Today we are joined by Dijana Harris, who describes her professional career as being: a "Counsellor Intuitive Mentor, Transformation Guide and a Holistic Wellbeing Advocate". Dijana is here to share her experiences as an entrepreneur, sharing how she attracts and maintains clients, manages the office and marketing aspects and finds ways of balancing her life. Having networked with her, I can tell you that she is passionate about guiding people to their highest potential. In private practice since 2005, Dijana has supported 100’s of people on their journey of self-awareness and personal development. Dijana invites you to check out her website @ http://www.dijana.org or visit her on Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn.
World of Entrepreneurship - Interview
Q: Being an entrepreneur isn't easy - What led to your being in the position you are now - running this company?
A: My holistic counselling business was launched in 2005, immediately following my graduation (psychology and natural medicine). At that time, I hadn’t known any businesses to that offered a holistic approach to health and wellbeing so I decided that I was going to pave the way. Initially the business name was Living Empowered. Over the years the name and some services had changed, but the foundational intention for the business (holistic health and wellbeing) has always stayed the same.
My intent wasn’t specifically to become an entrepreneur, that happened by necessity. I didn’t want to work for anyone who’s values and purpose didn’t align with mine, and since I couldn’t find a business like the one I envisaged, I then started one.
Q: When you look back on your earlier life, are there points that stand out as developing the entrepreneurial spirit you now possess?
A: Independence, focus and discipline would be attributes I possessed in my younger life that became an intrinsic part of my personality. I was 12 years old when I signed my first professional sport contract. I travelled around Europe without parent supervision at an early age and got paid for it. These experiences definitely defined all major decisions from that point on.
Q: How did you go about attracting a customer base?
A: Word of mouth spread quickly for me. Back in 2005 I wasn’t aware of marketing strategies in a way we do things today. Back then, I had a telephone business directory listing (in a regional printed phonebook), sent out mail outs, printed brochures, etc. Networking has mostly been done through online events, industry association gatherings, Chamber Of Commerce business events. More recently, social media has been a great source of networking as well, through groups and various online communities.
Q: What kind of culture exists in your organization and how did you establish it?
A: My business primarily collaborates with individuals, contractors and other businesses. The collaborative culture is one of mutual respect, transparency and clarity, integrity, a win-win collaborative approach, an attitude of lifting each other up, support and the highest possible outcome for all.
I still do most of the work to a large extend, although I’m getting better at delegating and outsourcing certain aspects of projects and business. I love the creativity, variety and the helping-nature of my work. This brings me the deepest fulfillment and a sense of purpose.
Q: How do you generate new ideas that evolve your business to align with your personal goals and passions?
A: I have quite a creative mind, so ideas are always in abundance for me. It’s more a matter of being able to discern what is a good idea at any one time for whatever it is that I’m doing (teaching, clients, writing, podcasts, etc).
I have chosen to be aware of my ‘footprint’ and consciously choose the most eco-friendly, low-waste option. I re-purpose and donate whenever possible. I’ve even sold my car preferring the option of a car-share service (which equals to taking 10 cars off the road).
A: Learn to research really well, familiarize yourself with all the different ways you can get support, funding, advice, answers to many questions you will have along the way. Stay focused, curious, and creative.
I have to say that I’ve learned the most from making mistakes, by far. I used to be afraid of making mistakes. Now I value and think of them as a primary investment. They have, not only been a motivation, but they’ve also been an excellent source of gaining business intelligence.
Q: There are often so many areas that one could improve when it comes to running a business. How did you come to decide on which changes to take on first?
A: I find that the need to improve something comes to light quite organically, as needed, on project or event or per client basis. But to be honest, the truth is that I’m making improvements to something-or-another every single day. There’s not a day that I’m not thinking about maximizing potential.
I have to admit that I’m only just recently getting better at marketing and promotions. Meaning, I had a wonderful momentum for about 18 months before the pandemic hit and then everything changed, of course. I’m now more conscious about creating in a different way that is more long lasting and resilient.
I have to admit that I’m only just recently getting better at marketing and promotions. Meaning, I had a wonderful momentum for about 18 months before the pandemic hit and then everything changed, of course. I’m now more conscious about creating in a different way that is more long lasting and resilient.
Q: When you are having a bad day, facing challenging situations such as unexpected obstacles, equipment failures or illness - what steps do you take to alleviate the pressure?
A: The old paradigm of ‘pushing through’ doesn’t work! So, I stop and take time to connect within and listen to what my inner compass (guidance) tells me I need at that moment. If I need to, I will take a few hours, or day/s, off in order to get back to my centre. In this way I can function in, and on, the business when I’m at my highest potential as much as possible. This is a blessing - being self-employed.
I want to reiterate the importance of taking a minute to be still and breathe. This helps the circulation of oxygen to the brain and supports mental clarity in challenging times.
Q: Tell us about the time management factor of running a business. Time management is always a challenge for the self-employed, tell us how you go about managing time.
A: Perhaps because of my early sporting success, I’m naturally quite disciplined with my time as well. This works great with my time-management skills. I am also visual, so I utilize visual tools, such as an actual physical diary to write things down, to support my time management requirements. This is in conjunction with an online calendar. I try not to fill up my head with information and then stress about remembering it. My mind is ‘empty’ and free to do it’s analytical and creative job.
Thank you for this opportunity Lillian!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dijana, for dropping in to share some of the experiences you have had in your entrepreneur journey so far :)
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