1. Make sure you know SPECIFICALLY what you want, why you want it, and what you are willing to do for it.
  2. Surround yourself with successful people and learn from their habits.
  3. With every fall, don't just pick yourself up and try again. Pick yourself up, find the lesson, THEN try again.
  4. Ask as many questions as possible.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Every single person in this world has their own unique story and way they see the world. The way we work, the way we communicate, the way we establish and build relationships, it was all taught to us through our environment and surroundings. Some of the lessons we learned have served us well, while others may be holding us back from achieving the things we want out of life. Don't be afraid to question your thoughts and have the courage to unlearn anything that doesn't serve you anymore.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.trinaparnell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trinapaper
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trinapaper/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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