Running a Digital Business as a Woman

Episode #21 – Interview with Nicky Dare

 

Nicky is a passionate philanthropist, incredible personal life coach and highly-effective corporate consultant. She truly loves sharing knowledge and helping others to live with a purpose and passion.

This episode is a little different because I have been interviewed by Nicky Dare for her podcast. I wanted to share this episode on my podcast because we had a really interesting conversation about transforming from a solopreneur to an entrepreneur, team building and team management as well as how the coronavirus has influenced our digital business.

 

What changed since the lockdown?

I actually have two online businesses and since the lockdown started, there was a huge jump in the demand of online work. So many people realized the advantages that working online has and wanted to try it themselves. We started getting 3 times the amount of new clients in our online course membership site and we also hired new employees since the lockdown because we had so much work. At the same time, we tried to support local businesses here in Portugal by buying local products and ordering take away to support the restaurants. I also started to offer free aerial yoga classes so that people can still stay fit while they are working from home. It’s so easy to get stuck in front of your computer, especially if you’re not used to working from home, so it’s important to take a break and exercise.

I also started free online coaching calls to help others get a clear structure in their work. It’s important to not forget about free time and to take care of yourself as well. It’s easy to lose track and work on your business 24/7, so I help them to get a better routine.

Especially in the spiritual industry, a lot of people were out of work because of the lockdown. I think it’s important for anyone to start thinking about moving your business online. It doesn’t just give you more flexibility, but you are also able to reach more people and therefore earn more money. Also, bigger companies should think about letting their employees work from home. Now they could see that this is actually possible and it would also help the environment because there would be less traffic.

 

Challenges when working from home

It depends on whether you are a business owner or an employee. As a company owner, the lockdown didn’t bring any additional challenges because we run an online business and have always been working from home. We also really trust our team and know that the work will be done properly, even though everyone works from home. Trust is really important to ensure a good work environment and also to help get the results. Everyone works differently and it’s important to take breaks. When working from home, every person can structure their day differently depending on their needs, and this way they can also be more productive.

 

Useful tools for online work

We also use online tools for our team to communicate and structure the workload. For daily communication, we like to use Slack because you can use different channels for different topics and keep it very organized. We also use Confluence to assign different jobs to our team with priorities and deadlines. It’s important to have a good structure and have different schedules for every individual, so the team members are flexible but the work is still getting done.

 

About my coaching business

My coaching business has shifted over the years since I started it. I first got into coaching when I was working in the photo editing industry, but over time I shifted more into mindset and business skills. I actually took a break to be able to spend the time to rediscover myself and what I wanted to do with my coaching business. As I grew my other business from being a solopreneur to now being an entrepreneur and having a team behind me, I also wanted to help other solopreneurs to achieve the same. I know how much of a change it can make and how much freedom it can bring to expand your business, so this was really important to me.

If you are constantly keeping yourself busy, just trying to get the work done without any breaks, then there will be a point when you crash or have a burnout. It’s so important to have a break and think about why you are even doing the work. You need to know what your goals are. Those are the things I work on with my coaching clients. I also help them to find the right way to outsource some work when it’s the right time.

I would always recommend to entrepreneurs to work with a coach for different reasons. You might be able to achieve the same results without a coach but it will take you much longer and it will be more difficult. A coach not only guides you but also empowers and supports you when you have a bad day or something is going wrong. It’s always good to have another person to talk to who might have a different perspective or more experience.

The most important part is always the mindset because that’s where everything starts. Sometimes, if you have bad expectations or don’t believe in yourself, that might actually be the reason why things go wrong. If you feel like you can’t do something, it’s much harder for you to actually do it. You need to understand that you control your own thoughts. When mindset work comes in and your thoughts change, it will also be easier to overcome bad days. It’s also important to put your self-care first in order to be able to do your work or help others.

 

Struggles as a woman when dealing with clients

I never let anyone hold me back just because I’m a woman. I always just did what I wanted to do. Remember that you are your own boss and nobody can hold you back. That was one of the things I didn’t like about living in Malta. It felt like women were only staying at home and caring for their families. I didn’t see any women who had their own business and a husband, it was either one or the other. I experienced a few situations there where I didn’t feel respected because when it came to business, the other men just spoke to my boyfriend and ignored me, even though we are equal partners in our business. I personally believe that everyone should be treated equally, no matter what gender you are or where you come from.

 

About empathy and compassion

It’s important for any person to show compassion, whether it’s as a friend or as a parent. But it’s even more important to show compassion as a coach. It can help the clients so much if you just listen and are there for them. It’s also important to find out how you can help your clients. Also as a business owner, it’s important to show compassion to your employees and lead them with love. I believe that is the best way to run a business.

 

Final tips

Whether you are a solopreneur or an entrepreneur, the mindset work is the first thing I would recommend. Just try to stay open-minded and to trust yourself. By taking more time for yourself, your intuition will come in and it will help you to find the right path for your business. Also, if you are overworked or struggling to reach your next goal, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t matter if you get a coach or an employee, it’s important to get the help you need to be able to move forward with your business. A lot of people including myself wait too long to outsource tasks but it’s such an important step for your business.

As an entrepreneur, it’s also important to learn about compassion and spiritual work to be able to become a better leader and support others. I believe that this is what a business should be about, helping, and supporting others. At the same time, you are able to build your dream life and business.   

 

Links

Link to Nicky’s website:
https://www.NickyDare.com

Links to Nicky’s social media:
https://linkedin.com/in/NickyDare
https://youtube.com/c/NickyDare

Link to Nicky’s freebie:
https://nickydare.ecwid.com/Checklist-DARE-To-Succeed-p133420100

 

Freebies

If you are ready to rock your life and business get your complimentary coaching call with Lisa! Schedule your free coaching call now.
https://go.lisa-evoluer.com/call

Grab the free „Rising Business Rockstar Guide“
https://go.lisa-evoluer.com/risingbusinessrockstar

Get your s** done! Easy steps to get the results you want in your life and business right now, how to be more productive and create your healthy, vibrant dream-life.