Wise Heart Coaching & Hypnosis
Judith opened the door to Wise Heart Coaching & Hypnosis in 2006. Everything was going great for Judith until 2008, the year the market went down. Judith then got a job and went back to school to get her Masters in Arts In Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Gerontology at Marylhurst University. Judith’s experience at Marylhurst wasn’t what she thought it would be. She wasn’t happy and she was ready to walk away until her advisor suggested that she take a class in gerontology: the study of aging. Judith took the class and loved it. She graduated from Marylhurst, but found it difficult to apply her masters and what she learned to the real world. She was 64 years old when she decided it was time to do what she really wanted to do. Judith had always wanted to be a hypnotherapist but had no way of funding it.
She decided to go into hypnosis because she knew how this could benefit her coaching business. Judith heard about Mercy Corps NW back in 2012 and knew MCNW offered support to small business owners. She decided to participate in the IDA program and got a grant. Judith also attended the business foundations classes and business planning workshops. This was the first time that Judith had written a business plan and found that it was helpful for her business.
Judith’s sister supported her and put the first $300 in her bank account to get the grant from Mercy Corps NW. With the start of those $300, Judith continued saving for six months in order to get a grant.
From her own experience of running a coaching business, Judith believes that starting a business takes a lot of support. When she was in the process of applying to the IDA grant, Judith had gotten so sick. She had to be admitted into the hospital as the deadline to submitting the application was approaching. It was thanks to Judith’s friend who helped her complete the paperwork and send it to Mercy Corps NW in order for Judith to receive the grant.
Judith also took out a personal loan to pay for other bills. She didn’t have an office at that time so she started seeing clients out of her friend’s office, an office that she rented once a week. Then she moved to Life Qual, where she worked 3 days a week, sharing an office with a therapist. Judith was finally able to rent her first office in Cedar Hills and then two years ago, moved into her current office space. She offers here hypnotherapy and coaching services to adults of all ages.
She believes that coaching and hypnosis blend together significantly. She is currently taking Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Pain Management to better serve her clients.
Judith says, “The most important thing I can tell somebody who wants to go into a business is to go through Mercy Corps NW, and the SBA. Mercy Corps NW is a GIFT! Who gives you a few thousand dollars to boost you? They also want you to prove that you really know what you are doing. They encouraged me to write a business plan. Whether I use it now or not, it forced me to look at some ideas about how to expand my business and where I want to go. Business is not where my brain goes and Mercy Corps NW has been so generous and kind to me.”
Overcoming challenges
Judith hires people to help her with marketing and taxes. She advises her fellow business owners, “Know what your strengths and weaknesses are. Don’t waste your time on the areas that are not your strengths; hire somebody who has that strength and enjoys that work.”
She adds, “Take care of yourself, go for a massage, get your nails done, and take a time off when you need it. You might end up getting married to your business, and a business is a lousy bed partner. Take the dog for a walk. Watch stress; stress is a killer. Owning your own business is stressful.”
Judith highlighted the importance of having a lawyer look at your business agreements and contracts. She explains, “Mercy Corps NW helped me a lot with that. Use the resources that are available to you through Mercy Corps NW.”
Getting clients and marketing the business are the main challenges that Judith has been having since starting the business. She clarifies, “It is hard to know where to market and what to do. Things are always changing in marketing and you need to stay up to date.”
Judith also asserted the importance of connecting with other people to be successful. She says, “As a solopreneur it is very easy to become isolated, so it is very important to stay connected with other people and go to networking meetings. It is hard to find the right networking groups that are going to promote you and your business. However, networking will prevent you from being isolated and burnout.”
In addition, Judith has faced financial challenges. She explains, “Don’t expect that your first year will make you a profit. Have a few months of expenses put away and start earning money. Before you can pay yourself, you pay the business over and over again. Have about 6 months of living expenses because your business will go up and down. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket. If you fall and break your leg when you are an independent employer, you don’t have an employer that says we will take care of you for 6 months while you heal.”
Evolving with her business
Judith explained how she has grown since starting the business: “I have grown in more ways that I have possibly imagined. I am more confident and wiser. I have gone through so much change in me personally. Going through hypnosis myself changed me dramatically. After taking coaching classes, I decided that I need to let go of my backpack of stuff; letting go of my backpack helped me to deal with other people’s problems.”
Judith has more advice for her fellow business owners. Here are some:
“You can do it! Don’t give up and let go of the doubts! All the struggles you go through in life make you a better practitioner because you are going to understand and appreciate all the problems that your clients are coming with because you have been there. I am able to say: I know you can rise above this, I have been there and I understand.”
“If you open your doors doesn’t mean that the clients are going to be on the other side. It takes time and effort. Nobody tells you how to run a business. It is a big weakness in our system. Try to take classes in business before you start your business. Check your ego at the door, especially when you don’t get clients in the first few months of starting your business. You’ll need tenacity to keep going.”
Are you in a transition or seeking more meaningful relationships? Check out Wise Heart Coaching & Hypnosis website for more information or contact Judith to schedule a free discovery session: https://wiseheartcoaching.com/