Oh Mercury Retrograde, how I do appreciate you.
The delays, communication mishaps and overall chaos you’ve brought this month have been fun.
However, in spite of you (or because of you, I’m still deciding), I’ve accomplished some interesting things.
I’ve created a new course, demonstrated I’m capable of training with some seriously skilled, high degree black belts at this year’s Kajukenbo “Meeting of the Warriors” seminar, and now, I’m improvising this month’s Study the Solopreneur post – without a guest.
Shit Happens
Although I just made fun of July’s planetary activity (Mercury Retrograde is known to cause disruptions in many, many ways), the truth is, shit happens. And when it does, it’s up to us to either fold or to keep going.
When you decide to do something meaningful, you have to know that obstacles, delays and other mishaps are a part of the journey. #reslience #challenges #studythesolopreneurClick To TweetPutting this wisdom into practice, I decided to create a “best of” post in honor of the guests I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing so far this year.
I’ve gone ahead and created some nuggets of wisdom from these people who have dared to face the unknown, create a business for themselves and eventually, thrive – even though none of them knew how they were going to navigate through their journeys when they first started out.
So with this, if you’ve been wondering if you have what it takes to create a business for yourself doing work you love, listen to what these six people have to say. They each have a unique journey and message – and I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll connect with & appreciate.
Study the Solopreneur – Nuggets of Wisdom
Web Design & Posh Stock Images with Cori Ramos
I think you’ll easily relate to Cori. Her story is probably similar to yours in that she needed to start her own business working from home.
Cori left her corporate job with no plan in motion. While she was successful in her position, it consumed all of her time and eventually, the stress began to manifest itself into health issues.
Her journey into solopreneurship took on several shapes, but she learned quite a bit along the way. She’s built a successful business and she’s held in high regard as a website designer, blog mentor & coach.
Her new websites, corinaramos.net and poshstockimages.com offer a wealth of resources for bloggers and solopreneurs to elevate their business models using the tools, lessons and guidance Cori has to offer from the hard work she’s put in over the years.
Cori says:
Little did I know that to make money, you really had to know your stuff. So I stayed up late, read online & just soaked up everything I could to start making money with my blog if that’s what I wanted to do.
Listen to her story.
I’ll quickly mention that this is the ONLY animated/explainer video in the series.
I was sick at the beginning of the year and used the opportunity to play with my new whiteboard animation software. This video is the first one I’ve created – which just goes to show that people can pretty much do whatever they want if they just decide they’re up to doing the work.
Savvy Social Media Marketing with Andréa Jones
If you run a business, any business, you know the importance of social media marketing. If you don’t, then it’s probably a good time to learn more about it.
That’s why I was so excited to interview Andréa Jones. Andréa is a social media strategist who works with busy entrepreneurs to help them develop and implement social media solutions.
She’s the creator of Savvy Social School, an interactive online learning platform where students have access to a variety of tools, education and a community dedicated to helping them become proficient with their social media marketing techniques.
Throughout the interview, Andréa spoke about how she decided to leave her corporate job and start her journey as a solopreneur. She also discussed how her business evolved over time, how she handled challenges along the way and offered advice to those of you considering a career change (or even just thinking about it).
Andréa says:
If you’re thinking of offering services or creating content online, find somewhere where you can start small or help one person. Things will snowball from there.
Mentor, Motivate and Modify with George Schmalstig
George is a motivational public speaker, youth mentor, and the founder & CEO of Filter Youth Development.
Filter is a non-profit organization designed to create real solutions that strengthen families.
George is an easy going guy with a passion for mentoring young people – helping them learn critical thinking skills to develop healthier relationships with themselves and others.
In our discussion, we talked about:
- What George did before becoming a solopreneur.
- The inspiration to create Filter.
- Words of wisdom and advice he’d give to someone looking to create a successful career for themselves once they’ve discovered their truth.
George says:
Just DO something!
Writing EPIC Fiction with Author Brent Jones
Before Brent went into freelancing, his profession was in sales. He spent time in various positions, including management, and from what I understand, he actually did pretty well.
A combination of life changes and a desire to experience more freedom in his life inspired Brent to take the plunge and start his own business.
Soon after leaving his corporate job, Brent quickly gained followers in the blogosphere. His overall business model consisted of social media management and connecting freelancers to one another – having them share their stories on his blog and podcast/video series.
In late 2016, Brent decided to start writing fiction books. His easy communication style and obvious writing talent took on a life of its own. He’s published several books (including a series).
He spoke at length about what motivated him to change careers and how networking & building authentic relationships with others helped him along the way (that’s how I met him).
Brent says:
We’ve got to build some connections and some like and trust with other human beings if we want to succeed.
And if you enjoy fiction, I highly recommend you check out his Amazon Author’s page.
Balanced Personal Training with Jeff Segal
Jeff and I met many years ago at Fitness Institute International, Inc. School for Personal Training. My husband and I were enrolled in the Special Populations/Post Rehabilitation Specialist Course and Jeff was the guest instructor for the class on Multiple Sclerosis.
I thought Jeff’s teaching style was entertaining, engaging, personable and he was easy to understand. I’ve watched his videos on Youtube where he speaks to people living with MS.
Jeff’ was diagnosed with MS as a young man. His positive attitude is a big reason he’s successful in both his professional and personal life. He’s a highly qualified and well-respected health and fitness professional who’s won multiple awards. Jeff talks about personal responsibility and thinking positive even when faced with adversity.
If you or someone you know lives with MS, this is something you won’t want to miss.
Jeff says:
I think it’s important to believe in yourself, to feel good about yourself and to feel that whoever you’re going to cross paths with – you have the opportunity to teach and learn something from them.
Create Your Life Intelligently with Sylviane Nuccio
Six years ago, I was new to the blogging community, so I began visiting people’s blogs to learn more about them and what they were up to. I happened to have entered a time of deep self & social analysis. I guess you could sort of say I’d been paying a lot of attention to how things worked in The Universe, so when I saw Sylviane’s post about The Law of Attraction, I had to read it.
I left a comment, Sylviane responded to it and we hit it off immediately. Over the years, we’ve written guest posts for each other’s blogs (hers talks about how we are the creators of our own experiences) while mine talked about emotional intelligence.
We’ve been in touch ever since and while we haven’t met in person, I think of her as a friend. She’s someone I could talk to (and learn from) and I’m just so happy she agreed to be my guest.
Sylviane has an inspiring story. Not just because she runs a successful business as a solopreneur, but because she overcame some tough challenges in her life and used her pain to evolve into a truly conscious individual who helps countless others to create their lives intelligently.
She’s an avid practitioner of The Law of Attraction and teaches others how to use it intelligently in all areas in their lives. She’s a writer, life coach and just a super awesome lady.
Sylviane says:
Start learning about your mind. What tricks your mind plays on you and on your life, how you can change your mindset, learning about the subconscious mind and how you can reprogram it.
You can find more about Sylviane here.
Everyone Has Their Own Nuggets of Wisdom
While the premise of Study the Solopreneur series always stays true to career change, doing work you love and growing in the process, each and every guest has something unique to share.
I’ve enjoyed speaking with my guests throughout the year and I’ve learned a lot from them. I hope you find the value out of this series and know that you can always decide to go in the direction of your truth.
Nothing worthwhile comes easily - but in the process, you'll discover what's inside of you. Sometimes, that's the biggest gift of all. #selfawareness #overcomingobstacles #facingchallengesClick To TweetSo whether you want to become a:
- web designer
- social media influencer/marketer/teacher
- non-profit company CEO
- fiction writer
- personal trainer
- writer & life coach
- or anything else…
You owe it to yourself to just do something!
I hope to see you next month with a brand new episode of Study the Solopreneur – and until next time, take care.
* Featured image created by Cori Ramos.
Cori Ramos says
Hi Dana,
Congratulations on your new course! I just know it’s going to help new anyone who wants to create printables for their audience. And the fact that you showing them how to do it using free tools, will really help those who are on a tight budget.
And thanks so much for the mention, as always you are awesome!
Catch up with you soon!
Cori
Dana says
Hey Cori!
Thanks so much. I hope it does help people. I created the course I wanted (needed) when I wanted to learn how to do this sort of thing.
The free tools help. It’s amazing what you can do with them too.
My pleasure to mention you. You were my very first guest and I loved that experience. I hope you are well and we need to catch up 🙂