business tips – The Dream Magazine

Meet The Founders Bossing Their Own Biz While Managing Chronic Illnesses

Lucy — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 14:20:36 +0000

We spoke to three incredible business owners living with chronic illnesses about their experiences of entrepreneurship and illness, what strategies they use to help them day to day and what advice they have for fellow business owners with their own diagnosis.

Jessica Sophia Bruno is a creative content coach and founder of The Content Club. At 18 years old she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

Jess said:

At 18 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, at 22 Interstitial Cystitis, at 25 SVT (heart condition) and now, at 30 I’ve got a High Blood Pressure and suffer with anxiety.

In contrast, at 18 I got my first events management job, at 22 I ran a thriving children’s event department for one of the largest cinema chains in the UK, at 25 I ran an award-winning marketing campaign which lead to sell out events and now at 30 I’m working for myself and guiding social media marketing campaigns and coaching services for small creative brands and businesses.

Unlike many others, It wasn’t the pandemic that thrust me into freelancing, though it did help. In December 2019 my health started rapidly declining, From January to March of 2020 I was off sick a lot and then hello pandemic, goodbye full time employment. (It was a blessing truly, I am so happy to be working on my own terms now). It took about a year to get into the swing of running my own biz whilst juggling my health, but it’s so worth it.

Spoiler, stepping into entrepreneurship didn’t heal me. In fact, it’s pushed my body to the limit a few times. Here’s somethings I’ve learnt along the way, some resources, some real and raw advice for achieving your dreams as an auto-immune warrior.

Set Boundaries

What are your triggers? Mine are stress, negativity and sitting down for too long. How can you avoid these at all costs? I’ve re-organised my packages to work around my health. For me that means more consulting and less “done for you” work.

Prioritise Your Biz

It’s easy to put your clients first, especially in the beginning because they’re actually giving you money. My biz came second and my health came 10385389th. It’s health first, then everything else. Always.

Have honest conversations with your clients

Before someone signs a contract with me for long term work I have “The Talk” with them. I tell them my intentions for the project and also explain the nature of my disease. So far, nobody has backed-out of working with me.

Give yourself strict opening hours

Do not be flexible here, even if you’ve been sick for a week but are feeling better over the weekend, do not work over the weekend. Personally I work from 10 to 6 pm from Monday to Thursday. I choose to start at 10 because my mornings are spent sorting out my pain levels or assessing how many hot water bottles I may need to have on hand.

Curate your community

Surround yourself with a support system. One who gets chronic illness and business, one of my 2021 goals is to create a community for women in business with chronic illness, but there are some great pages out there. I recommended following @youlookokaytome.

Have an emergency fund

If you can, save up to one month’s living costs and pop it in an emergency fund account. If you need to take a month off, money is one less thing to worry about.

Joe Mitton is the founder of health and fitness company MittFit. He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease nearly 3 years ago and has since had the diagnosis changed to Wegner’s Vasculitis.

Joe said:

I am often asked how I manage to get so much done every day and how I live such an active lifestyle, even more so when they find out I live with a chronic condition but factoring in the intense work periods alongside structured rest periods is definitely the secret to my success.

The conditions affect me differently day to day but the biggest symptoms I suffer with are inflammation, chronic fatigue and a lack of appetite – things that are less than ideal when working in fitness! I can sometimes go long periods without eating because of the lack of appetite and this affects my focus and energy levels. To overcome this, I set timers for intense work periods and allow myself to rest afterwards. I also use homemade smoothies to keep my nutrient intake up – spinach, cucumber, ginger and water is my favourite recipe. This helps to reduce inflammation and also aids with digestion.

The hardest but most efficient way I have found of managing these symptoms is simply learning to accept them for what they are. I have very long days, a very busy life, I work a lot and I do 1-2 hours of intense exercise each day. This, combined with nowhere near enough food, would lead anyone to feel tired at the end of the day. Accepting the symptoms for what they are allows me to manage my life better, factor in power naps as and when I need them (anything 0-30 minutes is optimal, for me I have found 17 minutes is perfect).

Yuos’sima Dineen is founder of The Trauma Sanctuary, she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia several years ago.

Yuos’sima said:

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and it completely re directed my whole life. It has been several years since that diagnosis, but I have made many changes. I have since got divorced and qualified to become a spiritual life coach, so I can live life on my own terms. For me it was a huge wake up call. I won’t say it’s been an overnight process, I’ve spent years doing inner work and identifying what created this and I’ve also had to make many routine changes. I now have a strict day to day structure in which I must honour my own well-being. It taught me that I must and always will be my number one priority.

Following my diagnosis I changed my whole life. I changed my eating to plant based, after discovering medical medium. I started reiki healing and meditation, in which I went onto become a quantum master healer and a spiritual life coach to help others. I also must honour my own well-being and put my own needs first. It’s been a journey of love for self. I completely changed any old habits and coping mechanisms that may not have been healthy and live a very well lifestyle.

Out of love for others going through this experience, I would advise buying my book The Truth to Trauma on Amazon. This can feel a very lonely path, but you are not alone. The reason I put my story out into the world was so that others can also start those shifts in their life as I did, to change their life. I deeply believe everything is a blessing and this is a opportunity to look at what our body is trying to tell us and how we are mis-aligned with ourselves. One of the things I would say is this a deep inward journey and you have the opportunity to become a better leader by showing up for yourself. It’s a new paradigm of leadership in which we have the opportunity to change, to stop sacrificing our well-being in order to serve others. So rather than your business being an example of the legacy you want to create in this world. Be a true leader by healing yourself. That is what I have to say. You are worthy of that. It is possible.

Align Loves: 10 Must-Have Products for 1st Time Business Owners

Alana — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 08:50:14 +0000

We’ve rounded up our fave products that every first-time business owner should have in their lives and in their office. From stress saving tech to sleep-enhancing supplements, you’ll be wanting to add all of these products to your shopping basket.

Lethally Her Productivity Planner & Notebook

Organisation is key when it comes to running your business. Our go-to stationary pick is the Lethally Her Productivity Planner and Notebook. With in-built budgeting and planning tools, weekly, monthly, and yearly reflections plus valuable business resources for both your self-development and professional development, these will be your business’s new best friend.

Buy the Lethally Her Productivity Planner and Notebook.

Tired Faace Mask

We all need a little perk-me-up for those morning zoom calls. The Tired Faace Mask is perfect for plumping up your skin and making it glow so you can look bright and fresh for your AM meetings.

Buy the Tired Faace Mask.

Nolii Loop

The Nolii Loop lets you live tangle free and will quickly become your new office bestie, helping to cut out any cable clutter that’s hiding behind your desk.

Buy the Nolii Loop.

Batch Coffee Subscription

When it comes to owning and running a business, caffeine is a key ingredient in your daily routine. We love the coffee subscription from Batch Coffee, which delivers your caffeine kick straight to your door.

Buy a Batch Coffee subscription.

EYM Create Candle

We’re suckers for a good candle and the EYM Create Create candle is the perfect desk-top companion. The ingredients are 100% natural and purposely selected to energise, improve cognitive function and reduce stress.

Buy the EYM Create Candle.

NuraTrue Earphones

If you’re having a scroll for TikTok inspo whilst you’re in-office you’re going to need a decent pair of earphones. Our current faves are the NuraTrue earphones which feature active noise cancellation, 6 hour battery life, and award-winning personalised sound.

Buy the NuraTrue earphones.

Deja Mind Balance

Your mind is your most powerful tool for running you business so looking after it should be a priority. Deja’s Mind balance is an adaptogenic blend of 11 Ayurvedic super-herbs which help you to combat stressful days, boost focus, and promote calm.

Buy Deja Mind Balance.

Puresport Unwind CBD & Nootropic Oil

Designed to optimise sleep quality and regulate a healthy sleep pattern, Puresport’s Unwind CBD & Nootropic Oil is your perfect nighttime partner.

Buy Puresport’s CBD & Nootropic Oil.

Fully Cora Standing Desk Converter

Equipping your office with a standing desk converter ensures that you’re looking after your body as you work. We love this one from Fully because it’s so versatile and easy to use.

Buy the Fully Cora Standing Desk Converter.

Ace & Tate Pierce Large Blue Light Glasses

These Ace & Tate blue light glasses will help you protect your eyes whilst you’re having screen time, plus you’ll look super stylish in these beautiful frames.

Buy the Ace & Tate Pierce Large glasses.

Four Ways To Make Selling Your Biz Feel Less Sleazy

Lucy — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:55:49 +0000

This article is for you if you've ever felt uncomfortable selling, and yet of course you understand, the difference between a hobby and a business is making those sales! Sales expert Em Huckstep shares her top tips for making sales feel less uggh and more magic.

I’m Em, a marketing and sales expert. My passion is supporting, educating, and inspiring biz owners to feel more at ease with their online sales experience. PSA: Sales gets to feel good!. I’ve worked with hundreds of business owners to help them make friends with marketing, sales, and promotion so they can make an impact and an income – all in a way that feels fucking good.

For you to start enjoying your sales process, you need to make it more human. The reason most of us hate sales is because at some point we’ve been sold to in a sleazy way, and somewhere along the line we’ve decided all selling is bad.

Selling often feels gross because it’s coming from a cookie-cutter strategy and therefore feels sleazy and inauthentic. Have you ever thought of selling and suddenly had a vision of Danny Devito as a sleazy car salesperson in Matilda? You’re not alone.

The good news is that you can change up the way you sell so you start enjoying it way more, and the world of online business is changing. Gone are the days when you have to convince people to buy from you. Selling is much more enjoyable when you put people before profit.

Here’s how you can enjoy selling more, and start having some fun

Here’s how you can enjoy selling more, and start having some fun!

FOCUS ON THE VALUE NOT THE INCOME

It’s easy when you’re selling to focus on the numbers – the targets, the money, the number of sales…. But what happens when you do that is you lose sight of WHY you started your business in the first place. I encourage my clients to go back to their ‘why’ – why did they start a business, what value are they giving to their audience? Focus on sharing that instead of becoming fixated on where the next sale is coming from and your selling will feel much more soulful.

STOP SELLING TO PAINPOINTS

The term ‘pain points’ has become a buzzword in online sales, with online sales gurus encouraging you to identify people’s pain points and use those to drive sales. Ie. selling to someone focusing solely on the things that they are worried about. This can mean you are preying on peoples vulnerabilities and they can be left with a sense that without your product they have no hope. Not a cool place to sell from. Whereas if you focus on selling to peoples goals. Ie. the things they want to accomplish and their desires they tend to feel much more empowered and excited. Meaning they’re more likely to make a buying decision that’s right for them, not because they feel bad, but because they feel inspired.

MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS FEEL SEEN AND HEARD

At the end of the day, people just want to feel understood. This is why it’s crucial to get to know your customers really fucking well. Ask them questions. Speak to your target market regularly. Understand their struggles, their goals, their fears. Get specific on who they are as a person and what drives them. When you’re selling to someone, unless you know exactly what they need from you, it makes it really hard to know what to say and what to sell. People want to feel seen and know that you actually care about them, not that you’re just out to make a quick buck. An example of this would be if you sell on IG, only posting content that screams “buy this thing from me” won’t make people feel seen. Whereas if your content helps them in some way – either educating, inspiring, motivating, or reassuring them, they will feel much more understood and therefore are way more likely to buy from you.

YOU CAN MAKE AN INCOME AND AN IMPACT

Your mindset is key when it comes to selling and most importantly, enjoying selling. Remind yourself every time you’re about to do a big launch, or sell to your audience that you are worthy of both making an impact within your industry AND making an income. The two are not mutually exclusive. You deserve to make money. You deserve to build a successful business. You deserve to have all of your needs met. And as soon as you teach yourself that it’s safe to sell, it’s safe to be seen, it;s safe to make money – your sales process becomes a heck of a lot more fun!

Connect with Em https://emhuckstep.com/