Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read our interview with Nicola Salter, Empowerment Mindset & Emotional Wellness Mentor, Business & Personal Coach, based in Woodland  Hills, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I empower thousands of entrepreneurial women, helping them to reimagine, redefine and transform themselves.

Tell us about yourself

At the age of 18, my life changed. My best friend died, and then a week later, my Father died, and I became the breadwinner for the house to help my Mom and sister; my Mom was going blind at the time. I entered the workforce at a pretty early age, at 19, opting out of University to begin a career and feeling very discombobulated and confused entering the corporate world.

I managed to sweet talk my way into a prestigious organization in Westminster, London. I knew I had to make something happen for my family. Six months after my Dad had passed, I was traveling to London and working. I was earning good money and making an income, and becoming aware that what I set my mindset to, I could make happen as long as I had a purpose. I worked in London for many well-known international business-to-business corporations, the BBC, international training organizations, business professional development and leadership, building and launching successful brands, organizing large corporate events, and working with the media.

I jumped from one organization to another, learning as much as I could, and had the mindset that I just knew I could and always would land a job. I kind of expected I could. I began to understand how I could use my skills in the corporate world one day, as women began coming to me for validation, or support and guidance on what steps they should take next, and I had the uncanny knack of being able to help them see rather quickly what would be a fit for them. I was one of the first to understand that purpose and mindset went hand in hand.

I landed in Los Angeles 25 years ago and knew I wanted to have my own business. I didn't realize quite how tricky this was going to be; as a Brit in America, no network, just a passion for helping women find themselves and their purpose and help them connect to their value and create businesses or new life chapters that would empower them. My beginnings in business here in LA were not pretty and far from the American dream. I realized that many of the women I was working with practically had no idea of their purpose value and were completely over-invested in their partners, had become resentful, frustrated, and angry with themselves, and were carrying a boatload of unresolved negative emotions and wounds.

It took a lot of guts, sweat equity, and mistakes as I began to build my business here in Los Angeles, and I quickly realized that unless I stayed true and on track without distraction, let go of self-doubt and feeling like an imposter in a foreign country, I probably wasn't going to make it! I needed to believe in myself and what I was doing. The mindset was my number one priority, and blocks and limiting beliefs were my second priority; without working on these, no matter the idea or service, I knew it was going to be challenging to stay the course and be successful.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Twenty-six years later, I have personally worked with thousands of women, about 16000, so my experience of identifying emotional wounds, negative beliefs, and blocks and then helping my clients release these negative patterns have become an intrinsic part of what I do along with the power of purpose, mindset, motivation, and mastery. My biggest accomplishment: my business has been word of mouth. My work has become twofold – I help women connect to their purpose and find the resilience to build success for themselves by monetizing their skills, gifts, and experiences. One of the key focus elements is to discover and let go of mindset blocks that create imposter syndrome and self-sabotage and rewire the brain with new belief patterns.

It is my belief that you cannot offer any kind of coaching or mentoring without first identifying, acknowledging, and acting on those parts of you that are holding you back. Secondly, I share self-care methods based on this work to help larger organizations build innovative, motivated, and productive teams that create resilience, coherence, accountability, and self-mastery.

My book Hot Water for Tea is a self-help, self-care, written and designed for my clients with my own formulations to support wellness, using teas and aromatherapy - plant medicine. My podcast, created five years ago, gives tips and guidance to support women holistically and naturally and empower them with simple, effective methods that work quickly.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Being constantly available, whether in person or mentally, can be taxing, strategizing the next steps continuously, facilitating coaching, business building, and creating content. However, I am my own boss, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Knowing your 'why' and your purpose with your business helps you stay committed and connected to working those long hours you will need to put in and helps you stay on track.
  2. The impact you want to make and what makes you the expert with a great website, marketing, and messaging for your network.
  3. Know the potential clients you want to attract and what problems you solve.
  4. Finances - make sure you either have capital behind you to float you for at least a year, or you have another part-time job whilst you are building out your business, or seek investment to support you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://nicolasalter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolasalterempowermentmentor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolasalterempower/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-salter-59b8899/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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