"Don’t let self doubt come in the way of your venture" with Marjan Najafi

Marjan is the CEO and co-founder of Qyro company. After 14 years of international experience in private banking, financial services, and wealth management catering to high and ultra-high net worth clients, she decided to merge her lifelong passion for mental wellbeing and business success by co-founding Qyro. Born in Iran, raised in Canada, educated in London, she gained all her work experience in Singapore, Dubai, and Zurich. All throughout her international journey in life, she understood the importance and relevance of mental wellness, especially in the workplace, and hence decided to dedicate the rest of her career to this cause.  

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born in Iran originally and grew up in Canada where I received my bachelor’s in gender studies. I then received my Master's in London in “gender, development, and globalization” studies. Given that it was the financial crisis when I graduated, the only job I could get at the time was with a British bank. That´s how I started my career and ended up in Banking for 14 years after that!

What inspired you to start your business?

Given that I worked in the banking industry for 14 years in 4 different countries, the one thing that I noticed was how prevalent stress was, and how most people did not know how to handle it, or take measures for their mental wellbeing. When we are feeling overloaded, burned out, or exhausted, we usually don´t know what to do. We feel lost. We start making errors. Our decisions become rash and impulsive. Sometimes all it takes is a silly mistake to jeopardize our whole career. And then we become a liability to our company. Over the years, I saw myself or many of my colleagues experience sleepless nights, hair loss, weight gain, chain smoking, regular drinking, and new health problems popping up.

There was this void between all the great solutions out there in the world, and how much corporate bankers know about them. Let alone, practice them. This void convinced me to take measures and create practical solutions to help business professionals with their mental wellbeing.

Where is your business based? Switzerland.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I of course started it with myself. I was experiencing high levels of stress and was looking for practical and effective solutions out there to manage it. What I noticed was how inaccessible these solutions were (e.g., either you had to go on a long retreat or take months long meditation classes). Who has time for that? So, I decided to create practical and easily digestible relaxation solutions for busy professionals who do not have so much free time but are interested in boosting their mental wellness.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Personal contacts/network first and foremost. I think nothing is more effective than someone who knows you and your work vouching for you. So, it starts with words of mouth. And then grows slowly and organically this way.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge of all was self doubt, especially in the beginning when I was starting. I had never started a business before and was always employed by a big company. So, this whole world was very new and foreign to me. Luckily, I did it with a business partner whom I have full trust in. I think if you are starting a business all on your own, it can become a very lonely place. In my case, it was always very helpful to have someone to constantly exchange ideas with, and together come up with solutions to various problems that popped up left, right, and center!

How do you stay focused?

I practice the techniques that we offer at our company on a regular basis. In particular, I am a big fan of the “Affirmations” technique which I find very, very powerful and effective. It literally takes a few seconds to remind yourself of what is important and what your priorities are in life. It is a beautiful technique which works wonders!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Most competitors of our business offer apps where people are expected to continuously pay every month/year to receive their services. Our approach is completely different. Our philosophy is “if you give yourself a day off to rest, you will rest only for one day. If you learn a relaxation technique, you will rest well everyday.”

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Social media. This is something that I was never active on before starting the business. I used to be quite skeptical of it. However, now I can totally see the value in it.  To give you a better idea, I never posted anything in my life on any of the platforms before I started with Qyro. And now, I am engaging our audience on LinkedIn, for example, on a daily basis!

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t let self doubt come in the way of your venture. This almost stopped me from even trying with Qyro. The negative voices in our head can become quite powerful and debilitating. However, it is important to bounce your ideas with trusted people around you and receive honest feedback from multiple people. This way you can have a much more realistic opinion of your idea, as opposed to just sitting and listening to these negative thoughts.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App: Audible (I just love going for walks while listening to quality content)

Blog: I love reading Medium articles.

Book: Noam Chomsky´s “Manufacturing Consent”. It is quite old however it really opened my eyes when I read it many moons ago! It gave me a great insight into society, one that I still use until today.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Canva – because it has made my life incredibly easier! I am not a graphic designer by any means however, with Canva I am able to create beautiful designs and artwork which I use in the business everyday. It is a fantastic tool and I highly recommend it!

Who is your business role model? Why?

My first boss – she asked me to do a Gallup Strengths test before starting my job. This was so that she could understand what my top 5 strengths were. And then she tried to only give me tasks which were aligned with my strengths. I really liked her approach and appreciated her effort in helping me not focus on what I was “bad” at, but rather encourage me to nourish my skills and become better at my strengths.

How do you balance work and life?

I take small breaks in between all tasks, instead of working during the day and then resting in the eve. So, for every hour of work, I take a mini break of 10 – 15 minutes. This way I end up working longer hours, and yet do not get tired so easily.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

One of the most popular techniques that we offer is called “autogenic training”. This technique is a very powerful one when it comes to decompressing and relaxing your mind and your body. And the best thing about it is that it just takes a few minutes! I try to practice it everyday.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Many things! However we are trying to keep our expectations as realistic as possible. The most key achievement will be to onboard 2 new companies who will use our offerings.

How can our readers connect with you?

The best way would be to shoot me an email: Marjan.najafi@qyro.io

They can also visit our website: qyro.io and let me know if I can support them in any way with their wellness journey!

"Find mentors and accountability partners" with Taty Fittipaldi

Photo Credit: Jackie Koscinski, JDK images

Taty Fittipaldi is a global leadership expert with an MBA and is a certified professional executive coach. She is passionate about developing global leaders and seeing them succeed at their full potential.

• Can you tell our readers about your background?

I have a pretty convoluted background: I am a Brazilian with Armenian heritage who studied in a German school and worked for an American company during a significant portion of my career.

I worked for General Electric for over 16 years, and I also worked for other Fortune 500 companies after that. My main professional specialties were Finance, H.R., and global talent development.

I was born and raised in Brazil, but I legally moved to the U.S. at the age of 38 with my husband.

I have one bachelor’s degree in business administration and another one in Accounting. I also hold an MBA and several other certifications.

I enjoy studying and exploring new things, so I am always looking for learning opportunities. That’s a characteristic that I have held since a kid. For example, my first international exchange program was at the age of 11, when I convinced my father to send me to England to learn English.

As I said, my background is a bit convoluted, with a mix of cultures, but it helped me develop a passion for learning and understanding about other cultures and about different people around the world. 

• What inspired you to start your business?

I was a global executive working for Fortune 500 companies all my life. I have a strong educational background, holding several degrees and higher degrees.

So, when I moved to the U.S., I thought that finding a new job would not be a problem at all.

To my surprise, not only I encountered a lot of discrimination, but I also saw a lot of misunderstandings about foreigners in the hiring market.

When I finally landed my first job, it was far from what I expected. I was working as a high executive in my country, a CFO, and here I was only able to land a job as a contractor, not even in Finance or H.R.

After working for five months on that job, I was quickly promoted to a Director job, as leaders saw the competence and experience that I could deliver.

However, the contrast of going from contractor to Director – being a foreigner - triggered a lot of resentment in other employees. I saw an ever-increasing display of micro-aggressions, non-inclusive behavior, and blunt discrimination from all over the place and departments.

At some point, I came to the conclusion that I should seek a better work environment and something to work on that would give me true pleasure. I love to develop and coach global leaders. And my work at that time was very distant from that.

After long consideration, I decided that I could open my own business to share my unique global experience and develop global leaders worldwide.

I thought, “I can teach aspiring global leaders that there is more to leadership than people leadership. Global leadership has 4 success pillars, and I can teach them that and create a happier world.

Most leaders out there only learn how to lead people. Some leaders go a step further and also gain some organizational leadership skills. But I rarely see leaders getting educated in all 4 success pillars in global leadership.

The 4 pillars are:

·      Personal Leadership

·      People Leadership

·      Organizational Leadership

·      Cultural Leadership

It was shown that Leaders who learn and master all the 4 pillars above could become more impactful, influential, and inclusive. And create better and happier workplaces.

By creating a company that could develop this kind of mindset and leadership, I would be helping people like me in the future, and companies make better working environments.

• Where is your business based?

My business is based in Denville, New Jersey. But I remotely service my customers worldwide and offer digital products that anyone in the world can purchase. 

• How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

My first step was defining what kind of services I could provide with excellence. What were the things that I was really good at and that would WOW people? I spend a long amount of time defining and drilling down on that.

Another recommendation I got that was very useful was to fine-tune who I wanted to work with. Who my ideal customers were? Everything else was derived from these 2 things.

• What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Content marketing. Expatriate entrepreneurs, like me, are unknown. Nobody knows you, so how will potential customers know you are the real deal? You need to demonstrate that you know what you are talking about.

By creating relevant content that educates, inspires, and guides people, you can establish your reputation bit by bit.

Business awareness does not happen overnight, though. It takes time to create brand awareness, and the best recommendation I can give is to keep consistency.

Be consistent in whatever strategy you define for raising awareness.

For that, you will need plenty of personal leadership, which is one of the things we teach on our free Blog and our paid Online course. 

• What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge has been keeping my cool and being resilient in the face of all the adversities.

For example, I officially opened my business six weeks before the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. All my plans suddenly went down the drains, and I had to adjust quickly.

Roadblocks like this will happen all the time in the lives of entrepreneurs. That is why having a resilient mind and a personal leadership strategy is essential.

I overcame this by 1) having my own long-term executive coach, who functions as an accountability partner and a sounding board, and 2) a support system.

I cannot stress enough how a support system is vital for every entrepreneur, no matter where in the entrepreneurship journey you are. 

• How do you stay focused?

I have a personal leadership and productivity system that really works for me. It’s based on planning, self-discipline, a control center, and time-blocking.

Everyone is different. Everyone’s bodies work differently. My opinion is that every entrepreneur has to find their own system and balance. Even if you work with my system, you still will have to make some tweaks to make it work for your own uniqueness. Knowing who you are, what you need, and what works for you is critical.

• How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

My determination to WOW every person who gets in contact with my company and me is my best ally.

I think a lot of people focus too much on differentiation as a physical thing, something that has a name, but in fact, that’s not what people want.

 People want to be seen and heard. Clients and customers want you to understand what your services are products will do for them. And they expect them to be excellent.

Entrepreneurs (me included) make many mistakes on this topic, especially in the beginning. We think our products or services are good, and we have this or that which differentiates us. And we often forget to listen to what the real feedback is. What do people want from us, and what do they need.

• What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Right now, I am focusing on content marketing and SEO. It’s a long road, I know, and results from this strategy take some time. 

• What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

My roadmap for new entrepreneurs is:

1.    Find out what you can deliver with excellence plus love to do.

2.    Define who your ideal customers for this excellence would be.

3.    Create a business plan. I cannot stress enough about this.

4.    Find mentors and accountability partners.

5.    Create a support system. One that will survive time. You are in this for the long run; remember that. So people and resources in your support system must stay around you as long as you need.

These 5 things have been working well for me. And here is my moto, from The Witcher, that I recite every day to keep me going:

“You can either be too strong to fail or too weak to try.”

(The Witcher, Season 2 Episode 7)

Remember that being strong or weak is a choice, not a fact. The right choices are what make you become whatever you want. 

• What’s your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Currently, my favorite App is Click Up. It’s where I plan, organize and store everything, both professionally and personally. It’s a kick-ass App for productivity.

My favorite Blog is, of course, mine. Not because it’s mine, but because I talk about relevant things related to the global leadership that nobody else seems to want to talk about.

In terms of books, it’s difficult to choose only one. I really love to read, and my personal digital library is quite big. One that I am reading right now and that I recommend is The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations, by Robert Livingston. It’s quite thought-provoking. I recommend it to all global leaders who want to become more inclusive and instigate a better workplace. 

• What’s your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

It’s really hard to choose. Besides Click Up, I love Filmora Pro, which is where I edit all my videos. I also love Wave App, which is where I keep all my company’s bookkeeping. As a CPA, I found it to be very resourceful, and it’s completely free. If you are an entrepreneur literate in Finance and Accounting, it’s an excellent option to keep costs down but still get organized and professional.

• Who is your business role model? Why?

I like Russel Brunson. I’ve been reading his books, where he tells his stories and his frustrations on the entrepreneur’s road to becoming successful. And it’s very inspiring.

I think it’s very bold of him to share his failures, what he went through, what his deep feelings at the time were. And still, see that a person that went through all that still succeeded by being resilient and determined to win. It gives us all hope that one day we can get there too.

• How do you balance work and life?

I have a set of rules and boundaries that I try to follow to the letter. It’s part of my Personal Leadership system that I mentioned. One of these rules is that I have to honor my relationship with time.

How we balance our work and life all depends on how we relate to time. Once you realize that time is an asset and you can never recover once lost, you start to be more cautious about using your time.

Another thing that happens too is that you go back to the drawing board to re-check what your values are. You cannot honor your relationship with time without knowing your honor system. In other words, what is really important to you?

• What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I love my “alone-time.”  I need some alone time to decompress.

During that time, I do several things to help me disconnect from the world and connect with myself to reduce my stress levels. I read, self-care, play with my dog, play online, spa, or meditate. These are my favorite things.

• What do you have planned for the next six months?

I am the planner type, and I could spend another interview just talking about that. But let me keep it short (laughs).

I will launch my signature Online Course Program for global leaders in April. It’s a program to help global executives make impactful business decisions. So from now to then, I am fully on top of that.

Right after this launch, it’s in my plans to become an executive contributor to a Global magazine.

These 2 projects will require a lot of smaller tasks around them, which are also all planned.

• How can our readers connect with you?

I love to make new connections! Anyone who wants to connect with me can visit my website and go to the contact page. You can also follow me on social media. I respond to all comments and engagements.

https://www.coachingexpatriates.com

"Don’t try to do it all" with Marcela Suter

Photo Credit: Paige Weber

Marcela Suter is a Colorado Elopement Photographer. She helps couples design the elopement day of their dreams, by kicking obligations to the curb, and crafting a unique, intimate experience. Marcela aims to create honest moments of intimacy and laughter so that her couples’ images are filled with raw emotion rather than stiff and awkward poses. She is all about the real love stuff - the playful laughter, the booty grabs, the tender embrace, the vulnerability, the soulful moments, and the sweet nothings that define your love.

·       Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up in Florida and received my undergraduate degrees in photojournalism and political science. During my undergrad years, I worked with a wedding photography team. I loved using my journalism background to tell the story of the couple’s love through film but often felt like this got lost in the hustle and production of the day. I eventually left the big wedding industry and got my master’s in education. I also wanted to escape the heat and humidity of the south and moved to a small island in Alaska to teach history. I befriended my handsome neighbor who eventually became my husband. We moved to Colorado where I continued to teach until I began my own business. 

·       What inspired you to start your business?

My own wedding experience inspired me to start my business. My husband and I knew we didn’t want our wedding day to feel like a big production and we wanted to focus on our love and connection. We opted for the radical idea of eloping. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t your average Vegas/Elvis impersonator elopement, this was a day curated to what made us feel alive and brought us joy. Being adventurous at heart, we decided to climb a mountain at 3 am and share our handwritten vow on a mountain ridge as the sun rose. This experience starked an excitement and energy in me to help others kick obligation to the curb and have an intimate and unique wedding day experience.  

·       Where is your business based?

My business is located in the beautiful state of Colorado. We are blessed with such an abundance of diverse nature - snow-capped mountains, turquoise alpine lakes, sand dunes, canyons, wildflower meadows, hot springs, arches, and canyons. You could choose to say your vows on a mountain top, or go hiking all day to reach an alpine lake where privacy is cherished and the world feels all yours. 

·       How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

When I started my business, I tried to save money by doing everything myself. I wanted to learn every skill because I thought it would make me self-reliant and unstoppable. Instead, I felt lost AF. I read so many marketing books, listened to countless hours of podcasts, joined every Facebook group there was, and incorporated all of the advice they shared but I still felt like I'm grasping at straws. At the end of the day, I realized there wasn’t any ‘me’ in my business. I had ingested and regurgitated so much of everyone else that I lost sight of myself. I finally decided to invest in myself and reach out to the experts.

I had a 1-on-1 with an established photographer in my area and was given a lot of great starting points. From there, I joined multiple workshops that introduced me to all the technical aspects of starting my photography business (applying for a sales license, writing engaging copy on my website, purchasing the best gear, pricing my packages…) I built up my portfolio with styled shoots and took courses to learn how to create connection during shoots and capture raw emotions. I also hired a few coaches who help me find my why, fine tune my SEO, level up my marketing, and increase my sales. 

·       What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective way of raising awareness for my business has been improving my SEO through keyword research and blogging. I still use paid advertisements through Google ads but I have seen a huge influx in viewers and clients through organic searches.

·       What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge is fighting perfectionism. Like I mentioned before, I love learning new skills but struggle to implement them until I’ve perfected them. I spent the first year of my business in a state of analysis paralysis and didn’t want to share my work until it was absolutely right. Whenever I’m in these moments, I remind myself of these two things: done is better than perfect and there’s also no such thing as perfect! 

·       How do you stay focused?

I stay focused by creating daily tasks to complete. I have a laminated sheet and I check off each task as I complete them. There’s something about scratching out an item on a to-do list that makes me feel accomplished. I also hop on zoom calls with another photographer where we set goals and have check-ins with each other to make sure we are on task and talk through struggles we may be facing. I am also learning to give myself grace for the times when I don’t fully accomplish all my tasks.

·       How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

From the start of my business, I always knew I wanted to have an epic client experience. Not only do I work hard to help my couples design the elopement day of their dreams but I also help my couples deeply connect during their wedding day. It’s easy to feel awkward and uncomfortable in front of the camera and that’s the last thing I want my couples to feel on their wedding day. I help them slow down, express their love, and dream of their future.

·       What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Hands down, my most effective marketing strategy has been social media. Instagram and Tik Tok reels have grown in popularity and are a great way of sharing my work.  

·       What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t try to do it all. Reach out to the experts, outsource what you can to those who know what they’re doing, and focus your time and energy on what you enjoy.  

·       What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite books are anything by Bill Bryson. The way he weaves history, information, and humor in his travel stories inspire to me. It reminds me to not always take everything so seriously and to find the humor in life even when it’s hard. 

·       What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tools are my amazing Sony cameras and lenses. I often say that me camera is a tool to help couples deepen their love and feel more connected. Without them, I couldn’t do my job. 

·       Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role models are those whole help make a positive change not only within their company but also outside. Because of this, I’ve been inspired to donate 5% of each of my elopement packages to local Colorado charities. 

·       How do you balance work and life?

Balancing work and life has always been a struggle for me. Whenever I’m focused it’s hard to step away from the computer. But I make a point to take time for my pups and my husband. We’ll go a long walks with the dogs or enjoy an evening out at dinner. 

·       What’s your favorite way to decompress?

My favorite way to decompress is to get out of my office. I love taking day trips and doing something adventurous like snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, or off-roading. This is also a great way for me to check out new elopement locations for my couples.

·       What do you have planned for the next six months?

I am working on an elopement planning book that will be published in the next 6 months! If you’re wanting a non-traditional wedding but don’t know where to start, check it out!

·       How can our readers connect with you?

Website - https://capturedbymarcela.com/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/capturedbymarcela/ 

Tik Tok - @capturedbymarcela

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/capturedbymarcela 

"Use your gut and be relentless" with Orion Brown

Photo Credit: Robert Andrews

Orion Brown, Founder & CEO of BlackTravelBox®, a premium clean beauty brand targeting women of color. She is a brand strategy professional with over fifteen years’ experience dynamically leading cross-functional teams across multiple industries within both large and small-cap businesses. Her areas of deep expertise include consumer insights-driven brand strategy, product and packaging innovation, operations, and portfolio management.

Orion is a lover of travel and food, spending most of her free time outside of her career pursuing the best of both.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I am a native Chicagoan that grew up with equal parts passion for reading National Geographic while imagining far-off places and immersing in the rich Black culture right in my neighborhood. There was something really magical about the south side of Chicago in the 80’s and 90’s. My summers were full of the smell of charcoal grills, fresh-cut grass, and the sound of girls counting down as they jump double dutch. As a so-called ‘latch-key’ kid, Walkman jam sessions of R&B/soul and learning to dance the cabbage patch was a regular pastime along the walk home. My mom worked just as hard as she did in her part-time jobs as she did create a home of warmth and intellectual stimulation in spite of being a single parent with limited resources. Going to college was never a question. From pretty much age 4 I lived in books. And it took me far.  As I got older and moved away after college I still held those memories of home close with me. Climbing the corporate ladder in banking, consumer products, and tech couldn’t shake it out of me. And as I began traveling the world, I learned that every place has its own special flavor of magic that’s uniquely home. 

What inspired you to start your business?

On a not-so-recent trip to Japan, I found myself thousands of miles from home with a major miscalculation of weather and a head full of hair with no hope. I didn’t have enough product to get me through the trip and there was nowhere locally I could find the products I needed. Dejected, I avoided the selfies and made the best of it. But upon reflection, I could only hope that someone would make a company to serve travelers like me. I searched and found there were none. So I created one. I started BlackTravelBox® to give women of color a brand they could trust for their travel personal care needs. As Black travelers, we have few places we can find products that work for our hair and skin care needs.

Where is your business based?

Denver, CO

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

BlackTravelBox® began as a passion project while I worked full time at Oracle. I am an avid traveler. And as a woman of color, I found myself frustrated with the lack of hair and skin care options in the 'travel' aisle. As a former Brand Manager, I missed creating and building brands. So I worked on it nights and weekends as time allowed. In late 2018, I left Oracle and put my talents full time into getting the brand ready for e-commerce launch. In 2019, I divided my time between seeking pre-seed investment and building the brand.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

We were featured on Beyonce.com in summer 2020 as a part of her Black Parade route promotion supporting up-and-coming Black-owned businesses. To this day we still get traffic and customers from this earned media placement. Absolute gold.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge has been getting out of my own way in many regards. Becoming an entrepreneur is more than just starting a business. It's a mindset. Or in my case, it has been a mind reset. I've had to unlearn so much from my corporate days while adapting the things that are valuable from it to my current situation. It affected everything from hiring (lord help me it’s hard) to finding and securing the right kind of funding and support.

How do you stay focused?

What motivates me the most is our customers. Every day I work on this business I'm keeping top of mind all the people who have hit me up on Linked In, via email, on social... saying "I see what you're doing, and I love it... keep going". The beauty industry is still broken for Black women. And there are some great new brands out there clearing a path - particularly in cosmetics. But for personal care, we've still got a long way to go industry-wise and I'm really excited to see BlackTravelBox be a part of that.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Black women are woefully underrepresented in the beauty industry nonetheless, black travelers like me spend over $109.6 Billion annually on leisure travel and 9x other ethnicities on beauty and personal care. Yet there are no products on the market made for us as avid beauty consumers and avid travelers. Our products last longer, travel better, and are safe to use, so the only thing our customers have to worry about is the next destination.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Leaning into social media to drive awareness and then nurturing through email marketing. I’ve invested time, effort, and money into really building our brand’s voice and engaging our potential customers through email marketing. It’s enabled us to drive nearly 30% of sales via email, and build a robust list of thousands of engaged brand fans. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Use your gut and be relentless. There is something you uniquely bring to the world and to what you do. The only way to leverage that is to be true to yourself and learn to honor it.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Right now my favorite app is Duo Lingo - it gives a fun, easy way to continue my development goals (dusting off my Spanish skills) while taking a much needed break from work to ‘play’. It's a great way to break up the monotony of zoom meetings and spreadsheets.

I just started the book Upper Hand by Sherrell Dorsey. It’s such a great reminder that in a world where Black and Brown founders are often left behind - our contribution to innovation in tech (and tech enabled) industries is incontrovertible. A much-needed reminder when building a company and facing the headwinds of ‘pattern matching’, financial inequality, and ignorance in everything from funding pitches to supplier meetings. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I live in Trello - it’s like post-its for your brain. I’m a very visual learner and thinker so I dump all my ideas in Trello, add inspiration images, and then sort them into a coherent plan. My very first brand design was created that way.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I’ve been listening to a lot to Shaquille O'Neal interviews lately. He’s a brilliant self-made millionaire. But the thing that I find most interesting is that he started out like many basketball players… young, dumb, and confused about what to do with what he earned. He once spent a million dollars in one day. It was leaning into the advice of his accountant that taught him the value of being mindful and smart about how to invest in himself, his business, and in others. He takes everything he learns at face value and applies it. And today his story is the epitome of consistency and execution paying off. 

How do you balance work and life?

Right now, I wouldn't say I have balance. And that’s by design. There are a ton of stressors in the world right now, and we're all feeling it. And there are the ups and downs that life throws at us... still moving along as they do. So for me, work is cathartic. I find joy in the creation and nurturing of something. So in that way, BlackTravelBox has been a godsend. Also, my primary form of self-care for the last decade and a half has been travel. Without that, working on a travel-related business gives me a great excuse to scroll Instagram and daydream about far-flung places, if you consider that work. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

When I'm not doing anything business-related my biggest love is cooking. It's relaxing to me. I think I enjoy the process of preparing and plating the same way someone might enjoy painting. It's a creative outlet.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We’re currently gearing up for new product launches, a really cool content project to create a video that really tells our story, and exploring opportunities in retail both in the US and abroad.

How can our readers connect with you?

You can find us at www.blacktravelbox.com and @blacktravelbox on all social platforms. And you can find me on IG @orion_helana.

Black Woman Opens Consulting and Recruiting Company to Address Physician Shortages in Rural and Underserved Communities

Photographer: Danielle Epps

Jamie Means, MSPH is the founder and senior consultant of JMM Consulting Agency, a healthcare consulting and recruiting agency located in Nashville, TN. Ms. Means has 5+ years of experience working with companies and organizations to help them build their workforce and reshape their internal activities regarding equity-focused practices. She is currently working on her doctorate in business administration degree at Trevecca Nazarene University; Ms. Means uses her background in chemistry, public health, and business to educate health professionals on how to transform healthcare through an equity lens. Through this company, she hopes to improve physician shortages in rural and underserved communities in hopes that they may one-day advance closer toward achieving better health outcomes.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina in a single-parent household with my mother. I always had an interest in the healthcare field but was not sure of what I wanted to do until my senior year in college when I started my business. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and have always wanted to improve the health outcomes of disadvantaged individuals.

What inspired you to start your business?

I wanted the chance to create opportunities for myself and use my educational background in public health to help transform the healthcare industry through an equity lens.

Where is your business based?

My business is based in Nashville, Tennessee

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started my business by doing research on the market and on the best software needed for recruiters. Also, I started developing and obtaining the company documents and procedures to ensure that we are compliant with state and federal laws. Last, I began building the company’s brand and talent network.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective way of raising awareness for my business has been using social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. It has helped me connect and engage with industry leaders and potential clients.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge was securing partnerships with companies due to the company being so new, I had to prove to them that I could deliver results. I have overcome them through working in partnership with smaller companies who have a similar need and who were once in my position.

How do you stay focused?

What helps me stay focused is reflecting on the mission of the company and thinking about the improved health outcomes of communities that will result from the work that is being done.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

The way that I differentiate my business from my competitors is my focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. My ability to identify talent that is versatile and culturally competent makes for better placements in populations with diverse patients/clients.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

The most effective marketing strategy to grow my business would be networking on LinkedIn and attending virtual events with leaders in my industry. This method has allowed me to collaborate with companies who are doing the work that I am doing on a larger scale.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Never give up on the vision that you have for your business. Regardless of how many changes you must make to your business model, business type, location, and any other factors, just do it. It does not matter, as long as you are working toward your goals.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is LinkedIn, it helps me stay connected with leaders in my field and stay in the know about potential career opportunities for my clients. My favorite blog (podcast) is Side Hustle Pro because it covers relevant entrepreneurial topics.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tool is Canva. It helps me create and schedule graphics for my emails, events, and social media pages in general.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is Kandi Burris-Tucker. She is the epitome of being a self-starter and from watching her, I have learned a lot about starting and growing a business as well as investing. Also, her ability to balance entrepreneurship, motherhood, and marriage is something that I respect and admire.

How do you balance work and life?

I balance work and life by making sure that I carve out time in my daily schedule to take a break or do something exciting with my daughter. As an entrepreneur, I think that it is important to take time off for yourself and get out of working in your business for a moment to truly appreciate it in the long run.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

My favorite way to decompress is to have a foot and body massage at the spa. I also enjoy going to the salt spa and meditating because it helps me focus and relax. Both of the activities mentioned allowing me to relax and take a break from the daily grind and hustle.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Over the next six months, you can expect to see the rollout of my new course that is workforce development-oriented focusing on helping organizations improve their recruiting practices, rebuild their workforce, and engage with their patients/clients with equity in mind.

How can our readers connect with you?

Readers can connect with me on social media and on my website using the links below:

o   Website Link: https://www.jmmconsultingagency.com/

o   LinkedIn Profile Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemmeans/

o   Twitter Profile Link: https://twitter.com/thecareerbawse

o   Instagram Profile Link: https://www.instagram.com/thecareerbawse/

“Press Pause. Breathe. Reset” with Sophie van het Erve

Photo Credit: Sophie van het Erve

Sophie van het Erve is a co-founder of The 1 Reset, a transformational life coach, certified by the International Coaching Federation, the Institute for Professional Excellence (iPEC), and a Master Practitioner for the Energy Leadership Index assessment. Prior to founding The 1 Reset, Sophie spent ten years in the corporate world working for sales teams at Oracle and Google. After finishing her Master's degree in International Business at the University of Maastricht, she located to Dublin, Ireland, after which she packed up once again to settle in San Francisco, U.S.A. . Currently, she calls Lisbon, Portugal her home.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Most certainly! I was born and raised in a rural part of the Netherlands and grew up in a very loving family. From a very young age, travel was on my mind. And that’s how I ended up living in Belgium, South Africa, Ireland, the USA, and now Portugal. After finishing my master's degree in International Business, I worked for sales teams in large multinational corporations. In 2021 I co-founded The 1 Reset, to focus fully on our mission to “create a like-minded community of people who choose to live in joy”, and work on a 1:1 basis, moderate small group online series, ánd facilitate retreats. 

What inspired you to start your business?

A series of serendipitous events, I’d say. I was looking for a new step in my career, knowing that the most logical step-up was not truly what I desired in my heart if I was being honest with myself. I was coaching on a 1:1 basis next to my job, but was not ready to make the jump to that full-time yet - something was missing. Turns out, it was a partner. I met fellow co-founder Jomar (Reschreiter) during our coaching certification training, and we stayed in close contact. She knew that my dream life for the future was to be able to facilitate retreats across the world, and she also knew I was struggling during that first year of COVID. I couldn’t see my family, felt alone, and locked up. So, she asked me to join her on an adventure: set up a retreat, as a one-off. With nothing to lose, I said yes. That initial retreat never happened as COVID restrictions got tighter right when we planned to go live, but the two of us spend those 4 days together and created this entire company right there and then. Everything we are doing right now was drawn up in those 4 days. From that moment on, I just knew, and there was no looking back. 

Where is your business based?

I am based in Lisbon, Portugal, and Jomar is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. But I like to think of our business as global, as we are planning to have retreats across the globe (currently, we have retreat locations in Greece, Portugal and Arizona), and our other services are mostly virtual. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

We started our business in a hotel room in Arizona, right at the place where we were meant to have our first retreat. That first day, all we did was create our partnership agreement - we discussed everything. What did we both want out of the company? What are our dreams, our vision, our wishes? We even created a clause in our agreement that neither of us is a mind-reader (yet), and naps are encouraged. We discussed different scenarios, how much time and money we are willing to invest, and all the nitty-gritty details. We review our agreement from time to time, but it’s so comprehensive, there’s hardly anything to add as our company grows. To have such a good and strong foundation has been instrumental in the smooth running of our company. I cannot recommend highly enough to start with this if you are working with a partner, it will spare you of many grievances along the way.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

When we started, we focused on our personal networks and word of mouth - and we still do now actually. Both of us have wide-ranging networks that are very different from each other, simply due to the lives we’ve lived up to this point. We use social media, but use that more as an inspirational tool to connect with our the community, versus an acquisition tool. When either one of us shares our mission and vision in person seems to be most effective; clients can feel the energy and passion we have for this. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Now COVID restrictions seem to be more manageable, I am so happy to put on in-person retreats again. There was so much uncertainty with COVID, it was scary to invest in a retreat while not knowing if it was allowed to happen, or would have to be canceled at the last minute. As putting on retreats is such a big part of my vision for The 1 Reset, it was challenging not to be able to do that. We pivoted to online series in the meantime, and to be honest, it took me by surprise how much I love them, enjoy putting them on, and seeing the impact we could still make! I cannot imagine not doing them now. 

How do you stay focused?

Firstly, by taking breaks. It has been a tremendous gift to not be tied to a 9 to 5 mentality anymore. Instead of forcing myself to sit behind my computer screen when I already know I’m not going to be productive anymore, I grant myself permission to take a break. To go for a walk, to have a coffee in the park, or to sit in the sun and read. To pause. So I can reset. And then, when I’m back in my office, I can do what I want to do with energy and focus. And a good soundtrack definitely helps me as well! 

And secondly, I do like structure and work well in it. So, I have a document with all tasks outlined, from short to long-term, and a priority level linked to it. I take a look at that each day, and decide on that day what I want to focus on, and keep track of progress. I suppose that’s the business, logical part of me that is benefitting me here.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Simply by being us. Jomar and I are such comically different people, the dynamic we both bring to the company is our magic, which will be hard to reproduce for anyone else. We differentiate ourselves by our vision and mission and how we show up in the world, in our lives, and in our company. We don’t focus on just one aspect - we focus on the full picture. We started The 1 Reset because regardless of where you are in life, whether you are single, married, divorced, working, stay-at-home parent, an entrepreneur, or a student, and regardless of all your interests, one thing we all have in common is that we sometimes get stuck in auto-pilot, and getting off that hamster wheel can be challenging. And that is where we come in, to reset intentionally. To stop the wheel from turning, so you can decide if you want to get back on, how fast you want to go, or whether you want a different one altogether. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

I mentioned this earlier, but mostly by engaging with our personal networks, and putting ourselves out there. Finding speaking opportunities at local organizations, talking to friends of friends about what it is we are trying to do. It’s been amazing to see who knows who, and what that new connection can result in. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Find a coach! Seriously. Even though I am a coach myself, and I know how life changing it can be, I always have to laugh after a coaching session for myself, because it is so incredibly effective and impactful and I somehow keep forgetting that. I work through my inner doubts and all those inner critical voices that tell me to stop trying. To just get out of my own way. I have gotten so much done, thanks to the guidance of my coaches. Of course, I might have gotten there all by myself, but it would probably have taken me at least 3 years longer (if not more). To have someone to hold you accountable, to present you with a mirror so you can discover that almost always the one who is holding you back from reaching your full potential is yourself, is invaluable.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite book is actually a journal: The 5 minute Journal. I have used that journal for close to a decade now, and I honestly can say it changed my life. It brought a lot of light in my life when I wasn’t in a great place, and whenever I feel a little bit ‘off’, I often realize I lapsed with my journal practice. So I always pick it back up again, and have kept doing so for the last 10 years. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I’ve recently joined a women’s entrepreneurial group here in Lisbon, and it’s been fantastic to meet so many amazing women who are all entrepreneurs and working on their own dreams, and to ask for help, tips and advice and truly be heard. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

It changes! As Jomar and I are building on a community of like-minded people, I meet so many amazing people who are bringing energy and passion into their lives and companies. When speaking to one of them, I am energized and in awe of them, and I just want to infuse a fraction of that in my own company. 

How do you balance work and life?

Right now it is not an issue at all for me, as I am very much in charge of my calendar and work. And I love what I am doing, and it is giving me a ton of energy to work, so the balance is just not an issue or even a topic I think about. As I am in charge of my own calendar, if I feel I am getting tired or pushed to the limit, I schedule in off-time, and share this with Jomar. We hold each other accountable as well. Our vision is to live in joy, so nothing we do with The 1 Reset will ever work against that, or else we will change it. We want to live up to our vision!

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Yoga has been a very important way for me to decompress. Whenever I feel like it’s too much, I try to fit in a yoga session, and it almost always turns out that was all that I needed to feel a lot better, and find perspective. Plus, a good glass of wine with friends is high up on that list as well. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We are putting on several of our online series (the Expand Series to expand your awareness of who you are so you can create your life accordingly, as well as the Explore series, which provides clarity in what you want out of your life and how you’ll get there). Plus, our first retreats in Portugal! We have beautiful places selected for our retreats, so I am so incredibly excited to share this with our Reset community. 
How can our readers connect with you?

Through our website www.the1reset.com , or email me directly at sophie@the1reset.com . On social media you can find us with the @the1reset handle, and follow me on LinkedIn ( www.linkedin.com/in/svanheterve ) to join my monthly book club, in which I pair lessons learned from impactful books with coaching perspectives and questions to ponder.