Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Danica Nelson, founder of WatchDanicaWork, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a creator, educator, and speaker in the personal finance/money, career, and travel space. I teach folks how to make, manage, and enjoy their money.
My community is made up of primarily Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour who are interested in building wealth but are overwhelmed by complicated jargon or are tired of being exposed to this kind of content from the lens of a white man who they do not relate to. The underlying message of all content I create is to enjoy a soft life full of balance and self-care.
Tell us about yourself
Since I was a child, I've always loved talking about money (maybe even too much because I got in trouble a lot for asking the grown-ups how much their salaries were!). That love persisted into my adulthood, but I noticed that talking about finances was considered taboo and made people uncomfortable. Though I didn't grow up with a lot of money or much financial literacy, I decided in 2020, when I turned 30, that I was going to change that. I've always been a good "saver," but I knew that saving wouldn't make me wealthy, so I decided I needed to learn how to invest.
During the lockdown, I went on a journey to learn about investing in the stock market. I started creating content around it and invited my community on the ride with me. This is motivating because, like myself, my community (primarily Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour) deserve to be wealthy too. We deserve access to the information that will set us up for financial success now and in the future. Even though we don't see people that look like us often represented in the finance industry or the stock market, there's still a place for us.
My community consistently tells me how much they love my content because it's relatable, easy to understand, and has helped change their financial lives, and that's all the fuel I need to keep going.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment so far as a business owner has been having the opportunity to share my financial story and approaches to money management in over five press/media outlets in the past year. So many people have reached out and thanked me for transparently sharing my relatable experiences, and that's a great feeling.
My second biggest accomplishment as a business owner is doing it all while holding down a full-time job. I am a Senior Product Marketing Manager in the Tech space by day, so I'm very proud of being able to do both.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Managing my time and energy. I'm a very ambitious person with lots of creative ideas I'd like to execute that'd add value to the lives of my community, but realistically, I cannot do it all - especially while also holding down a full-time job. I often have to make difficult decisions about what needs to be done right now vs. what will need to sit on the back burner for a few months.
Another difficult thing I often have to navigate is my tendency to strive for perfection. Constant perfection isn't realistic or sustainable and seeking it is self-sabotaging and anxiety-inducing. Over the past few years, I've been actively working on deeming my work as "good enough," then putting it out into the universe vs. obsessing over perfection.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- You can't do it all. Set your SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-based) and stick to them. Track your progress weekly/monthly/or quarterly basis to ensure everything is going well, and pivot when necessary.
- Be consistent. When creating content, you don't need to post every day, but you need to be consistent. Even if it's just committing to one or two posts per week, stick to your schedule, so your community knows that to expect from you.
- Be transparent. People are used to only seeing people's "highlight reels" on social media. If you're open to it, sharing some of your behind-the-scenes footage will build trust with your community and increase your engagement. You're obviously not obligated to do so, but sharing some of your lowlights helps people relate to you because, realistically, life is not all butterflies and rainbows.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://watchdanicawork.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danicasnelson/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/danicaSnelson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danicasnelson/
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.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
