Know yourself, have confidence and take action!
After many long and arduous months of thinking, overthinking, analyzing and overanalyzing…I left my 15+ year career in healthcare to pursue a freelance writing business.
This was definitely NOT something I did on a whim or impulsively and I plan to share exactly how I made this decision.
I grew up with parents who preached about getting a stable job that pays the bills and gives you benefits…and I did that for 15 freaking years!
But now, I’m starting a new chapter in my life. Freelance writing has been my side hustle for years. And I’m so excited, scared, amped and nervous at the same time. To quell those mixed and uneasy feelings, I decided to reach out to those who have gone through it already, seek their advice and capture their lessons learned.
As a proud Asian female, I’m eternally inspired by other Asian women who are leading their lives with unapologetic power and grace. I asked each of these amazing women the following question:
“What were the biggest challenges you faced when you started your business? And what would be the most important piece of advice you would give to others who are starting their businesses now?”
Selena Fan (Vista Ark Immigration Consulting)
“Trust yourself and just do it.”
Selena started her business, Vista Ark Immigration Consulting (vaimmigrate.ca) in 2016. She is a licensed Canadian immigration consultant who provides immigration services to individuals and corporate clients worldwide. Selena is committed to helping clients turn visions and dreams into realities through creative and innovative immigration strategies and a client-focused approach.
Here’s what Selena had to say:
“I think the biggest challenge is to build a clientele and reputation as it takes time. I would say be confident, trust yourself and just do it. I wasn’t very confident in myself back then and I delayed many years in starting my business, but once I start doing it, everything started to make sense and come together. I later realized I had been capable this whole time and it was only my mental block that prevented me from starting a business sooner.”
Iris Chen (Untigering)
“Know who you are, what your values are…”
Iris is a peaceful parenting advocate, intersectional unschooler, anti-oppression activist, and deconstructing tiger mom. Her book Untigering (untigering.com) is about learning to navigate life and parenting at the intersection of her Chinese and American identities.
She provides personalized coaching for parents and helps them dive deep into the inner work needed for their peaceful parenting and/or unschooling practice.
Here’s what Iris had to say:
“My challenges: Believing that my work was valuable enough for people to pay money for. I started Untigering as a personal blog and never imagined that it would turn into a business. It took some mindset shifts about my worthiness and my attitude towards money.
My advice: Know who you are, what your values are, and what your boundaries are. Build your business in a way that aligns with that instead of listening to all the business and marketing advice out there that requires you to abandon yourself.”
Clarie Magenheimer (FitFoods With Claire)
“Any action is good action.”
Claire is a Fitness and Precision Nutrition Certified Coach who helps clients learn how to create healthier habits for life. She started FitFoods With Claire (fitfoodswithclaire.com) because she believes that it’s never too late to change our lifestyles and that everyone deserves to be their best. She specializes in teaching others how to prepare tasty and healthy meals to give their body what it needs to meet their health and fitness goals, without giving up their favourite foods.
Here’s what Claire had to say:
“My biggest challenges I faced when starting my online coaching business were getting over my insecurities, fears, and perfectionism. I spent way too much time thinking about all the ways I could fail, rather than spending my time and energy focused on my strengths and ways I knew I could bring value to people.
My best advice to others starting out on their journey is to learn to just take action. As one of my mentors told me, “fuck it up, then figure it out.” It may look messy and imperfect, but as long as you are aligned with your mission and purpose, any action is good action. The worst thing is to let your doubts and fears stop you from taking any action at all. That’s a formula for disaster!”
Angela Wu (The Sassy Asian Therapist)
“Believe in your why.”
Angela is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Empowerment Coach who is passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health in the AAPI community as well as helping women of colour reclaim and raise their voices in order to embody their empowered authentic selves!
She’s called The Sassy Asian Therapist (thesassyasiantherapist.com) because of her outspokenness and her authentic voice that speaks up against systems that continue to subjugate BIPOC folx, women, and other marginalized communities.
Here’s what Angela had to say:
“ I think one of the biggest challenges I faced was myself, specifically my mindset. I’ve grown up seeing my immigrant parents struggle and they had always emphasized getting a safe government job with good benefits. It felt risky to break out of that and start my own business. I also realized that in doing so, I was choosing not to operate in fear. For me, starting my own business meant I had to face my own scarcity mindset.
However, in order to shift my mindset, I had to start seeing my worth and value and absolutely believe in my mission. Something that really carried me through was my “why”.
So as advice to those who are starting their businesses, It’s so important that you believe in your “why”. It is what will carry you through the difficult times when you want to give up.
Also — just show up, even when you don’t feel like it. Just show up. It is all about consistency. When you are consistent, it shows that you are reliable. People are more willing to trust you when you are reliable.”
Stay tuned for part 2.
So Readers, which piece of advice resonated with you the most?
