Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Sage Breslin, Founder of Sage Wisdom Institute, located in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I work with leaders who are eager to improve their connections with self, Spirit, and others in order to be heard, seen, and served better! By embracing authenticity and transparency, leaders send clearer messages to their teams, are more easily understood, and experience greater loyalty, motivation, and productivity from their staff as a result. As processes run more smoothly, leaders gain the freedom to spend time as they choose to rather than just at work!
Tell us about yourself
My training is as a Trauma Psychologist and Coach, so I spent thirty years building an amazing toolkit (arsenal!) to help people heal. About ten years ago, I realized that I could gain reach by working with leadership because as they healed and became more engaged with their families and teams, they also wanted things to be easier and better for their team members! Why impact just one if you can impact thousands???
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
One of the proudest moments I experienced was receiving the Points of Light Award for my work with combat veterans. It's been a labor of love, one that is often painful as we dive through the agony experienced in combat and the scars that have settled in as a result. Helping veterans recover and renew themselves has been an amazing journey. Even cooler has been watching some of those veterans heal so successfully that they've launched businesses to help other veterans and made a HUGE impact!!!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
In the beginning, it can be hard to take time off unless you have a passive source of income. Once you have a platform that can run on its own, it's certainly much easier to take time off without worrying about your bank account. It's so important to ensure that you strike some kind of harmony there no matter how long you've been in business because if YOU are the business, then YOU have to take care of yourself and remain refreshed and revitalized so that your business can SOAR!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Honestly, I'd pass along a piece of advice someone gave me when I first started: begin with the Ops Manual. Translation: make sure that you map out as much as you can before you dive in. If you rent a huge office in preparation for a large staff to join you before you've designed the product or service that's going to generate income, you're likely to go broke. Start with what you know and build from there- whether it becomes words in a book (that becomes your elevator speech) or a design for a widget, or even three tips for business success- write it down, embody it, breathe it in, then enact it! Oh... 3 tips- right... 1) Only develop a business in what you really feel passionate about 2) Get some coaching to ensure you and your business are ready to charge ahead 3) Share yourself and your ideas with others so they can learn what you have to offer (rather than pitching 1000 times per day)
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Being a solopreneur isn't for everyone, nor is it for the faint of heart. It can offer amazing freedom (to be at kids' soccer games, go for a run in the middle of the day, or whatever floats your boat), but it can also be daunting to be responsible for EVERYTHING. Consider creating a team or a tribe that enables you to embrace your business and all its liberties without falling down under the weight of its entirety.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.sagebreslin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SageWisdomInstitute
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagebreslin/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SageWisdomCo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sage-breslin-phd/
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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