Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in counselling but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Stephanie Davis, Owner of Shoreline Counselling, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a community of private practice trauma-informed psychotherapists. At Shoreline, we work with individuals, couples, and families from across the lifespan and socioeconomic spectrum. We offer reduced rate services through our two-year intern training program. Our clients seek us out as a means of finding a supportive, caring, and compassionate presence to walk alongside them in whatever their current struggle or circumstance. Some clients are directed our way by doctors or other healthcare providers. We have an array of therapists in our office that offer various training modalities and worldviews that inform the way they sit with clients - as such. There is often someone for everyone.
Tell us about yourself
People are struggling - particularly these last couple of years, and I feel honored to be able to co-create a safe place with limited barriers enabling clients to find whatever support they need when they seek us out. I was a high school teacher once upon a time. I loved being in the classroom and the energy of the school environment but came to realize that there were limitations to the impact I could have given the curriculum and systems in place to support struggling students. I decided to pursue a Master of Counselling Psych at UBC and did my internship training in private practice. I loved the one-on-one and group experience I received there, not to mention more agency around my own schedule and quality of life, so I made the jump into private practice. In 2019, my business partner and I left that practice as we felt it was no longer value aligned with us and the work we wanted to do and opened Shoreline. Many of those therapists came with us, and the community we have co-created with them is a very special place where beautiful healing, learning, and growth take place.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Recently we have had to say goodbye to a couple of our therapists as they have made life decisions that have forced them to leave us. Sitting with them as they reflect on their time with us and how important it was a part of our community, what it offered them and how they are changed - was really surprising and left me feeling extremely proud. It is so sad to see them go but to know the impact that the community we so intentionally created has is really amazing to me.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
It is so busy!! I also carry a full client load, so my weeks are full. I am in the process of becoming more clear on the holes that need to be filled and ways in which some pieces need to be moved around in order for us to keep up with how fast we are growing, and some of those changes are hard to make.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- I could not even consider doing this without my business partner, Laura. We are so different and complement each other perfectly. I never have to carry stress or fear alone, and there is always someone to celebrate all the wins with.
- Find your support people. People you can trust and rely on to teach you about the pieces you don't know and who you can call when you're lost or unsure. I keep a list of everyone who has helped me, from lawyers, accountants, tech people, HR, designers, coaches, etc., and rely heavily on them to impart their wisdom and expertise - and to hold pieces that they know far better than me.
- Then just start.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://shorelinecounselling.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shorelinecounsellingfortlangley/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorelinecounselling/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-davis-748640157/
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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