Featured Solopreneur Nea Joy Justice: “My Fallback Position Is My Resourcefulness and Commitment”

This is “Featured Solopreneur,” an ongoing series that gives all of us a glimpse at how other solopreneurs operate their small businesses. Click Here to read more Solopreneur Success Stories.

Name of businesses:
Self Improvement Saga Blog and You Turn Life Coaching

Web sites:
self-improvement-saga.com and youturnlifecoaching.net

Type of business:
I am a Transformational Life Coach, Professional Blogger, and Network Marketer

When did you officially go into business?
March, 2009

Why did you start your own business?
I always had an interest in working for myself, but in my 20s I became truly tired of being just another name on the payroll. I wanted to create my own schedule, to have a lifestyle that permitted frequent travel, to do work that made a difference, and to live without the fear of corporate downsizing. After being laid off from a job for the second time, I decided it was a sign that it was time for me to follow my heart.

What was the best thing you did when you were starting up your business?

I made sure to blend the line between work and play as much as possible. In other words, I built my business around my passions and the things that I feel good about. This made all the difference in the world because I don’t have the stress of having to do a lot of tasks that I dislike. I love my work.

What is a mistake that you made that you have learned from?
I didn’t understand the importance of networking and operating outside of my introverted tendencies. This was not a big deal when I became a professional blogger, but it caused a great deal of delay in attracting clients when I became a life coach.

What is your biggest current challenge in the business and what are you doing to try to solve it?
Before people invest in something, they need to want it; and before they want it, they must know its value. This creates a huge challenge for marketing life coaching, a service for which many people don’t have a point of reference. What I’m doing about this is concentrating on building relationships. Instead of marketing life coaching, I market myself as someone to connect with. From there, I educate my connections on what I do and how truly life-changing life coaching can be.

What are your goals for the next 12 months?
Certification by the International Coaching Federation is the ultimate seal of approval for a life coach, so I’ve committed to earning that honor this year. In fact, I’ve completed most of the requirements, so I am well on my way.

Where do you want to be with the business in five years?
My mission for my business is igniting joy through transformation. In alignment with this mission, my five-year goal is to offer a range of value-added services that will complement life coaching and aid in the process of helping people to transform their lives. I’m studying a variety of energy healing practices, which I will definitely offer as a service. I also plan to offer NLP, EFT, and Shamanic practices for deep emotional cleansing.

What are your main software programs?
WordPress (for my sites and blogs), Microsoft Open Office (for documents), Mozilla Thunderbird (for email), Skype (for virtual coaching), Lavasoft Adaware (for anti-virus protection)

What’s your advice for aspiring solopreneurs?
My main piece of advice is to become and remain well-connected. Working for yourself and by yourself has its perks, but success is difficult to come by without a solid network of people to advise, refer, motivate, and support you.

Are you glad you became a solopreneur? Why or why not?
I am absolutely glad that I’m a solopreneur. I love the freedom to chart my own course and the opportunity to do what I truly love.

If your business should fail, what is your fallback position?
I have a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management Information Systems and several years of experience in that field. Those qualifications afford me the opportunity to get a job in Information Systems or to fix individual’s computers for money, neither of which are my passion. I honestly think that my best fallback position is my resourcefulness and commitment. I prefer to do whatever it takes to stay on my path even if times get rough.