Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shardel Hodge Matthews, founder of The Lighthouse Perspective, located in Whittier, CA, USA.

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

The Lighthouse Perspective offers individual and couples coaching calls, hybrid therapy sessions, and group workshops and activities to empower the AA community and community of color by creating intentionally healthy relationships with themselves, God, and others through insight building and perspective shifting.

Using my educational background as a therapist as well as my life experiences, I'm about to facilitate a healthy space and environment for individuals to not only process their emotions and traumas (i.e., childhood or adult) but also encourage and assist them in setting goals in order to move on for the future. Part of The Lighthouse Perspective's goal is to meet singles and couples (i.e., seriously dating, engaged, married, separated) where they are and be the cheerleader and support system to get them over the barrier to a healthy emotional lifestyle!

Tell us about yourself

Becoming a business owner was not originally in the cards. What I tell people when they ask why I opened The Lighthouse Perspective I usually will say, "It wasn't my plan. It was God's plan." Throughout my life, I've gone through various traumas that have shaped my outlook on life, including a house fire, hit and run accident, and a divorce, to name a few. I always had this thought that what I was experiencing was not in vain, but I never understood why.

It wasn't until September 2021 that I was nudged in the direction of turning my testimony into a resource. I was already actively a therapist, but therapy limits my reach to people. As a therapist, we're told not to talk about ourselves or self-disclose, but my testimony, struggles, pain points, and accomplishments are what I knew would help. I understood at that point that the obstacles that had been set for me (i.e., homelessness, divorce, emotional anguish, isolation, substance use, etc.) was all for the purpose of being relatable and effective to the community that I ultimately wanted to help. MY community. The community who would also struggle with similar things in silence and let it destroy them. I wanted to be the one to crack the ceiling and just let it all out to let others know that emotional/mental freedom is obtainable.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

To be honest, I never realized how important it was just to be authentically honest and open. There is this fear of taking the leap and exposing yourself to the world, especially in this social media era. It's so easy to be discouraged and feel like the gifts that you have aren't useful or that people wouldn't be interested because it's not as aesthetically appealing or entertaining.

I truly feel like my biggest accomplishment in creating and owning my own business is releasing the opinions of others and doing what I felt was best for me!

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

One of the hardest things I've encountered so far is seeing a need for my business/community and offering resources to assist in those needs and those resources not being utilized. Having a heart for support, it's hard to watch people not accept the help offered and take the harder way out of situations.

One thing I've had to learn in mental health is that you can only be helped if you want help and wanting help takes acknowledging pain. Pain just isn't something most people are comfortable admitting that they experience. As a business owner, I've had to learn to give space to those who struggle because we've all been there at one point or another. Meeting people where they are in their experience is usually the only way to overcome the difficulty that comes with avoiding emotion.

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

  1. Stay true to yourself and the things that you believe in. It's easy to be swayed when you aren't sure what your business goals are.
  2. Trust your gut! Your body is the only part of yourself that you cannot instantly control when triggered. If it doesn't feel right, it isn't. If it feels good, keep going!
  3. There is no rush in starting and growing a business. The goal is consistency and sustainability, and there's no way to do that quickly without burning out. Adopting the "ease and flow" mentality allows you to let the puzzle pieces of your business fall into place exactly how it should. (Remember, trust that gut!)

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Real is rare in society now. Embrace being authentically YOU and let true, genuine, untainted experiences and examples take over the world!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thelighthouseperspective.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLighthousePerspective/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelighthouseperspective/

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.