The other day on Instagram stories I talked about running your own business and I feel to share a lot more on this topic as so many people recently have approached me on this subject. I’ve been running my own business for over ten years and have been full time for almost eight years. The journey has been amazing and I’ve worked on some incredible projects and met some amazing people. At the same time it has been challenging, agonising and I’ve had to strip away so many layers of myself to understand my purpose and what I need to do. Many times I have walked away from a class, a workshop or event and have felt so satisfied with the work that I have shared and then there have been other times where I have felt like a failure and I have wanted to just walk away…. and actually on two occasions I did just that! The process of letting go reawakened the call to teach yoga. So I came back and I worked again. I worked hard and built myself and my business back up again. It has been a journey of incredible highs and lows and if it wasn’t for the essence of my business; yoga I wouldn’t have got through all the ups and downs. As we all know you have to keep calm and carry on and that is exactly the approach I take to running my own business.
Teaching yoga has supported me from when I was single living with my parents, to becoming a home owner, a wife and now a mum. I never ever thought that I could financially support myself by teaching yoga however I have made it work and now I support my family too. Before having Vanaya, Rakesh and I equally contributed to the bills and running of our house. When Vanaya was born we relied on Rakesh’s wage, our savings and maternity pay and if I’m honest it was emotionally difficult to not be ‘earning’ and it took me some time to recognise and value the ‘work’ that I was doing in being a mum. I’m sure many mums out there can relate especially if your earnings have previously given you a sense of independence and freedom. Going back to teaching after having Vanaya allowed me the opportunity to feel like myself again. Becoming a mum changes you on so many levels that sometimes it becomes hard to understand or recognise who you have become. So returning to work gave me a new lease of life. I also feel that working for myself gave me the opportunity to work around Vanaya so that I could still have quality time with her whilst still teaching, writing, blogging etc. So running your own business gives you the flexibility which is so important especially for new mums who may find it hard to be away from their child for long periods of time.
In order to run your own business you also need to have the right support around you especially from your partner. Rakesh has always encouraged me to teach yoga even when I’ve had wobbly moments of not knowing what I was doing he still encouraged me to follow my path. At the same time he is not heavily involved in my work. He doesn’t ask me an endless amount of questions and is more than happy for me to just get on with it! Likewise I get my head down, do my work and if I need his opinion or advice I will ask him otherwise when we are together we usually take the opportunity to talk about other things than work. That is the dynamics of our relationship and it seems to work for us however the main thing to consider is does your partner support you? If they don’t you need to communicate and discuss the options so that it works for everyone. And trust me you will always find a way to work it out!
My journey has been individual and unique to me and likewise if you run your own business you will have your own unique story and experience. The ultimate point I want to make is that we all have a unique talent or skill that is individual to us. As we move through life the calling to share that talent or skill may start to become louder and louder because others need to hear or see your talent, the world needs to hear or see your talent. This is when you may become ready to share and once you start sharing yourself with the world stay focussed on your purpose and your path. Be inspired by others but don’t compare yourself to others. Carefully consider other people’s opinions but if their opinions are not your truth then just toss it away and get back on track.
I wrote this post as a sense of hope and inspiration for anyone out there who is running their own business or is thinking about running their own business. When I first started I wasn’t sure if I would be able to have a business as well as have a family too. However it is so possible and you just have to put your mind to it. Life is too short to not do what you love and if you believe you have something special (as we all do, we just don’t all believe in it) then I say go for it!
Good luck and I love to hear stories about others following their heart so please do share yours in the comments below.
Lots of love,
Jaina x
