"Don’t let perfectionism, fear, or disappointment hold you back" with Christine Franklyn
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Christine Franklyn is the founder of The Good Living Network and is a health coach who is certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Through her online health coaching practice, she helps overwhelmed coaches and consultants lose weight and get healthier by first shedding their biggest stresses. She transforms the lives of her clients by giving them practical guidance to consistently fit in self-care, more homecooked meals, exercise, and quality sleep. Christine holds an MBA and has combined her passion for entrepreneurship with a desire to build a network of solopreneurs who support each other, as they become healthier and happier.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I have lived in Canada, Boston, and London but I am born and bred in Barbados. I am a true globetrotter who has visited 18 countries, returning to some of them repeatedly. I have the extraordinary perspective of a former urbanite who is making a living from my blended passion for wellness and writing, and everything else that brings me joy. Before I became a health coach, I had been an in-house and freelance copywriter and a marketing manager. Now, I prefer to celebrate life's simple pleasures in every piece I write about putting your well-being first and I thoroughly enjoy my role as the Category Director of Podcast Magazine's Kids & Family section. Interviewing interesting people lights me up as much as partnering with coaching clients to transform their health.
What inspired you to start your business?
I thought I was healthy…until I realized I actually wasn’t. Healthy eating and physical activity were the norm when I was growing up because that’s how my mother raised me. Friends and co-workers often asked me for advice as they saw me bring home cooked meals to work every day and generally stay fit my entire life. The one thing I was prepared for was work-related stress. It crept into my life silently until it took over and negatively impacted my health and relationships. Before I knew it, I had lost a shoe-size of weight. Yes, my shoes were literally falling off my feet.
After I decided I had to leave that job, I looked around and noticed that I was surrounded by many others who were suffering from burn out and didn’t know it. They were gaining weight as a result of stress and this led to host of health problems. It became my life’s mission to show people that there is a better way to live, without being stuck in a cycle of chronic stress.
Where is your business based?
I run my online business from sunny Barbados. What better place is there to set the tone for the slowing down and taking care of your health?
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
With the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s year-long program and thousands of hours of additional trainings under my belt, I launched my business by telling everyone I knew about it and sharing the link to my freebie to get people on my email list. I revamped my social media profiles to highlight my business and researched what I needed to do to build a personal brand.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
I offered a free consultation to friends and family members and asked them to spread the word about my health coaching practice. That led to my first podcast interview and many more opportunities since then. Never underestimate the power of enthusiastic referrals.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
I was initially overwhelmed by the thought of trying to get found on the massive internet and producing content consistently was much harder than I anticipated. I decided to focus on two key platforms – my health and wellness blog, which I had started a couple of years before I launched my business, and LinkedIn, where I would find my target market of coaches and consultants and produce the insightful content that is more my style.
How do you stay focused?
I have very clear intentions – to make a living doing what I love, which is experiencing the beauty of human connection and using my experiences to help others keep health issues at bay so they can live long, happy lives. Getting sidetracked or giving up is not an option when you’re on a mission. This is what I was put here to do.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
I have made bold decisions throughout my life and I have positioned myself as the go-to coach who can help stressed-out solopreneurs break out of the just-getting-through-the-day mold so they become healthy, energetic and confident enough to live life to the fullest.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
LinkedIn has proven to be an excellent platform for me to build relationships that turn into quality leads. My aim is always to get these leads onto my email list sooner or later so they can truly get to know, trust and like me and convert to clients.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Don’t let perfectionism, fear or disappointment hold you back. Look for the lessons in everything that happens on your journey. When I learned to stop being hard on myself and just go for it, my business took off.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
I love, love, love Evernote. I can audio record my thoughts and ideas as they come to mind. I create my to-do list. I can make client notes and add attachments to share with clients in one space. It’s fantastic. It’s worth it to pay the annual fee to be able to use it on more than one device.
My favorite blog is https://www.wellandgood.com/ because it covers everything related to having a good life and they’ve taken the time to present the articles on an attractive, easy-to-navigate website.
The book ‘Everybody Writes’ by Ann Handley helped me be a better writer on my blog and everywhere else.
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
The Wave App is an easy-to-use invoicing tool for business owners like me who don’t like numbers. Best of all, you can use it for free and still get great financial analytics.
Who is your business role model? Why?
Oprah Winfrey is my business role model because she built a communications empire from scratch, just what I plan to do as I continue to communicate with others using various media to help them improve their health.
How do you balance work and life?
I am strict about scheduling almost everything and I don’t take on last minute requests. My Google Calendar is one of my best friends. I put everything personal and business-related there, with notifications, even for shut-off-from-work time and bedtime.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
Going for a walk or traveling. I find any change of scenery refreshing.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
I plan to launch an online course for those who want to use a self-guided approach to improve specific aspects of their health.
How can our readers connect with you?
https://goodlivingatlast.com/
christinefranklyn.com